Clifford

Clifford is a small village in west Herefordshire, tucked onto the south bank of the River Wye barely two and a half miles from Hay-on-Wye. The river forms the border with Wales here, and the village has spent most of its history looking both ways across it: a Marcher settlement built to hold the frontier, now a peaceful backwater of farmland, orchards and quiet lanes in the lee of the Black Mountains.

The village grew up around Clifford Castle, a motte and bailey fortress raised by William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, in the years immediately after the Norman Conquest. It was one of only five castles thought important enough to be recorded in the 1086 Domesday Survey, and it gave its name to the powerful Clifford family, whose best-known daughter, Jane de Clifford ('Fair Rosamond'), mistress of Henry II, is traditionally said to have been born within its walls. The castle was last garrisoned in 1403 and has stood as a ruin ever since, though a stabilisation project backed by Historic England has secured the remains and opened them to visitors on selected days. Today Clifford is home to fewer than 550 people, its pace of life set by the seasons rather than the clock, and it makes an appealing, low-key base for anyone who wants Hay-on-Wye's bookshops and the Wye Valley's walking on the doorstep without the crowds.

Top things to do in Clifford

Clifford itself is small, but it sits at the centre of some of the best walking, reading and river country in the Marches.

• Clifford Castle — the ruined motte and bailey stronghold above the Wye, birthplace (by tradition) of Fair Rosamond and one of the five castles named in the Domesday Book; open to visitors on selected days as restoration continues.
• St Mary's Church, Clifford — the village's Norman-influenced parish church, with monuments inside recording centuries of local history.
• Hay-on-Wye — the "town of books", with more than twenty second-hand and antiquarian bookshops, the famous honesty bookstall in the grounds of Hay Castle, and the world-renowned Hay Festival of literature and arts each spring.
• Hay Castle — a restored medieval castle in the centre of Hay, with exhibition spaces and a rooftop viewing platform looking out over the Wye Valley.
• The Warren — a riverside meadow and Site of Special Scientific Interest on the edge of Hay, good for an easy stroll along the Wye.
• Hay Bluff and the Black Mountains — a striking escarpment a short drive south, with some of the finest views in the Brecon Beacons National Park over the Wye Valley below.
• Offa's Dyke Path — the long-distance trail tracing the ancient Wales-England border passes close by, giving walkers direct access from the area into open hill country.
• Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — the wooded, meandering stretch of river running through and beyond Clifford, popular for walking, canoeing and wildlife-watching.

Getting to Clifford

Clifford sits on the B4350, just off the main A438 Hereford to Brecon road, about two and a half miles north-east of Hay-on-Wye. Hereford, the nearest city, is roughly 20 miles to the east and reachable by car in around 40 minutes along the A438. The nearest mainline railway station is Hereford, with services on the Welsh Marches Line connecting to Newport, Cardiff, Shrewsbury and beyond; from the station, Hay and Clifford are best reached by road, either by car or the local Hay Bus service that runs from Hereford. There is no station in Hay-on-Wye or Clifford itself, so a car is the most practical way to explore the surrounding villages and hills at your own pace.

Best time to visit Clifford

Late spring through early autumn is the most popular time, when the Wye Valley is at its greenest and days are long enough for walking on Hay Bluff or along the river. Late May brings the Hay Festival to the nearby town, drawing writers and readers from around the world and filling local accommodation well in advance, so book early if that's the draw. Autumn brings its own rewards, with the Wye Valley's woodlands turning colour and the crowds thinning out, while winter is quieter still, better suited to log fires in village pubs than long hilltop walks, though clear cold days on the Black Mountains can be spectacular.

Where to stay in Clifford

Accommodation in Clifford itself is limited, in keeping with its size, but the village makes a peaceful base within easy reach of the wider choice on offer in Hay-on-Wye and the surrounding Wye Valley villages, from farmhouse bed and breakfasts to converted barns and country inns with rooms.

Food and drink in Clifford

For a full choice of places to eat and drink, most visitors head the short distance into Hay-on-Wye. The Old Black Lion, a 17th-century inn near the site of Hay Castle's old gatehouse, has an AA-Rosette restaurant and has picked up Good Food Award recognition for its gastropub cooking. Kilverts, in the centre of town, is a long-standing inn with a large beer garden and a rotating selection of guest ales alongside its bar menu. The Blue Boar, a family-run local, serves food all day and keeps cask ales on alongside hearty pub classics. Between them, Hay's pubs and cafes give Clifford's visitors everything from a quiet pint to a proper Sunday lunch, all within a few minutes' drive of the village.