104 - South Herefordshire and Over Severn : Analysis: Landscape Attributes & Opportunities

Analysis supporting Statements of Environmental Opportunity

The following analysis section focuses on the landscape attributes and opportunities for this NCA.

Further analysis on ecosytem services for this NCA is contained in the Analysis: Ecosytem Services section.

Landscape attributes

An undulating landscape with some prominent rounded hills, lower rolling ground and narrow meandering flood plains, largely underlain by Old Red Sandstone, although the area around the Woolhope Dome and May Hill incorporates Silurian limestones, shaley mudstones and siltstones.

Justification for selection:

• Largely unifying geology of Old Red Sandstone creating rounded hills, variation in hardness of the rock formations creating narrow meanders and wider flood plain of the Wye between Mordiford and Fownhope enabling the Wye to have created its wide meandering path with abandoned and partially incised meanders further south.
• Agriculturally important fertile red soils augmented by alluvium from river flooding both historically and currently. River terrace deposits, gravels laid down during the last interglacial, mark the former higher level of the valley floor.
• The oldest rocks in the area from the Lower Palaeozoic consist of alternating fossiliferous limestones and shales and form the Woolhope Hills and May Hill. Around the Woolhope Dome, the limestones stand out as wooded escarpments. The ridges of Wenlock and Aymestry limestone form a double scarp feature almost encircling the Woolhope inlier.

Woodland largely confined to the steeper slopes adjacent to the flood plain and to hillsides. Trees often found in groups around farmsteads including small areas of parkland style planting.

Justification for selection:

• Good examples of ancient semi-natural woodlands such as Sharpnage Wood, Cherry Hill Woods and Common Hill Wood SSSI are found at Woolhope Dome. Oak and ash are the main canopy species and there is abundant cherry and yew as well as some lime and wild service. The ground flora is rich and reflects the calcareous nature of the soils with species such as stinking iris, spurge laurel and stinking hellebore.
• Ancient semi-natural woodlands are also found along the valley of the River Monnow, and in the vicinity of King’s Thorn, for example, Mynde Wood, Aconbury Hill and Nether Wood towards the north-west of the area.
• The woods provide characteristic autumn and in spring wild daffodils are abundant in some around Dymock.
• The Forestry Commission owns 1,022.5 ha of woodland in the NCA, allowing open access to this woodland.

Contrasting field pattern and land use between the flatter more productive areas and the steeper slopes of the hillsides.

Justification for selection:

• Scattered trees along hedgerows and water courses. Many traditional and bush orchards on slopes throughout the area.
• Larger rectilinear fields in the arable areas, with commonly low hedges and fewer hedgerow trees, particularly around the Wye and Garren Brook.
• Small irregular pastures with thicker hedges and many hedgerow trees found on the steeper slopes.

Unimproved grassland on areas of open common land and occasional remnants in small fields. Famous wild daffodil fields of Over Severn.

Justification for selection:

• The wild daffodils have inspired poets and encouraged tourism.
• Calcareous grasslands are associated with the Silurian limestones of Woolhope Dome and May Hill.
• Small patches of common survive, notably at the centre of the village of Peterstow. Garway Hill, May Hill, Moor Meadow and Backbury Common being the largest of the commons within the NCA.
• Four SSSI designated for grassland interest and one for daffodils.

Meandering rivers with narrow flood plains.

Justification for selection:

• Meandering River Wye and its narrow flood plain with low hedges, ditches, scattered mature trees and pollarded willows.
• Steeper wooded sloped confine the flood plain of the Monnow and Leadon in places.
• Large houses with parkland overlooking the Wye.
• River Wye designated nationally and internationally as SSSI and SAC for species such as native crayfish, otter, salmon, shad and lamprey.

Wide range of historical features from iron-age hill forts to Norman castles and substantial houses set in parkland.

Justification for selection:

• 1,460 listed buildings, 53 scheduled monuments, 5 registered parks and gardens covering 443 ha and 1,495 ha of historic parkland.
• Substantial houses such as Holme Lacy and Fawley Court, evidence of the wealth generated from the rich agriculture of the area.
• Evidence of Palaeolithic human activity found in Merlin’s Cave and Arthur’s Cave at Doward on the border with the Forest of Dean and Lower Wye NCA.
• Iron-age forts such as Little Doward on the NCA border, at Capler Camp near Brockhampton and Aconbury Hill.
• Roman evidence such as the Roman town of Ariconium at Western-under-Penyard.
• Norman castles such as Goodrich and Wilton.

Dispersed settlement pattern throughout the area consisting of small hamlets and scattered farmsteads, few larger towns such as Ross-on-Wye and Newent. Buildings predominantly of red sandstone in the west, east of the river Wye more variable materials include brick, timber framed and grey Silurian limestone.

Justification for selection:

• The Lower Wye is a landscape of large weathered sandstone farmsteads standing in their own fields and of numerous hamlets formed around a manor house and church. There are few villages. Sandstones of the Lower Old Red Sandstone predominate as building stones, in places rendered and whitewashed.
• There are many typical Herefordshire foursquare houses with hipped slate roofs and massive farmstead buildings with rugged faces of heavily weathered sandstone.
• Ross-on-Wye, the principal settlement of the NCA, is dominated by the spire of St Mary’s Church, visible for miles along the valley.
• Around the Woolhope Dome and Over Severn area, characteristic settlements are farmsteads and hamlets commonly of brick, black and white timber framing and grey Silurian limestone. There are also some fine manor houses like Old Court. Enclosed, winding, commonly single track lanes link the settlements.
• In the Garway Hills the pattern of small hamlets and clusters of farmsteads, linked by numerous narrow lanes and only sporadically by a more substantial road, is typical of the Welsh borders.

A largely rural tranquil landscape of great aesthetic value and inspirational to poets.

Justification for selection:

• Few large settlements, Ross-on-Wye being the largest. The total urban settlement area covers 645 ha or only 1.3 per cent of the NCA.
• Wye Valley AONB designated in 1971 covers 39 per cent of the NCA.
• Dymock gave its name to a group of poets that gathered at Lascelles Abercrombie’s cottages at Ryton in the early years of the 20th century, being inspired by the landscape and the area’s famous daffodils.
• In the 1930s daffodil tourism was popular and day trippers from London would travel on the train to see the daffodils of Over Severn.

Public rights of way network and areas of access land.

Justification for selection:

• 2,031 ha of accessible woodland.
• 27.8 km of National Cycle Network trails.
• Parts of the Herefordshire Trail, Gloucestershire Way and Wye Valley Walk long-distance footpaths pass through the area.
• Access to the Wye for watersports is permitted only in places; however, a public right of navigation exists all the way to Hay-on-Wye.

Landscape opportunities

• Encourage the training of volunteers in surveying techniques and geoconservation methods, to improve the quality and understanding of geological sites and to retain the knowledge and skills required for their future management
• Bring existing woodlands (especially ancient) and tree groups into active management particularly in the Garway Hills and lowlands, Woolhope Dome and sandstone ridge areas, and bring parkland style trees and woodlands on slopes and valley sides into management in the western part of this area. Manage the distinctive clumps of trees found on hill summits in the May Hill area and the small areas of parkland style planting around farmhouses.
• Plan for a continuous resource of mature and veteran trees at wood pasture and parkland sites, re-planting where appropriate, so that important invertebrate populations, lichen communities and fungi can be conserved and a valued historic landscape feature can be retained.
• Bring traditional orchards into active management and seek to extend their area and ensure a continuity of deadwood and rot holes and increase the variability of age structure of orchard trees. Improve the condition of the underlying grassland to enhance the lowland meadow resource. Restore or maintain traditional orchard buildings such as cider houses, which contribute to the history and cultural associations of orchards across this and neighbouring orchard-rich areas.
• Manage and restore field boundaries including hedgerows, hedgerow trees and drainage ditches in keeping with local styles and management traditions particularly in areas where hedgerow decline has been most marked. In the Garway Hills and May Hill area, encourage tall thick hedgerows particularly in areas of common land, manage mature hedgerow trees and restore viable hedgerow tree populations reflecting characteristic patterns and species composition.
• Maintain and increase farmland bird populations through use of appropriate agri-environment options.
• Encourage the management of fragments of commons through appropriate grazing regimes and scrub clearance particularly around the villages and hamlets in the Garway Hills, Woolhope and May Hill area. Encourage management to support ecological links between the Woolhope commons and close-by in the adjacent Herefordshire Lowlands NCA to the north.
• Manage and conserve the daffodil meadows and woodlands of Over Severn that have inspired poets and continue to bring visitors to the area.
• Manage existing small ponds found in the Leadon Vale area.
• Manage existing areas of semi-natural grassland and riverside meadows particularly along the river valley flood plains of the rivers Monnow, Wye and Leadon. Encourage the creation of semi-natural grassland and riverside meadows particularly where they may link existing grassland areas notably in the Garway Hills, Woolhope Dome, Over Severn daffodil areas and May Hill areas.
• Encourage sustainable agricultural managements including good livestock husbandry and the use of hedgerows and buffer strips across slopes to minimise soil compaction, soil erosion and diffuse pollution.
• Encourage the protection of areas of ridge and furrow and other historic earthworks, through appropriate management, particularly in Leadon Vale.
• Protect the historical features of the area that reflect the continuity of human occupation, such as Norman castles, remnants of Roman activity and iron-age forts and earthworks.
• Ensure the appropriate use of local materials, vernacular styles and protection of settlement structure particularly in the small hamlets and conserve traditional farm buildings using local materials and techniques.
• Preserve the rural tranquil feel of the landscape; an inspiration to many poets and artists and protected by the AONB designation.
• Continue to develop and implement the rights of way improvement plans for Herefordshire and for Gloucestershire and ensure that access balances recreational enjoyment with protection of biodiversity, geodiversity and historic features; taking opportunities to improve access, supporting and promoting community engagement and participation, to provide local people and visitors with the range of benefits offered by contact with the natural environment. Identify opportunities for access and recreational provision for use of all levels of ability.