Dear Mr Wood

We are considering moving to Herefordshire in search of beautiful countryside, friendly people and a slower pace of life than has evolved here in East Sussex over the 13 years we have been here. We hope to find a village which will welcome us and our two children, 4 and 5, into the community and local school and country lanes which we can actually wander along without fear of being mown down by a 4-wheel drive!! Are we likely to find all this around Ross-on-Wye?

Many thanks

Names supplied

A couple close to my own heart! Herefordshire is a lovely place and has some beautiful and extremely welcoming villages. I recommend Symonds Yat West and Goodrich Primary School. Unfortunately though, I don't think there is a single place in the whole of the UK where you will be free of the dangers of being mown down by a four wheel drive vehicle. Here in Herefordshire, most have bull bars fitted so that when you do get mown down, it hurts more.

Locally, this mode of transport is an absolute essential for the middle class housewife-conservationist needing to transport bottles to the bottle bank or to go shopping for organic onions and disposable nappies. In Ross-on-Wye, the supermarket provides special parking facilities for such vehicles. These are clearly marked by green tarmac and 'mother and toddler' signs.

Here in Herefordshire, we get half an inch of snow every decade or so. Even my boys have experienced snow once and they are only in their early twenties, so the four wheel drive is an absolute necessity, I'm afraid.

Not owning one myself though has long been a source of embarrassment. I wear a black hoodie when I go out in my Ford Escort. This overcomes the problem of being recognized in a vehicle with only half of the pulling power. My two boys have left school and Sarah (15) walks, except when it's raining heavily. In which case I drop her at the tradesman's entrance, thus avoiding ridicule.

Ed.

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