The Ross Walkers are Welcome Group has fallen in line with many events this year and cancelled the Ross Annual Walking Festival. The Coronavirus and the restrictions that have come with it has made running a successful and safe festival impossible.

Undaunted, the committee decided that visitors could still come to Ross and walk but in smaller family-sized groups, if they knew where they could walk to make the most of their trip. Accordingly, the Committee has produced a series of leaflets for 18 walks in the Ross area. Each leaflet describes one walk and gives route directions, interesting and useful comments at certain points, a clear map of the route and a GPX file that can be downloaded to a walkers’ satellite navigation device.

The walks range from short 2.5 to 3 miles up to 8 miles in length. Some start close to the town centre and others are a short (no more than 20 minutes) drive from Ross. The terrain covered includes the riverside, Chase Hill, Penyard Hill, Fownhope, Sollarshope, Kilpeck, the Hope Mansell valley and Coppett Hill; all with interesting features and amazing views of the area. Many of the routes will be familiar to local walkers but it is hoped that the selection of interesting walks described will attract visitors from further afield. This aligns with the objectives of the Walkers are Welcome organisation, namely, to help boost the local economy by attracting walkers into the locality to walk and patronise local businesses.

The programme will go live on the Ross Walkers are Welcome Group’s website http://www.walkinginross.co.uk/
on Saturday 1st August; along with other information about the town and visiting Ross. Needless to say, the routes are available to everyone, visitors and locals alike. So, if you live in Ross and have been hesitant about trying new routes, log on, download and go out and discover more of our beautiful county and the Wye Valley.
Ross invented tourism so let’s use it to help us recover from the virus.