Fownhope to Ross-on-Wye

In Fownhope on the morning of Oak Apple Day (May 29th) an oak bough is cut and decorated with red, white and blue ribbons and villagers decorate sticks with flowers. It’s a traditional art that has been passed down through the generations in preparation for the Heart of Oak Society's procession through the village accompanied by brass band and villagers. The Society was a type of Friendly Society in the early 1800s, providing a form of insurance for members when they fell on hard times.

Limestone grasslands have declined drastically due to intensive farming but this reserve lies on the north slope of a limestone ridge where thin, free draining and nutrient-poor soil produces a spectacular grassland including cowslips and marjoram. Some of these plants will only grow on land which has never been ploughed or improved with fertilisers and herbicides. Nearby Lea and Pagets Wood SSSI has fine broadleaved woodlands, carpeted with bluebells and wood anemones in spring.

This Iron Age Hill Fort dominates the surrounding countryside with expansive views South and West. It is oval in shape and has a double set of defensive ramparts on its southern side, but only a single rampart on its steeper northern side. The camp was occupied from around 500 BC until sometime in the mid to late 2nd or 3rd century AD.