Guide to Hereford

A recent entrant for UK City of Culture, the county is home to award-winning film production companies and internationally-renowned artists like Studio Morison. The city has just launched £22m-worth of projects to make the city greener, fairer and more creative – from public art projects, to riverside facilities and world-class gallery space.

Located on the borderlands of England and Wales, there has always been something independent and untamed about Herefordshire. 

Hereford has great transport connections to Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff and Manchester - yet its location has given the city the space to grow its own distinct, individual culture. 

This isn’t a city on the way to somewhere else. You can feel its distinct identity in everything from the vibrant homegrown food-and-drink scene to the vintage stores and market culture. You can feel it in the DIY house music scene and in the trad-folk movement and the wild campers and the medieval maps that sparked the imagination of Yinka Shonibare and Grayson Perry.

This is an area that Cirque Du Soul chose for their raucous and renowned summer festival, and the great Sidney Nolan made his artistic retreat. Herefordshire has long been a draw for creative souls looking for a place to make their own, and the space to connect with their practice and beauty around them.

Hereford College of Arts sits at the heart of that. We are proudly independent, and proud to have supported generations of artists, designers, makers and performers learn and discover and reimagine for more than 170 years. Many of our graduates remain local to the area and, along with staff and our esteemed honorary fellows, continue to drive the city and its many arts scenes forward.

Voted as the UK’s favourite river, you can’t miss the Wye winding through the heart of the city as it flows down from the Welsh mountains. 

Home to a wealth of wildlife, and popular with paddleboarders and wild swimmers via stone beaches and a pontoon, riverside paths and bike lanes span both its banks and are one of the reasons why Hereford was named the top UK city for scenic walks.

You will be able to join in with the annual torchlit River Carnival, and an annual mass-float on inflatables - as well as visit a few great riverside bars which host our pre- and post-graduation party.

In Herefordshire you will also be perfectly located to explore more dramatic landscapes, from the Brecon Beacons to the Malvern Hills. Some of the UK’s best hiking trails, mountain biking, dark sky stargazing and waterfall hunting are all within reach by car and well set up for explorers of all levels.

Herefordshire is the UK base for renowned artists like Clare Woods, Des Hughes and Studio Morison. We are set to open a brand new library and a city-centre art gallery which will transform a Listed building into a world-class venue for exhibitions and touring work.

As a student you can connect with artists from outside the college through networks like CMYK and the Herefordshire Visual Arts Network, while the college has strong ties to internationally-renowned cultural organisations like the Borderlines Film Festival, Hay Festival and the Ledbury Poetry Festival, all based nearby and keen to give opportunities to students.

Recent large-scale public art projects punctuate the cityscape; ranging from top mural artists, to pub-sign sculpture trails, subway illustrations and shopfront showcases. A 15-foot installation from contemporary artist Laura White hangs from the side of the student accommodation, welcoming rail and bus visitors to what is an undoubtedly creative city.

With a compact city centre and good sustainable travel options (free electric busses, and good cycle routes and rentals) Hereford is an easy place to navigate. You will feel at home quickly, and won’t have to worry about weekly bus or tube passes that can eat into your student budget.

A study in 2020 rated it as one of the happiest places in the UK to live, and with its close connection to nature, small-city costs and crime rates it is a great place to be a student.

From £3 student cinema tickets, some of the cheapest average pints in the UK and a selection of great markets to lower your weekly food bill, studying in Hereford allows students to balance the cost of living with having at rich and fulfilling student experience.