OPINIONS are bring sought by the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on the direction that their plans should take for the area over the next five years.

Their strategic document, called the management plan, will update the current AONB plan for 2009 - 2014, which has been reviewed by feed back through 'topic group' meetings. The plan will lay out their aims for managing the Wye Valley landscape for he next five years.

The public consultation process, which will take 10 weeks to complete, will be finished at the end of January next year.

Part of the process will include two open public meetings in early January, the details of venues and dates of which are due to be released soon.

AONB officer, Andrew Blake said: "The key questions are how do we want the Wye Valley to be in five years time, and how can the new AONB management plan help us to get there?

"It is vital that we get feedback on the draft document from the residents and organisations within the Wye Valley AONB. While the dedicated AONB unit staff have a reasonable understanding of the area, the local people know their area so much better than we do. So we need their views."

Once completed, the finalised document will then be presented to the Joint Advisory Committee of the Wye Valley AONB, before the plan is adopted by the Forest of Dean District Council, Herefordshire Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Monmouthshire County Council. As the statutory management plan for the Wye Valley AONB it will then be submitted to Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

•LITTLE Doward is the destination for the last AONB organised walk of 2013, which takes place on Sunday December 1.

Hosted by local geographer Nic Howes, the walk will be a 'voyage of exploration' looking at the recently excavated Little Doward Iron Age Hill Fort, perched 724 feet above the River Wye. Picturesque 19th century features built by Richard Blakemore, who lived at Wyastone Leys, will also be explored and explained.

The three mile walk starts at 9.30am on the Doward, and organisers have said that booking is essential.

Bookings and more information are available from Sarah Sawyer at the Wye Valley AONB offices on 01600 710844 or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected].

More details are also available on their website at http://www.wyevalleyaonb">www.wyevalleyaonb. org.uk.