Hi @Bellavita123
I saw that your message went unanswered so I’ve delurked to give you some info about Herefordshire 🙂 I think we’re a fairly scarce bunch on MN!
I think Pembridge is in the north, of the county, close to Leominster? Leominster is ok, some parts v picturesque with the traditional black and white houses, beautiful countryside on your doorstep (but that’s all of Hfds really!). Some parts of Leominster are a bit rough though (rough in Hfds usually means a few weed smokers and the odd petty theft, not gun crime and car jacking!). It’s your average smallish sized town. Don’t know about the state schools but Lucton private is good.
Ledbury is quite far from Pembridge, in the south of the county. It’s very posh these days with lots of independent shops and cafes. Fairly expensive for the area, has a train station which may be of use to you (and is a rarity round here thanks to Beeching cuts). Good schools including a good state high school.
Hereford itself is a lovely city, small and very much a city by dint of having a cathedral, but very pretty and green with a beautiful river walk by the cathedral. A bit spare with the amenities for a city, but has an M&S and Waitrose, four other big supermarkets, Odeon, Courtyard theatre, some really nice independent restaurants and cafes and a few nice play parks/soft play. Excellent swimming pool with wave machine etc. Primary schools are generally good, high schools are a bit more of a mixed bag - Whitecross and Bishops are big standard ok comps, Aylestone isn’t great, St Mary’s Outstanding but Catholic. Cathedral school good if you want private. Hereford Sixth Form College is very good and a number of students get good grades and go on to top universities.
Ross-on-Wye is to the south and is also extremely beautiful, probably the most picturesque setting of all the towns in Hereford (it’s in the Wye Valley AONB). Amenities are good for a small town, got a big Morrison’s and medium Sainsbury’s, small independent cinema and theatre, leisure centre, independent boutiques and restaurants, a couple of lovely pubs right by the river and feels very rural despite being a market town. Primary schools all very good and the state high school is excellent. Haberdasher schools in Monmouth just a 15 minute drive away if you want private.
Don’t know much about Bromyard, it’s got a lovely little high street with independent butcher/baker/cafes etc, very pretty. It’s in the north of the county and feels quite removed from other built up areas on the few occasions I’ve visited. It’s definitely somewhere I would consider living if I was working in Hereford or the north of the county.
On top of the towns (and city) I’ve listed, there’s an abundance of villages with the usual pub, post office and primary school set up. All extremely rural and very farming orientated, but the roads are good in Hfds and there’s zero traffic a lot of the time so you can get around easily.
My very favourite thing about this county (apart from its rural beauty!) is that the people are down to earth, extremely friendly and completely unpretentious. You could go in to a village pub and find the squire from the big house supping a pint with his own gardener. A quick trip to pick up a second hand dresser off gumtree could turn in to a half hour chat and a new friend. Time moves so slowly here, no one is in a rush and everyone has time to help, my local Facebook feed is full of people returning lost car keys/helping injured animals/pulling strangers’ cars out of flooded ditches. No one gives a shit about how much you earn, your ‘position’ in the community, there’s no concept of things being ‘naice’… there’s certainly not much in the way of liberal elite types (the odd one here and there, retired academics mainly 😅), but there is a fair amount of diversity in Hereford, I saw a mixed race gay couple holding hands in High Town the other day and no one gave a shit for example! IMO it’s an amazing county to bring up children and we couldn’t be happier here after moving from London (lifelong Londoner here!) a few years ago.
Best of luck with the move OP!