Hereford

Hereford (Welsh: Henffordd) is an historic cathedral city in England on the river Wye. The county town of Herefordshire, the city lies close to the English border with Wales. A small city (population 61,000 in 2018), Hereford nonetheless offers a great variety of attractions for the traveller.

Get in
Herefordshire is a rural county and this is reflected in its transport links to Hereford. Roads from Gloucester or other places tend to be slow and bus transport from neighbouring counties isn't exceptional.

By coach
There are daily National Express coaches from Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Gloucester, Swindon, Heathrow Airport and London Victoria.

By plane
Hereford has no civil airport but the city is accessible from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, and London Heathrow.

The journey from London  to Hereford by car is  and takes about 3 hr, depending on traffic. To reach Hereford by train, you'll need to travel via London Paddington; journey times are slightly less than 4 hr.

is away with a driving time of about 1 hr 40 min. By train, a journey via Birmingham New Street takes just over 2 hr.

is away with a driving time of 1 hr 20 min. By train, a journey via Cardiff Central takes around 2 hr.

is away with a driving time of 1 hr 40 min. Don't use Bristol if you're not hiring a car, as the journey by bus and train to Hereford takes 3 hr.

By bus
Confusingly, Hereford has three bus termini: one (urban routes) is behind the Tesco supermarket in Bewell Street; one on St Peter’s Square (rural routes); and one behind the former Odeon cinema in Commercial Road (inter-city). Weather protection is barely adequate (no heated waiting rooms). Some county lines depart from outside the Hereford railway station and also stop at the Country Bus Station. Other services depart from the "County Bus Station" (behind the cinema on Commercial Road - about 3 minutes walk from the station). City services start from the Shire Hall in St. Peter's Square or the "City Bus Station" at the rear of the Tesco supermarket in Bewell Street.

By bike
Cycling in Hereford is not easy, there is a substantial lack of cycling infrastructure.

In 2019, as part of its Sustainable Transport policy, the council launched its Beryl Bike initiative, providing nearly 200 card-operated bikes, available from 40 pick-up points across the city. These emerald green 3-speed pedal bikes are programmed not to go out of the city centre and users must be over 16. Beryl bikes, however, are poorly maintained.

On foot
With pedestrianised High Town its core, central Hereford is extremely compact and no more than 600 metres across, so walking is the best way to explore it. East of Cathedral Close is Castle Street, with some fine early Georgian town houses, ending at the Victorian Castle House Hotel. North of the Close narrow Church Street is lined with shops (30 indies and not a high street multiple in sight). At the bottom, cross East Street, passing through the pedestrian tunnel known as Cabbage Alley brings you into High Town, where you can check out — and grab a bite to eat or a coffee — in the Victorian Butter Market.

See




Do
Formed in 1981, the non-profit-making Guild of Hereford Guides conducts daily walking tours of the city centre (further details from the Tourist Information Centre in the Butter Market). The national Ramblers Association has an active branch in the county.

Go next

 * Leominster
 * Worcester