Wye Valley Wye Valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; ) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscapes in Britain. The River Wye () is the fifth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The upper part passes through Rhayader, Builth Wells and Hay-on-Wye, but the area designated as an AONB covers surrounding a stretch lower down the river, from just south of Hereford to Chepstow. This area covers parts of the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, and is recognised in particular for its
Newbridge-on-Wye to areas in the south. Newbridge-on-Wye was historically a stop off point for drovers, who moved livestock from place to place. Newbridge-on-Wye proved to be an ideal location for drovers to stop and rest because it afforded a safe crossing-point on the river Wye. This led to a settlement forming, including a large number of pubs. This fact is celebrated by the statue of a drover on the village green. Newbridge-on-Wye also sited a railway station on the Mid-Wales Railway, until its closure on December 31, 1962. The site of the station is now occupied by a housing estate, although