Ross on Wye, United Kingdom
Ross on Wye is a town of 10,582 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Ross on Wye
Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails, 48 places to eat, 7 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Wilton Bridge, Made In Ross Gallery and Ariconium.
Weather in Ross on Wye
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Ross on Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean, approximately 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Hereford. The parish had a population of 10,990 at the 2021 census.
From the Wikipedia article Ross-on-Wye (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Ross on Wye on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do4
Wilton Bridge
Bridge · 1.3 mi
Grade I listed bridge at Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England
Museums and landmarks8
Ariconium
Monument and historic site · 2.1 mi
Ariconium was a road station of Roman Britain mentioned in Iter XIII of the Iter Britanniarum of the Antonine Itineraries. It was...
Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Restaurants and cafes48
Yaks And Yetis Nepalese Restaurant
Restaurant · Nepalese · 0.7 mi
1 Brookend Street, Ross On Wye
Tu-Sa 17:00-22:30; Su 17:00-22:00
36 more on the map.
History
The name "Ross" is derived from the Welsh or Celtic for a "promontory". It was renamed "Ross-on-Wye" in 1931 by the General Post Office, due to confusion with other places of the same or similar name (such as Ross in Scotland).
Ross-on-Wye promotes itself as "the birthplace of British tourism". In 1745, the rector, Dr John Egerton, started taking friends on boat trips down the valley from his rectory at Ross. The Wye Valley's attraction was its river scenery, its precipitous landscapes, and its castles and abbeys, which were accessible to seekers of the "picturesque". In 1782, William Gilpin's book Observations on the River Wye was published, the first illustrated tour guide to be published in Britain. Once it had appeared, demand grew so much that by 1808 there were eight boats making regular excursions along the Wye, most of them hired from inns in Ross and Monmouth. By 1850, more than 20 visitors had published their own accounts of the Wye Tour, and the area was established as a tourist destination.
From the History section of Ross-on-Wye on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Ross on Wye
Arts and culture
The town is known for locally owned shops and a market square with a market hall. Thursday and Saturday markets are held at the red sandstone Market House building in the town centre. This was built between 1650 and 1654 to replace a probably wooden Booth Hall. The upper storey now houses an arts and crafts centre.
The town's small theatre, The Phoenix, shows films once a month, along with plays and other arts events.
The ruins of Wilton Castle, to the west of the town, have been restored and opened to visitors. The town has a number of sculptures by Walenty Pytel, with the left bank of the Wye showing two of these. Despite the common belief that both depict swans, one in fact shows ducks.
Ross-on-Wye has three twin towns, Betzdorf in Germany, Condé-sur-Noireau in France (since 1978), and Namutumba in Uganda.
From the Wikipedia article Ross-on-Wye, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Ross on Wye
James Cowles PrichardEnglish physician and anthropologistPhoto: Unknown author, Public domain
Henry EdwardsEnglish-born stage actor, writer and entomologist (1827-1891)Photo: not credited, uploader: Binksternet, Public domain
Roger VaughanArchbishop of Sydney (1834–1883)Photo: Henry Norbert Brit, Public domain
Edward Waller ClaypoleBritish American geologist and paleontologist (1835-1901)Photo: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions
John Stephen VaughanCatholic bishopPhoto: RexGregorian, CC BY-SA 4.0
Robert EtheridgeEnglish geologist and palaeontologist (1819-1903)Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Mark PorterBritish journalistPhoto: Dr Mark Porter, CC BY-SA 3.0
Arthur PughBritish trade unionistPhoto: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain- John HarlowBritish film director
- Francis GouldEnglish cricketer and British Army officer
- Frederick GordonBritish entrepreneur and hotelier
- Ingram Cappersport shooter
Born in Ross on Wye, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay7
Churches and places of worship6
Shopping22
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries4
Healthcare3
Map of Ross on Wye
109 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Gloucestershire Airport (GLO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Gloucester 14 mi east, about 23 min by car
- Tewkesbury 18 mi east, about 29 min by car
- Cheltenham 21 mi east, about 33 min by car
- Thornbury 21 mi south, about 34 min by car
- Worcester 24 mi northeast, about 38 min by car
- Yate 27 mi south, about 43 min by car
- Stoke Gifford 28 mi south, about 44 min by car
- Newport 29 mi southwest, about 47 min by car
- Bristol 32 mi south, about 51 min by car
- Stourport-on-Severn 32 mi north, about 51 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Ross on Wye
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ross-on-Wye2, Carlwev at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Ross St Marys spire, Martinevans123 ( talk ), Public domain
- The Royal Hotel, Ross-on-Wye-6061375189, Robert Cutts, CC BY 2.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, adam2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, adam2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, adam2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, laye, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, richardc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, richardc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
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