What to see in Herefordshire and Worcestershire

©NTPL/John Hammond	Berrington Hall, nr Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0DW Nat Trust Telephone: 01568 615721 Neo-classical mansion with fine interiors, set in landscape grounds Photo: The sweeping staircase with bronzed balustrading in the Staircase Hall at Berrington Hall, Herefordshire

©NTPL/Robert Morris	Brockhampton Estate, Greenfields, Bringsty, nr Bromyard, Herefordshire WR6 5TB Nat Trust Traditionally farmed estate and medieval manor house Photo: The Gatehouse and Lower Brockhampton House, the medieval manor house on the Brockhampton Estate in Worcestershire.

	Clearwell Caves For thousands of years iron ore has been mined at Clearwell Caves. You can still meet a Free Miner here: men whose ancient birthright entitles them to dig for minerals within the Hundred of St Briavels and the Royal Forest of Dean. Clearwell Caves are now a working mining museum where visitors can see impressive caverns with geological and mining displays

	Visit Caldicot Castle in its beautiful setting of tranquil gardens and a wooded country park. Founded by the Normans, developed in royal hands as a stronghold in the Middle Ages and restored as a Victorian family home, the castle has a romantic and colourful history. Find out about its past with an audio tour, explore the medieval towers and take in the breath-taking views of the parklands and surrounding area from the battlements

©NTPL/David Noton	Clent Hills, North Worcestershire, between Hagley and Bromsgrove A stunning countryside haven in the heart of the busy Midlands Photo: A farmstead amidst fields in the Clent Hills, Hereford & Worcester, bathed in sunshine, with a rainbow rising up against the dark sky.

Credit: Vera Hunter	Croft Castle and Parkland, Yarpole, nr Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 9PW Telephone: 01568 780141 (Infoline) Castellated manor house set in stunning countryside with panoramic views Photo: A view, from the south, of the main building and the Church at Croft Castle. The small square clock tower on the Church is visible on the right.

©NTPL/Andrew Butler	Croome Park, Croome D'Abitot, Worcestershire WR8 9DW Nat Trust Telephone: 01905 371006 Magnificent landscape park restored to its former glory Photo: North front of the house at Croome Park, Croome D'Abitot, Worcestershire. Capability Brown remodelled the exterior facades of the house in Classical Palladian style, and added wings to the east and west in 1752.

©NTPL/Tim Stephens	Cwmmau Farm, Brilley, Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR3 6JP Nat Trust Telephone: 01981 590509 Superb early 17th-century farmhouse Photo: Interior view of a kitchen at Cwmmau Farm at Brilley on the border between Herefordshire and Wales. The timber framed farm houses with stone tiled roofs are not open to the public.

	Dean Forest Railway Lots to do, not just riding the train

	Elton Farm Maize Mazes, located between Newnham upon Severn and Westbury upon Severn are now a top Forest of Dean visitor attraction

©NTPL/Ian West	The Fleece Inn, Bretforton, nr Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 7JE Nat Trust Telephone: 01386 831173 An unspoilt English pub Photo: The half-timbered Fleece Inn at Bretforton, it is in part C14th. and was first licensed as an Inn in 1848.

	Forest of Dean lies between the rivers Wye and Severn, in the western part of Gloucestershire, and on the borders of Wales and Herefordshire

	Goodrich stands majestically on a wooded hill commanding the passage of the River Wye into the picturesque valley of Symonds Yat. The castle was begun in the late 11th century, by the English thane Godric who gave it his name. A generation later the splendidly preserved square keep which still forms its core was added, probably in the time of Richard ‘Strongbow’ de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Goodrich 1148-76.

©NTPL/Nick Meers	The Greyfriars, Friar Street, Worcester, Worcestershire WR1 2LZ Nat Trust Telephone: 01905 23571 15th-century merchant's house in Worcester city centre Photo: The exterior of The Greyfriars, Worcester, a medieval timber framed building. The house was built by Thomas Grene, a wealthy Worcester brewer in 1480 on a site next to a monastery.

©NTPL/Nick Guttridge	Hanbury Hall, School Road, Hanbury, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire WR9 7EA Nat Trust Telephone: 01527 821214 Early 18th-century country house, garden and park Photo: Outdoor conservation - view through the entrance gates to the house with scaffolding and protective cover whilst working on the roof at Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire.

Credit: David Hunter	Hawford Dovecote, Hawford, Worcestershire WR3 7SG Nat Trust Telephone: 01527 821214 16th-century dovecote Title: Hawford Dovecote Photo: An exterior view of the Hawford Dovecote. This 16th century half-timbered dovecote is a remnant of a former monastic grange.

	Clustered around Hartpury church are a unique group of ancient buildings lovingly maintained over the centuries by the parishioners. Many of these now need the careful attention of experts to continue to keep them in good order. Hartpury Historic Buildings Trust was established both to arrange this and equally importantly, to let others know about this gem lying off the beaten track.

	Hereford Cathedral A Cathedral has stood in Hereford since Saxon times. The present building contains some of the finest examples of architectural excellence from Norman times up to the present day, including the Romanesque Nave, the beautifully restored Shrine of St Thomas of Hereford in the North Transept, the ancient South Transept and the award-winning twentieth-century New Library Building. Throughout the summer you can join our Cathedral Guides to explore the interior and exterior of the building (at stated times each day). The Mappa Mundi The Hereford Mappa Mundi is unique in Britain's heritage; an outstanding treasure of the medieval world, it records how thirteenth-century scholars interpreted the world in spiritual as well as geographical terms. The map bears the name of its author 'Richard of Haldingham or Lafford' (Holdingham and Sleaford in Lincolnshire). Recent research suggests a date of about 1300 for the creation of the map. Mappa Mundi is drawn on a single sheet of vellum (calf skin) measuring 64" by 52" (1.58 x 1.33 meters), tapering towards the top with a rounded apex. The geographical material of the map is contained within a circle measuring 52" in diameter and reflects the thinking of the medieval church with Jerusalem at the centre of the world.

	The 11 acre gardens of How Caple Court date from Edwardian times and are set high above the River Wye with views toward the Forest of Dean and the Welsh Mountains. Formal terraces with yew hedges, pools, statues and a traditional rose garden contrast with less formal plantings of mature trees and shrubs.

	Malvern Hills are a 9 mile range They divide the Counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire and are well worth a visit. The climb is not arduous and the views are worthwhile. There are many springs and wells (Malvern Water) flowing from these hills - watch out for St Ann's Well and Holy Well.

©NTPL/Derek Croucher	Middle Littleton Tithe Barn, Middle Littleton, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 5LN Nat Trust 13th-century tithe barn, one of the largest and finest in the country Photo: Middle Littleton Tithe Barn is one of the largest & finest C13th tithe barn in the country. Built in blue lias stone, with Cotswold stone roof tiles, oak timber aisle posts & crucked roof.

	Perrygrove Railway is the steam train for all ages- and all weathers! A charming railway in the Royal Forest of Dean

©NTPL/Robert Morris	Rosedene, Victoria Road, Dodford, nr Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B61 9BU Nat Trust Telephone: 01527 821214 Mid-19th-century Chartist cottage Photo: The walled yard at the back of Rosedene, the cottage in which early Chartists lived, first occupied in 1849, Worcestershire.

	Severn Valley Railway For four decades, the Severn Valley Railway has graduated from relative obscurity to a prominent position in British railway preservation. Nowadays, the initials SVR are not solely part of the specialist jargon of keen railway enthusiasts, although the line is still happily invaded during the popular Enthusiast Weekends.

	Shobdon airfield began as a wartime aerodrome which was used by the RAF Gliding School as the main training area for the Normandy and Arnheim landings. The Herefordshire Gliding Club is based at Shobdon Airfield. See their site for newsletter, events listings, details of courses and other gliding links.

	The first known church at Shobdon was a timber chapel, built in Anglo Saxon times It is the striking blue and white interior with its wealth of ornamental arches, lavish pulpit based on the Kent design for York Minster and extensive Gothic detailing that makes Shobdon so unique among churches in Britain.

Credit: Mark Bolton	The Weir, Swainshill, nr Hereford, Herefordshire HR4 7QF Nat Trust Telephone: 01981 590509 Informal 1920s riverside garden with fine views Photo: Patch of Cionodoxa in foreground with bank of daffodils sloping down to garden bench and the River Wye in The Weir garden.

©NTPL/David Hunter	Wichenford Dovecote, Wichenford, Worcestershire Nat Trust Telephone: 01527 821214 17th-century half-timbered black-and-white dovecote Photo: View of seventeenth century half-timbered black and white dovecote, at Wichenford, Worcestershire

	The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an internationally important protected landscape. Recognised for its spectacular limestone gorge scenery and dense ravine woodlands, this living and working landscape is rich in history, wildlife, archaeological and industrial remains and impressive geological features. Projects - Members of staff at the Wye Valley AONB unit work in partnership with local communities, schools and other organisations on a range of projects, large and small. These aim to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area and to increase awareness and appreciation of what makes this area so special.

	Three Choirs Festival Hereford and the nearby cities of Gloucester and Worcester take it in turns each year to host the world-famous Three Choirs Festival. This is the oldest music festival in Europe, and possibly in the world, and its origins go back to the early eighteenth century. 2-9 August 2008
	Worcester Festival bringing you all the information you will need to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Worcester Festival. The 2008 Festival will run for an extra week from Saturday 2nd August to Bank Holiday Monday 25th August. The extra week will be incorporating the fringe events for the Three Choirs Festival which will be hosted in Worcester in 2008 from the 2nd to the 9th August.

Hotel accommodation in Hereford & Worcestershire