Visit Herefordshire has launched a new in-depth visitors guide to the Mortimer Trail, the 30-mile linear walking trail which explores the English and Welsh borderlands and is a particularly enticing way for walkers to enjoy the dramatic autumn landscapes in the county.
The trail runs between Kington in the north west Herefordshire and Ludlow just over the border in Shropshire to the north east and can be easily walked in anything between 2 or 5 days in either direction.
The autumn colours are particularly stunning on this trail in October and November and a visit to Hergest Croft Gardens in Kington can be incorporated featuring the National Collection of Maples which offer a fiery blaze.
The trail is so called as it runs through the heart of the ancient lands of the then ambitious Mortimer family, holders of the most powerful of the Norman earldoms and follows the legacy of past conflicts in this area over a succession of hills, ridges and valleys.
It passes through areas rich in history featuring dramatic Iron Age hill-forts such as Croft Ambrey set on a 300-metre high ridge to the north of Croft Castle, as well as ruined castles, ancient woodland meandering across landscapes touched by the three rivers of the Teme, the Arrow and Lugg.
There are impressive views out to the Black Mountains, Radnor Hills and the Malverns as well as villages and abundant wildlife to be enjoyed.
