Ross-on-Wye

The spire of St. Mary's Church

Ross-on-Wye (Welsh: Rhosan ar Wy) is a small market town (population 10,500 in 2011), located on the river Wye in the English county of Herefordshire. The town is also part of the Wye Valley (Welsh: Dyffryn Gwy), an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Forest of Dean.

Ross-on-Wye is probably best known as a vibrant centre for the English antique trade, hosting a twice-weekly antique market and featuring a number of antique stores in the town. Each year, the town also plays host to the increasingly prominent Ross-on-Wye International Festival, attracting many big names in entertainment.

Get in

By car

Ross-on-Wye is on the A40 road from Fishguard to London. The M50 motorway starts near Ross-on-Wye.

By bus

Stagecoach run services from Hereford and Gloucester every hour or so. There is a Nick Maddy Coaches service to Monmouth every other hour and a Stagecoach route to Monmouth four times a day.

By train

There is no railway station in Ross. The nearest one is Ledbury around 8 miles north east.

See

• 1 Parish Church of St Mary's, Church St, HR9 5HN, ☏ +44 1989 562175. usually open during daylight hours, services Su 8AM, 9:30AM; Th 10AM. Built between 1280 and 1316 with a prominent spire visible for miles around. There is a children's guide to hunt for images of Hedgehogs (a symbol of Ross-on-Wye) in the church. (updated Aug 2018)
• 2 Goodrich Castle, Castle Ln, Goodrich, HR9 6HY (6 miles south-west of Ross-on-Wye), ☏ +44 1600 890538. adults £6.20, children £3.70, concessions £5.60.  
• Museum of Board Games, Unit 16, The Shambles Retail Village, Newent, themuseumofboardgames@gmail.com. Established in 2021 by game designer Tony Boydell. (updated Dec 2023)
• 3 Yat Rock (Symonds Yat), Ross-on-Wye GL16 7EL. A 120-m-high natural rock escarpment with an awesome panoramic view. A forested park area has trails to a high viewpoint with picturesque views of the river. (updated Oct 2020)
• 4 Iron Age hill fort at Capler, near Fownhope. 

Do

• 1 The Phoenix Theatre, Palace Pound, Saint Mary's St, HR9 5HT, ☏ +44 1989 564570. A small 63-seat amateur theatre. Hosts the occasional film too. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Bandstand Concerts, Caroline Symonds Gardens, Wye St.. Sundays in July & August. Outdoor summer concerts, in a bandstand which opened in 2005. (updated Jul 2018)

Buy

• 1 Ross-on-Wye Market. Th Sa. The charter for the market was issued in the 12th century. (updated Jul 2018)

Eat

• 1 Yaks n Yetis, 1 Brookend St, HR9 7EG, ☏ +44 1989 564963. Nepalese restaurant (updated Nov 2016)
• 2 Zam Zam Café, 23 High St, HR9 5BZ, ☏ +44 1989 764030. (updated Nov 2016)
• 3 Burger Star, 34A Gloucester Rd, HR9 5BS, ☏ +44 1989 562083. Small burger chain-restaurant. (updated Nov 2016)
• 4 Seven Seas Fish Bar, 22 Broad St, HR9 7EA, ☏ +44 1989 763103. M-Sa 11AM-10PM, Su 3-10PM. Best chippie in town. 
• 5 Moody Cow, Upton Bishop, ☏ +44 1989 780470. W-Su. 

Drink

• 1 The Hope and Anchor Inn, Wye Street, HR9 7BU, ☏ +44 1989 563003. (updated Nov 2016)
• 2 The Crown & Sceptre, 6 Market Place, HR9 5NX, ☏ +44 1989 769407. M-F 10PM-late, Sa Su 11PM-late. (updated Nov 2016)
• 3 The Mail Rooms, Gloucester Road, HR9 5BS, ☏ +44 1989 760920. Su-Th 8AM-midnight, F Sa 8AM-1AM. Formerly the town's post office, now a Wetherspoon pub. (updated Nov 2016)

Sleep

• The Hope and Anchor Inn, Wye Street, HR9 7BU, ☏ +44 1989 563003. £50-80 per night. (updated Nov 2016)
• 1 Field Cottage Peterstow, Peterstow, HR9 6LG (4 mi (6.4 km) W of Ross), ☏ +44 7418 310062. Self-catering Victorian-era cottage with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is also a one-bedroom annex. £200-300 per night. (updated Jan 2022)
• 2 New Inn, St Owen's Cross HR2 8LQ (5 miles west of Ross), ☏ +44 1989 553387. Coaching inn revamped in 2020, now an upscale restaurant with rooms, great reviews for the cuisine. B&B double £160. (updated Mar 2023)

Stay safe

Ross On Wye is a safe town to visit for tourists. Other than the usual drunk people in pubs on weekends and staying away from dark places at night, you will be fine. The emergency number is 999 for police, fire and paramedics. The non emergency one is 101. Crime rate is low in the town centre. LGBT people should be careful as the town centre is more conservative than Hereford and Gloucester. LGBT people may receive comments or stares for showing affection.

Go next

Routes through Ross-on-Wye

merges with ←	SW  NE	→ Tewkesbury → Birmingham
Cardiff ← Monmouth ←	SW  E	→ Gloucester → Cheltenham
Leominster ← Hereford ←	NW  SE	→ END
Worcester ← Ledbury ←	N  S	→ merges with