AREAS in Herefordshire's Wye Valley will temporary close as work goes underway ready for walkers this summer.

The Wye Valley area of natural beauty organisation has been completing work to improve Cleddon gorge and woodlands, which is found along the Wye Valley Walk north of Tintern.

The group has announced how it is progressing.

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The gorge

A spokesperson said the long flight of worn and missing steps, leading from the bottom to the middle of the gorge, has now been replaced and two large trees that had fallen across the steps have been cut up and moved out the way.

"The tree timber will remain on site to provide decaying and deadwood habitat for nature," said the spokesperson.

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"A big thank you to the iBEX technical access team who braved some awful weather to complete this work."

The lower gorge paths will remain closed until the footbridge in the lower gorge is and made safe.

Bread and Cheese Stones viewpoint

The historic viewpoint at the Bread and Cheese Stones, which sits at the top of Bargain Wood, Cleddon, will reopen.

After a decade of the viewpoint being blocked by trees the river Wye can now be seen.

Twelve trees were taken down and the timber has been left on site as wildlife habitat piles.

The group thanked the landowner, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Western Power Distribution.

Boggy boardwalk and parking at Cleddon

The next port of call is the boggy boardwalk at the top of the zig-zag path in Cleddon.

Most of the old posts have already been pulled out but the work will start in full on Tuesday (April 19) when the jumble of wooden structures will be replaced with a recycled plastic boardwalk.

The unofficial carparking area at Cleddon will be closed for three weeks to ensure people's safety.

But alternative parking will be open at Whitestone, Ninewells Wood and Broad Meend.

Wider project: Wordsworth Walk

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This work is part of a wider project that will be continuing through 2022, to reinstate and revitalise the Wordsworth Walk.

This is a three mile walk around Llandogo and Cleddon that takes in Cleddon Shoots Woodland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and part of the Wye Valley Woodlands Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

The project is funded through the Welsh Government's Sustainable Landscapes Sustainable Places Fund, coordinated by the Wye Valley area of outstanding beauty organisation with the support of the landowners and Natural Resources Wales.