No 17: Home will always be England

We continue our series of the top 20 destinations of readers. By PAMELA WADE


Although the gate is never padlocked, I climb it anyway and perch on the top bar to gaze at the view.

This is in Herefordshire, in a village called Linton, near Ross-on-Wye.

It is a long view, across a rolling field down to a valley where the narrow lane winds between overgrown hedgerows, and up the other side over more and more patchwork fields, past the spire of Ross church all the way to the Black Mountains of Wales, 65km distant.

I have seen this field white with snow, with a pack of foxhounds sweeping across it like a shadow, the huntsman close behind in his red coat, his horn and the musical baying of the hounds lifting the hairs on the back of my neck.

I have seen it too in the fog: damp and mysterious, black cattle beasts looming out of the grey to snort clouds of steam at my dog.

In autumn, families of partridges fussed in single file through the wiry grass and, in spring, dozens of lambs would suddenly hurtle down the hill, bouncing as erratically as electrons.

But today the field is draped in its summer cloth of golden buttercups and grass of deepest green.

The may trees along the ridge are frosted in purest white, the sweet scent of the blossom suffusing the air.

At the bottom, the stream winds around the end of the red stone barn where the little owl lives.

This is England. I was not born there; I do not live there.

But it will always be my home.

Getting there

Return economy-class airfares ex Auckland to London and four nights B&B accommodation in Britain from $2699 a person share twin. Contact Flight Centre on 0800 24 35 44 to book. Conditions apply.

Getting around

Although bus services are available they can be patchy in some rural areas. Many coach tour firms offer sightseeing tours. Hire a car or cycle to explore.

What to see and do

The rural county of Herefordshire lies on the southern border of Wales, which runs in part along the Wye Valley. Famed for its villages of black-and-white half-timbered houses, it also offers wonderful walks and views.

Wobage farm craft workshops at Ross-on-Wye opens out on one side to views of South Herefordshire, and the other on to a grassy courtyard, flanked by a magnificent 18th-century threshing barn and hay barn. Watch six potters, two woodworkers and a jeweller who work there.

There are plenty of parks, gardens, rural traditions and landscapes to enjoy. Visit the ruined Marcher Castles which tell the story of border battles. National Trust houses and gardens include the neo-classical Berrington Hall, the nearby Croft Castle, a late 14th-century moated manor house and the Weir Garden. The 14th-century Great Hall at Burton Court, near Eardisland, includes a costume collection. Hellens is a Tudor/Stuart house vividly evoking an air of medieval knights.


Visit Britain

* The Herald asked readers where they would most like to go, and to tell us why. The results are in, and the countdown begins, with the number one place revealed on January 13. All the entries selected go into the draw to win $3000 worth of travel from Flight Centre to help them to get to their dream destination.