Wye - Ye Olde Ferrie Inn - Day 3 (a)Round Ross

 Day 3 (Wed 23)

The Ross trail app

Today we decided to visit Ross-on-Wye - there's no real plan, we just want to look around.  It's only just up the road, and getting up to the road was a bit easier this time because I used a different line. 

Arriving in Ross-on-Wye, we found a free car park - an unusual thing in any British town.  As we were looking around, to check that we really didn't have to pay, we noticed a large sign, saying down load the App.  Ever sceptical, but always keen to be able to say "I told you so", I decided to give it a go.  The App has two routes around the town.  We followed the general one.  The app installed quickly on both our phones, and we were soon on our way.

There is plenty to see.  I love a 'Blue Plaque' as much as anyone, but I thought this was a little over the top. 

Lord Nelson walked here.

 

The view from the Market House (https://visitrossonwye.com/16th-century-market-house/) is amazing.  The doors are not usually open, specially in the winter half of the year, but the lady who was taking her turn to look after the shop happily opened them for us.  The photo, of course, does not do it justice, but gives you the general idea.

View from the Market House

I was quite surprised (I shouldn't have been) to learn there was once a railway in Ross.  Almost all the evidence is long gone, but there is a small area reserved so that visitors can see the old broad gauge railway tracks.  That is the real surprise, that the railway was broad gauge.  

The first of eight plaques telling the story of the railway.

There are 8 plaques explaining the history of the railway, and a couple of sections of tracks.

Broad vs. Regular gauge.

A kingfisher on the fence

One of the reasons for choosing to stay on the Wye was to see kingfishers.  We have been trying to see them for 20+ years. With the river being so high, our chances were not great.  Along a footpath, the corrugated iron fence has been decorated with some lovely paintings.  This was my favourite. 

There were many other things to see.  We had a lovely walk around the town.  We went back to the coffee shop where we had started the walk for lunch.  

Then into a park which had been disputed land and the townsfolk had rioted to get back, that provides great views of the river.

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After a while we left Ross-onWye and set off for the only Suspension foot bridge I have ever seen.

It looks a bit dangerous, but we were assured by the angler sitting next to it that plenty of people large than us had crossed safely.  It's on a recognised footpath that led us to St. Tysilio's Church, Sellack.  We looked around the church, appreciated the peace and quiet, then gathered up our courage to go back across the rickety-rockety bridge.  For a Grade II listed structure, it isn't looked after that well.