A GROUP of 52 people assembled in Rotherwas at the new Herefordshire Archives and Records Centre (HARC ), in eager anticipation of Herefordshire Archaeology's 200th Historic Landscape Walk.

The walks take place all over the county in all weathers. Tim Hoverd of Herefordshire Archaeology, (Herefordshire Council's Archaeology Service), has been organising and leading walks throughout the county on public rights of way every month since April 1999, each walk covering new ground. These walks are designed to introduce members of the public to the constantly changing aspects of life, both past and present, that influence the type of landscape in which we live. People from the local community and from further afield are welcome.

"It's a good way of meeting people with an interest in the countryside, in fact I met my late partner on my first walk in 2002", said Jean Wynne-Jones.

"Tim imparts to us some of his immense knowledge of the archaeology of Herefordshire, and also encourages us to make our own contributions. One person is an expert on veteran trees which are often a feature of historic parklands. Another knows about geology, so he can explain to us why the mud on our boots is a different colour from last time."

The walks are free and anyone with a stout pair of boots and a reasonable level of fitness is welcome. Each walk is approximately four miles in length with frequent stops for the description and discussion of features in the landscape, land use, buildings and recent archaeological finds.

"These walks have always been very popular. Herefordshire is such a fantastic county for walking in. It has a wide range of landscapes; from the foothills of the Black Mountains to the Herefordshire plain, Mortimer Forest and the edge of the Forest of Dean. The next "milestone" to reach is the 300th walk which will be exactly 25 years of free monthly walks - that's got to be a record surely." Tim said.

Anyone interested in participating in a walk can contact Tim Hoverd thoverd@herefordshire.gov.uk or 01432 383352.