Distance: 11.5 miles

Difficulty of the terrain: medium

Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox

Walk from Hereford to Perton at the northernmost point of the Wye Valley National Landscape, via Checkely, home of the Canwood Gallery contemporary arts gallery and sculpture park.

The Story

Route Notes

Getting Back

A Contempory Arts Gallery on a Farm

In the 1970s Stephen Dale, a Herefordshire farmer, was battling leukaemia. He underwent treatment at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London and would visit the Tate Gallery for some brief respite. While there he was especially moved by and drawn towards the contemporary works on display including Carl Andre’s (now known for his highly problematic behaviour) brick installation.

Upon the conclusion of his treatment, the cancer in remission Dale returned to Herefordshire. Resuming farming, at Canwood Farm, his family’s holding near Checkley deep in the hilly, wooded countryside between Hereford and Ledbury at the far north of the Wye Valley National Landscape.

Years later upon retirement, remembering how visiting the Tate and seeing the contemporary works in particular, had helped him during his illness, Dale resolved to create a public contemporary art gallery in the unlikely environment of his remote farm. From this decision the Canwood Gallery was born.

Now run by his family after Dale passed away in early 2025, the Canwood Gallery showcases a vast array of new work, the farm’s own collection, and sculpture on what is a relatively small site, created from a mixture of converted old agricultural buildings and new structures in contemporary style which cleverly look like they could be farm structures.

The focus is upon Herefordshire and artists and those from the wider Welsh Marches region, but artists from all over the world are exhibited and are represented in the small permanent collection. In addition to the works on paper and canvas as well as the small sculptures indoors, a quartet of lawns and wildflower meadows arrayed around the site play host to an expansive outdoor sculpture park.

Many of the works exhibited apart from the permanent collection are for sale, though the ethos is far from that of many commercial galleries. Canwood participates in the annual H.Art Week, a Herefordshire wide arts event usually held in September, and has received funding from the UK Government and Herefordshire Council. Though donations towards the cost of keeping the gallery going are very much welcomed and there is a cafe space on site.

The Walk

Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox

I create the Walk Midlands routes via Ordnance Survey Maps Explorer enabling me to take them on my phone. Subscribe yourself via the banner above.

This walk from Hereford to Perton via the Canwood contemporary art gallery on the edge of Checkley in the far north of the Wye Valley National Landscape, begins from Hereford Railway Station.

After crossing the station forecourt, heading left along a series of steadily quieter and more residential roads away from Hereford city centre.

Presently you pick up a snicket and head uphill making your way along a network of suburban side roads and paths towards the edge of Hereford.

Soon you reach the B4424 and turn left, walking along a pavement towards the city’s boundary.

At more or less the last modern housing estate you walk past inside Hereford, cross the road and turn down a pathway across the estate.

Here you pick up the Wye Valley Walk long-distance footpath which you follow across a field to the river side.

Turn left upon reaching the river and follow the well worn path which runs alongside the River Wye.

After some distance you turn right across a field, and then turn right onto a flood defence embankment approaching the village of Hampton Bishop.

Upon reaching Hampton Bishop turn right along the B4224 through the village and then pick up a footpath to the left across a meadow to reach the oldest part of the village.

Turn right until you reach a footpath which runs a little way up a very large farm’s driveway, before turning right along a footpath across pasture land.

Soon, nearing the River Lugg you reach a track at the far end of Hampton Bishop, where you pass down a short snicket and through a gateway.

Here you can either follow a track along the top of a flood defence in place to contain the River Lugg when it floods, or a well worn footpath nearer the river which runs alongside the base of the flood defence embankment.

Nearing the small village of Mordiford which is just up from the place where the Lugg converges with the Wye, the river curves around, affording you a great view of the hills in the far north of the Wye Valley National Landscape.

Soon you reach the B4224 opposite Mordiford where you cross the river over an old stone road bridge.

Once in dramatically situated Mordiford, you turn right walking through the oldest part of the village, and heading down a small road, heading for the hills, passing The Moon Inn.

Soon on your right you head down a footpath alongside the Pentaloe Brook which you broadly follow all the way to Checkley.

Crossing a small estate of bungalows on the edge of Mordiford you pick up a driveway running across meadow flanked by hilly woodland on either side.

On reaching a small ruined cottage you turn right up a footpath into the trees.

Here you follow woodland paths and forestry roads steadily uphill.

Before leaving the wide forestry roads for a well worn footpath out onto a meadow near Checkley.

Turning right you walk across a series of meadows until after walking through a stand of trees you reach the side of the Pentaloe Brook once more.

Here, after walking a very short distance along a bridleway style track you turn right, following the brook, until you cross it, and then head through meadows and orchards into Checkley.

Checkley is a high dispersed village characterised by plotland, small holding, type dwellings.

Upon emerging into what feels like the centre of the village you turn left heading uphill along a lane until you reach a larger road situated partway up a tall wooded hill.

When you reach this road turn right and walk along the road until you reach a junction, where you turn right.

You are now approaching the Canwood Gallery site walking past their sculpture meadow to right the track on the right which leads you to the gallery.

After visiting the Canwood Gallery retrace your steps to Checkley.

Continue along the road past the turning you initially took walking through the top of the village.

Soon on the right upon reaching a green of sorts surrounded by a scattering of houses there is a footpath running to the right through some bushes.

Having turned right and walked through the bushes you descend down a steep meadow.

At the bottom of the meadow you reach woodland and turn left to cross a bridge.

Follow a well worn footpath through the trees you head uphill until you reach a bridleway that serves as a driveway.

Upon reaching the driveway turn right and continue uphill along the driveway.

Presently the drive turns into a public road and you keep ascending.

Continue along the road heading first right, then left, passing Perton Quarry and beginning to descend towards Perton village.  

Walk through Perton village approaching the A438.

Upon reaching the main road the bus stops west towards Hereford and east towards Lebury are situated to your left.

This is where the walk ends.

Getting Back

Perton’s turning on the A438 is a calling point for the 476 bus between Hereford and Ledbury. This bus (at the time of writing in June 2025) runs more or less hourly throughout the day in each direction, the final service to Ledbury being around 18:30 and to Hereford at around 20:00. There are four buses (as over June 2025) each way on Sundays, which finish in the late afternoon. Ledbury and Hereford are both served by mainline railway stations with services towards Malvern, Worcester and the West Midlands conurbation as well as further south east towards Oxford and London. Hereford also has trains north towards Ludlow, Shrewsbury and beyond. Both towns are also hubs for local buses to destinations across Hereford and beyond into Gloucestershire, Shropshire and Wales.