The River Wye and its surrounding landscape is the primary setting of the poem. The river is located in Britain, forming a portion of the border between England and Wales. It is also one of the longest rivers on the isle. The speaker describes the river largely in terms of its scenic beauty, from its calming streams and rolling green hills to the surrounding forests and mountains. The speaker has a powerful emotional connection to the river, having visited it five years previously. As such, the river signifies not only the bond between the speaker and nature, but also the bond between the speaker’s present self and their past self.