The Local Area
The borderland between England and Wales is called the Marches. It has a geography that shifts easily between rugged Welsh mountains and idyllic English valleys and many of the border towns are culturally unique, retaining their local shops and family farms and becoming popular retreats for artists, writers and musicians.
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
Beside wooded river valleys, pasture and farms, you will find small villages, old churches, half-timbered buildings, and old castles. Perfect for exploring, these castles reflect a history of conflict along the borders. The Anglo-Saxons, under the leadership of King Offa of Mercia, built a barricade, “Offa’s Dyke,” along the borders at the end of the 8th Century. The Dyke still divides England and Wales and has become a popular route for walkers.
Whitney Court itself sits is a position overlooking the River Wye and within easy reach of Hay-on-Wye. The small market town has become famous for its literary festival, drawing a wealth of international writers and thinkers to the Marches every year.