This was the English wild west, where Celts, Romans and kings fought and died. Some, like King Arthur, are the stuff of legend. Anglo Saxon King Offa built his great defensive dyke here. Later still, the Marcher Lords dispensed justice from enormous castles, many of which still stand. The Wye Valley was the birthplace of English tourism. Visit Chepstow Castle and Hereford, with its magnificent cathedral and Mappa Mundi, the largest medieval map of the world.

The magical Forest of Dean supplied the oak for the Elizabethan navy and has also been used as a film set for Star Wars, and Merlin.