A466 road about long and runs through the counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire in England, and Monmouthshire in Wales. It runs south from Kingsthorne, on the A49 south east of Hereford to Monmouth, crossing the A40. After crossing the River Wye at the Wye Bridge, Monmouth and Bigsweir Bridge near Llandogo, it follows a picturesque route south down the Wye valley through Tintern and Chepstow to the M48 motorway at junction 2. The road crosses the border between England and Wales at three places along its length: at Buckholt, Redbrook, and Bigsweir. It runs through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and
Wye Valley the opening of the Severn Bridge (now part of the M48) in 1966. The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was first designated in 1971. The designation indicates the importance of recognising and preserving the area's distinctive qualities, for the benefit of present and future generations. Administratively the area is very complex, being the only protected landscape to straddle the border between England and Wales. The Counties of Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire are each in a different government region. Co-ordination of conservation across these political boundaries is undertaken by an AONB unit and Joint Advisory Committee. A Management