Whitney-on-Wye Whitney-on-Wye Whitney-on-Wye is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, very close to the border with Wales. The population of this civil parish at the 2011 census was 117. It is on the A438 road, and on the River Wye. The village is west of Hereford. The church is dedicated to the Saints Peter and Paul. Whitney-on-Wye was first mentioned in the Domesday Book with the spelling Witenie. The most plausible meaning for the name is "White Water", from the Anglo-Saxon "hwit" (white) and "ey" (water), and probably refers to the River Wye which runs through the area and
River Wye river from Redbrook to Chepstow forms the border between England and Wales. The River Wye forms two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, one covering the Upper Wye ("Gwy Uchaf") above Hay-on-Wye, and one covering the Lower Wye ("Gwy Isaf") downstream to Chepstow. The criteria for inclusion of the river as an SSSI include geology, topography, flora, mammals, invertebrates, fish and birdlife, as the river and its tributaries constitute a large linear ecosystem. The Lower Wye SSSI is itself divided into seven units of assessment set by Natural England, and administrative responsibilities are shared between the county authorities of Powys, Herefordshire,