Wye Valley in the context of "Cambrian Mountains"

The West Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of International Territorial Level for statistical purposes. It covers the western half of the area known traditionally as the Midlands. The region consists of the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. The region has seven cities: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton and Worcester.

The West Midlands region is geographically diverse, from the urban central areas of the West Midlands conurbation to the rural counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire which border Wales, and Worcestershire. The region is landlocked; however, the longest river in the UK, the River Severn, traverses the region south-eastwards, flowing through the county towns of Shrewsbury and Worcester, and the Ironbridge Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Staffordshire is home to the industrialised Potteries conurbation, including the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands area, which borders the south-eastern Peak District National Park near Leek. The region also encompasses five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: the Wye Valley, Shropshire Hills, Cannock Chase, Malvern Hills and parts of the Cotswolds. Warwickshire is home to the towns of Stratford upon Avon, birthplace of writer William Shakespeare; Rugby, the birthplace of Rugby football; and Nuneaton, birthplace to author George Eliot.

Chepstow (Welsh: Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about 2 miles (3 km) above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the Severn Bridge. It is the easternmost settlement in Wales, situated 16 miles (26 km) east of Newport, 28 miles (45 km) east-northeast of Cardiff, 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Bristol and 110 miles (180 km) west of London.

Chepstow Castle, situated on a clifftop above the Wye and the old bridge, is often cited as the oldest surviving stone castle in Britain. The castle was established by William FitzOsbern immediately after the Norman Conquest, and was extended in later centuries before becoming ruined after the Civil War. A Benedictine priory was also established within the walled town, which was the centre of the Marcher lordship of Striguil. The port of Chepstow became noted in the Middle Ages for its imports of wine, and also became a major centre for the export of timber and bark, from nearby woodland in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. In the late eighteenth century the town was a focus of early tourism as part of the "Wye Tour", and the tourist industry remains important. Other important industries included shipbuilding – one of the First World War National Shipyards was established in the town – and heavy engineering, including the prefabrication of bridges and wind turbine towers. Chepstow is also well known for its racecourse, which has hosted the Welsh National each year since 1949.

The River Wye (/waɪ/; Welsh: Afon Gwy [ɡʊɨ̯]) is the fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some 250 kilometres (155 miles) from its source on Plynlimon in Mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river form part of the border between England and Wales. The Wye Valley (lower part) is designated a National Landscape (formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The Wye is important for nature conservation and recreation, but is affected by pollution.

Symonds Yat is a village in the Wye Valley in the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and a popular tourist destination. It straddles the River Wye, and is within a few miles of Monmouthshire and the Welsh border.

The two settlements either side of the river are known as Symonds Yat West and Symonds Yat East and are linked by a footbridge and passenger ferries. Nearby is Symonds Yat Rock, a scenic hilltop viewpoint. The Seven Sisters Rocks are an outcrop of rocks forming cliffs above the Wye at Symonds Yat.

Builth Wells (/ˈbɪlθ ˈwɛlz/; Welsh: Llanfair-ym-Muallt ) is a market town and community in the county Powys and historic county Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid-Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon in the Welsh (or upper) part of the Wye Valley. In 2011 it had a population of 2,568.