| About The Wye Valley
We are in an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and we have plenty of information available to advise you on how to best explore the area. Portland House is an ideal base to explore the Forest of Dean, the Wye Valley and to visit the market towns of Monmouth and Ross -on-Wye, as well as the city of Hereford and its cathedral, housing the famous Mappa Mundi.
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In Whitchurch itself you will find the famous Hedge Puzzle, Butterfly Zoo, The Jubilee Maze and the Museum of Mazes, and Symonds Yat West Leisure Park which offers river cruises. The River Wye, below Yat Rock, is 5 minutes walk away for canoeists. Symonds Yat is situated just 10 minutes drive from Portland House. Go up to the fabulous viewing area at Symonds Yat Rock to see the Peregrine Falcons and where you can also look down on Portland House. |
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Just outside our back door is one of many public footpaths and Jenny can show you how to enjoy a wonderful walk from Portland House to Goodrich Castle
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Wye below Symonds Yat
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The Brecon Beacons |
Tintern Abbey is just 20 minutes drive through the outskirts of the Forest of Dean and
The Brecon Beacons similar time in the opposite direction |

Tintern Abbey |

Ross on Wye |
We recommend that you visit the local tourist information centres in Ross on Wye, Monmouth and Coleford, where you will get expert and professional advice on all leisure and sport activities.
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Monmouth
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City of Hereford
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Severn Bridge
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River Wye near Chepstow |
Murder Mystery Breaks
- Provide you and a group of friends with a great deal of fun testing your powers of deduction
- Spend your days as a super sleuth while visiting some of our wonderful historic sites in hte Wye Valley before returning for an excellent dinner pre-empted by a Portland House Murder cocktail
- We offer breaks for groups of between 4 and 8 individuals or five couples over 2-3 nights duration
- 2 night MM Breaks cost £155 per person including half board.
- Information leaflet available on request
- And you don't have to dress up or play a role!
And our painting breaks
- with watercolourist Mariana Robinson in an area of outstanding natural beauty
- 1-3 nights stay for groups to learn and enhance their painting skills
- prices per person dependant on length of stay and number of people in the painting group
- Information on request
Following in the footsteps of..................
We are so lucky to be within an area of outstanding natural beauty and we want you to enjoy it as much as possible, perhaps even learning about its history or geography or archaeology.
We now have the services of qualified and experienced tour guides to accompany a group of friends on a personalised day tour from Portland House. Tours normally last for a maximum of 7 hours and usually cost around £70. Great value for a group of people. Tour themes offered are Churches, Castles and Churches, Black and White villages, The History of Cider, Wine Making.
We can also engage an entertaining guest speaker to talk to a group of friends for an evening on themes local to the area.
Alternately if you wish to conduct your own tour, and learn in your own time, we can supply you with audio cassette or CD to play in your car, advising you of your route and providing you with a narrative when you arrive at certain destinations. Current titles in the series include The Golden Valley and Beyond, Black and White Villages, Ross on Wye and beyond (includes Monmouth).
For more information on the area please visit the following sites:
www.monmouth.org.uk
www.aphtourism.co.uk
www.visitherefordshire.co.uk
www.wyenot.com
www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk
www.whynot.com
www.visitforestofdean.co.uk
For those who need public transport, or who want to give the car a rest, please visit the following sites for bus services
www.walesflexipass.com
www.gloucestershire.gov.uk
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