Things To Do in Hereford

Shopping can be had within a labyrinth of historic buildings known collectively as High Town. Limited only to pedestrians, it's enhanced with street performers and visiting entertainers. Principal shopping streets include Widemarsh Street, Commercial Road, St. Owen's Street, and the most charming and artfully old-fashioned of them all, Church Street.

Also near the town center is Hereford Market, evoking West Country street fairs of old, with its cornucopia of collectibles and junk displayed in an open-air setting. It's conducted throughout the year every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 10am to 4pm. Wednesdays include a livestock market, where you'll find cattle, as well as fruits, vegetables, and meats. The area pulsates with life as vendors sell items ranging from sweatshirts and saucepans to paintings and pet food.

Andrew Lamputt, 28 St. Owen St. (tel. 01432/274961; www.andrewlamputt.co.uk), is the place to pick up the perfect silver gift. It boasts an extensive array of quality silverware and fine gold jewelry, and maintains a stable of skilled craftspeople that restore old pieces.

The Orange Tree, 16 King St. (tel. 01432/267698), a consistently popular pub, attracts beer lovers and tipplers from across the county. Nothing is particularly unusual about this woodsy pub (mostly a place to soak up local color), but its beers on tap include Buddington's and a changing roster of ales and lagers sent on spec from local breweries, sometimes as part of local sales promotions.