Vale of leadon Tour and Tourist Information Guide
To the north of the Royal Forest of Dean is the Vale of Leadon; here you will find the market town of Newent and the village of Dymock. In complete contrast to the forest and the Wye Valley the area provides a mixture of market gardens, rolling farmland hills, vineyards and black and white timbered buildings.The Vale of Leadon is a quintessentially un spoilt English area centred around the picturesque town of Newent. |
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The Vale
of Leadon in the County of Gloucestershire is a typically
English countryside, with an
inspirational landscape
In the Vale of Leadon there is fertile land in both arable and pasture use, the former often brilliant red at ploughing time. Market gardening and orchards are frequent. Further north still, the landscape becomes more open, with considerable areas of arable, few woodlands and an absence of hedgerow trees. The many villages, with their tall church spires, are thus all the more prominent.
Nestling in the Leadon Vale at the most northern point of the Forest of Dean, Newent has a character all of its own. A scenic lake, a wealth of classic architecture and a wide variety of local attractions make this historic market town an attractive and interesting place to visit.
Dymock and the Vale of Leadon is well known in literary circles, made famous by a group of young poets who had a close association with the area before the First World War. The six poets – Lascelles Abercrombie, Rupert Brook, John Drinkwater, Wilfred Gibson, Edward Thomas and the American poet Robert Frost are today known as the “Dymock Poets”.
The historic Newent Onion Fayre is not
just about onions. The one day street festival is packed with two stages of live music, street performers, over 100 stalls selling local produce and lots more. There’s a large selection of fairground rides from scary stuff to all the children's favourites. |
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What to See and Do
FOR INFORMATION ON VALE OF LEADON
EVENTS
FOR INFORMATION ON THE
THREE CHOIRS VINEYARD
FOR INFORMATION ON GOODRICH CASTLE
FOR INFORMATION ON R.S.P.B NATURE RESERVE |
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Three miles to the south of Newent lies May Hill, it is identifiable by the clump of trees on top which were planted to celebrate the jubilee of Queen Victoria. The hill rises to 971 feet, exceeding any other hill in the dean and provides magnificent views over Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, Malvern hills and the plain of Hereford, extending to Bristol on a clear day.
Just
outside the village of Staunton is the small village of Paultney, the famous Richard (Dick)
Whittington Mayor of the City of London in the late 14th Century and early 15th Century
was born at Paultney Court which remained in the ownership of the Whittington family until
1545. As opposed to the rags to riches pantomime story of a poor orphan boy who heads to
London to make his fortune, Richard came from a wealthy family and became more prosperous
when he became Mayor of London.
Richard or 'Dick' Whittington was born during the 1350s. He was the younger son of Sir William Whittington, Lord of the Manor of Paultney in Gloucestershire. Sir William died in 1358. The oldest son inherited the estate, so Richard traveled to London to find work.
The River Leadon travels through the towns and villages of:
Acton Beauchamp |
Evesbatch |
Bosbury |
Staplow |
Ledbury |
Dymock |
Poohill |
Upleadon |
Highleadon |
Gloucester |
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The Vale of Leadon Travel and Tour Guide |
This page last modified Tuesday, 28-May-2019 11:03:20 CEST |