Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

What is an AONB?

An AONB is an area whose distinctive character and natural beauty is so outstanding that it is in the nation's interest to safeguard it.

The primary purpose of AONB designation is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area. 'Natural Beauty' is taken to include geology, climate, soils, animals, communities, archaeology, buildings, the people who live in it, past and present, and the perceptions of those who visit it.

The landscapes of AONBs are equal in value to those of our National Parks and command the same levels of planning protection.

There are 46 AONBs in England and Wales covering approximately 15% of the land area.

The Wye Valley AONB - facts and figures

The area was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1971.

• The Wye Valley AONB covers 326 square kms. It is the only AONB to straddle the border between England and Wales.
• 46% of the Wye Valley AONB is in Herefordshire.
• The landscape of the AONB contains dramatic limestone gorges and some of the most outstanding native woodlands to be found in Britain.
• The area contains 45 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and four National Nature Reserves (NNRs).
• The AONB contains a rich historic environment, including Iron Age hillforts, Norman castles, the first Cistercian Abbey in Wales and a pioneering industrial heritage in iron, brass, wire, tinplate and copper works.
• The AONB is home to a quarter of Britain's population of lesser horseshoe bats, a growing population of peregrine falcons, goshawks, ravens, rare whitebeam, nightjar and lesser known fish like the shad and twaite.

The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is one of the finest lowland landscapes in Britain. It runs from Mordiford, near Hereford, in the north, to the outskirts of Chepstow in the south and is the only AONB to straddle the border between England and Wales.

The AONB is dominated by the River Wye, and includes 45 miles (72 km.) of its dramatic lower stretches. Such is the Wye's nature conservation value, that it has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) along its entire length - from its source on the slopes of the Plynlimon in Powys to its mouth at Chepstow. It is one of the few British rivers to receive this designation. It is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which is a European designation.

The landscape of the AONB is one of striking contrasts. A natural divide separates the predominantly Old Red Sandstone of the gentle Herefordshire countryside from the carboniferous limestone of the southern plateau. Here the river has carved a spectacular gorge, whose sides are covered with one of the largest remaining areas of semi-natural broadleaved woodland in the UK.

The Wye Valley is particularly important for its rich wildlife habitats, and contains many protected sites, which are both nationally and internationally recognised.

The area falls within three different Local Authority areas, each in a different Government region: 36% of the area is in Monmouthshire (Wales), with 46% in Herefordshire (West Midlands) and 18% in Gloucestershire, in the Forest of Dean District. (South West).