Page 18 - ESL Ultimate Guide to The Marches
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 Ross-on-Wye
birthplace of tourism gilpin 2020
With spectacular scenery and panoramas Ross-on-Wye is the ideal destination to explore South Herefordshire and The Wye Valley. Hailed as the birthplace of tourism in 1745, flourishing Ross-on-Wye with its distinctive 16C Market House exudes history and tradition. With easy access to the Forest of Dean and Symonds Yat your stay will be filled with activities and adventure
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   A stunning viewpoint is The Prospect at
St Mary’s Churchyard, created by benefactor and philanthropist John Kyrle, later known as the Man of Ross. You’ll see evidence
in his honour all around the town. The bustling high street is home to some wonderful independent retailers including specialist food outlet Field Fayre Organics, and outside the town you will find Labels, the famous shopping destination home to over 200 big brands, delicious farm shop and café and now a trendy new boutique cinema called The Gateway.
Rich in art and culture, and quality crafts from local artists makes shopping for souvenirs a pleasure.
Did you know Ross has a mascot – the hedgehog. This seems to relate back 1500 years when the Celts invaded Ross-on-Wye and called the area "Ergyng" which meant "Land of the Hedgehog".
Gilpin 2020 Festival
In 1770 William Gilpin took a tour of the River Wye from Ross-on-Wye to Chepstow. So enchanted was he that in 1772 he published the UK’s first tourist guide, Observations of the River Wye. In the late eighteenth century it became commonplace for ‘tourists’ to take an excursion down the River Wye, stopping
16 The ULTIMATE Guide to Herefordshire, The Wye Valley & The Marches
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