HEREFORDSHIRE is to share in a £2.6 million windfall that will be spent restoring and enhancing the Wye Valley's most important, historic and artistic treasures.

Fownhope, Ross-on-Wye, Goodrich and Symonds Yat will benefit after the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded more than 40 sites within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) funding.

Andrew Blake, AONB officer, said: "This is very exciting for the Wye Valley. It's often assumed the Wye Valley has always been this remote, tranquil and forested place.

"But over the centuries, it has been at the cutting edge of defence, monasticism, industry and tourism, while still remaining outstandingly natural and beautiful.

"Now, over the next four or five years, we have the opportunity to pump £2.6 million into the local economy to conserve many of the historic features and give people the chance to really discover just how important the often overlooked heritage of the Wye Valley really is."

It is believed more than two million people visit the Wye Valley each year, which makes it one of the most popular destinations in southern England.

Tourists flock to sites like Tintern Abbey, the first Cistercian abbey in Wales, and the renowned Yat Rock viewpoint, but many remain unaware of the heritage hidden in the woodlands, along the river and down the narrow tributaries of the gorge.

Mr Blake hopes the new funding will allow more people to find Herefordshire's hidden secrets, bringing more investment with them and allowing the places to thrive.