Perhaps the most interesting group of cheeses this with a lot of excellent cheese. The washing process gives the cheese a pungent smell, but the taste is often mild. The Brits call them stinkers and that is not quite fair. Many well known cheeses here like Munster, Epoisses, Limburger, Tilsiter, Livarot and Pont L’Éveqûe and the mountain cheese Reblochon. Often connected to monasteries because they monks were the first to make this style of cheese. Not that they wanted to, but it so happened. Many of them are defined as semi firm, but I would say they are mostly on the soft side. Very easily recognized by their red/orange rind, sometimes sticky. 
Basicly all washed rind cheeses are washed regularly with brine, but some add a local liquor, cider or even herbs. All depending on style and region.