Monday 7 August. Portway Inn to Hereford.

The weather today was much better than predicted a few days ago, no rain all day.

We left the Portway Inn at 9:15am and took a bridal path through cider apple orchards to join up with the Wye Valley Path.

The outside row of the orchard had lots of apples on the ground probably caused by the strong winds we experienced when walking down to Llyswen.

Leaving the orchard we passed the church in Byford before heading uphill to the A438. We turned right into the A438 and then after a few hundred yards crossed the road to enter what at first appeared to be a private road to Home Farm. We could not see any Wye Valley Walk signs anywhere. We were however on the correct road. I wish now I'd photographed the entrance to make it easier for others to navigate.

We climbed uphill and bore right onto an old Roman road from which we got good views early on. Later tall hedges blocked all views.

In passing near Bishopstone we came across an old red telephone box which contained a defibrillator and I had a chat with a chap doing his garden. He said we weren't walking on on Roman road as the road ran under his and his neighbour's house some tens of metres further south.

We left the road to go cross country and after crossing the A438 again near Swainshill entered another set of orchards. On one section The Way ran in a narrow overgrown strip between a hedgerow and a wire fence.

At Breinton we joined the road for the biggest climb of the day with cornfields near the summit. The Way then descended to the Wye on its way into Hereford. We even saw two fishermen fishing!

We had a little difficulty reaching our B&B as Google maps has got it in an incorrect location a few 100 metres from its true location and on the wrong side of the road. We also had a bit of trouble navigation in orchards and signs didn't always help.