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Clun and North West Herefordshire Hills

This Natural Area consists of the rolling hills of south-west Shropshire and north-west Herefordshire, and is contiguous with similar countryside in Central Wales. It is, otherwise, a rural and sparsely populated area. Agriculture is the predominant land use, and despite the reforestation of many woods with conifers, ancient semi-natural woodland is still an important feature of some parts of the Natural Area. There are also surviving mediaeval deer parks which support nationally rare lichens and insects. Small areas of heather moorland and unenclosed rough grassland persist in the uplands of Clun Forest, with some unimproved hay meadows in Herefordshire. This area is of importance for its clean, fast-flowing rivers, notably the Teme and its tributary the Clun, which are part of the Severn catchment, and the Lugg, which flows into the Wye.

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Central Herefordshire

The Central Herefordshire Natural Area is fringed by the higher land of surrounding areas. The landscape is predominantly lowland in character, with a few isolated flat-topped hills and a rolling plateau in the north-east. Large blocks of woodland occur on the more distinct hills and dingle woodlands occur where river sections run through a steep valley.

The Natural Area contains the floodplains of the River Wye, which flows across the area from west to south east, and the River Lugg, which flows north to south and joins the River Wye east of Hereford City. The valleys of the Rivers Frome and Arrow (major tributaries of the Lugg) are also significant features with areas of good wildlife habitat.

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Dean Plateau and Wye Valley

The landscape of the Dean Plateau and Wye Valley is varied with the main features being the large plateau of the Forest of Dean, which reaches a height of about 200 metres, the valley of the River Wye which passes through a deep limestone gorge, the Woolhope Dome which supports large-scale plantations, and the Monnow Valley along the western boundary of the Natural Area. The Natural Area is dominated by woodland with the largest areas of ancient semi-natural woodland in the Wye Valley and Woolhope Dome. Remnants of heathland are still found within some forested areas.

The Natural Area also includes the middle and most of the lower sections of the River Wye, plus its many tributaries and numerous streams. The River Wye is an internationally important river system and supports numerous species of conservation interest including fish, freshwater invertebrates and floating water-crowfoot vegetation.

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Malvern Hills and Teme Valley

The landscape of the Malvern Hills and Teme Valley Natural Area is dominated in the south by the nine-mile long range of the Malvern Hills which rises sharply from the Severn Valley floodplain to a height of about 400 metres. The hill tops are covered by acid grassland and small areas of heathland, merging into bracken, scrub and woodland on the lower slopes. To the west and north of the Malverns lies a series of roughly parallel wooded hills separated by low-lying, intensively farmed land and orchards. The River Teme, with its steep sides and wooded dingle valleys, has a narrow floodplain supporting arable and pasture land.

The Malvern Hills are mainly composed of granitic rocks which are amongst the oldest in Britain. The hills to the west and north are of Silurian limestone. The River Teme cuts through Old Red Sandstone upstream of Knightwick and below this point it meanders across Keuper Marls. The varied geology is reflected in the soils which range from thin acidic soils on the Malverns, through deeper, neutral soils over the Old Red Sandstone to calcareous soils on the limestone ridges.

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Black Mountains & Golden Valley

This Natural Area is the north-eastern end of an extensive dissected plateau which extends into Wales. To the west, the landscape is dominated by the bulk of the Black Mountains which support upland grassland, heathland and some blanket bog as well as springline flushes. There are numerous rock outcrops and screes. In the eastern part of the Natural Area the more fertile valley bottoms of the Golden Valley have a long history of cultivation and large arable fields are found here. Woodlands are a prominent feature of the landscape in the north and east of the Natural Area, particularly on the low ridge between the Golden Valley and the adjoining lowlands. The rivers and streams of this Natural Area are fast flowing, of high water quality and are important wildlife corridors.

Old Red Sandstone forms the bedrock throughout the area and gives rise to distinctive red brown soils. Alluvial deposits have created fertile soils in the valley floors whilst in the upland areas the soils tend to be thin and acidic.

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