Pocket guide to Herefordshire

Penrhos Distillery Tour & Tasting

After convincing their wives that the idea was more than a midlife crisis, farmers Richard and Charles began work on creating gin that showcased the natural produce and beauty of their land. It took them two years to perfect their recipe, during which time they became very popular with an ever-expanding pool of willing taste testers. You can tour the stills, learn a little about the process and then forget it all after a two-hour tasting session and a free G&T.  

Eastnor Castle

Eastnor makes a great spot to spend a few hours, even if there are no specific events on. There’s a tree trail, a maze, an ice cream parlour and all the history and heritage of the house itself to explore. The key though, is to keep an eye on the events calendar. You might find anything from pottery workshops to chilli cook offs and steam festivals, not to mention the year-round Land Rover experience, which is a thrilling way to experience the estate. Gentler tours are available on foot through the deer park, where you can break up a long walk with a stop at The Woodshed, the on-site café.  

Eat

Hereford town 

In Hereford itself, a place well worth stopping in for the cathedral and a walk by the river, you have some great food options. Entrepreneurs Edwin and Dorian have created a great setup in the centre of town, where three business, The Bookshop, The Burger Shop and The Yard, offer fine dining, burgers and street food respectively. It’s one of the liveliest and fun places to eat in Hereford, although The Beefy Boys just up the road give them a run for their money when it comes to burgers.  Another notable addition to the food scene is Sensory & Rye, also fairly central, which is the sort of casually styled, perfectly thought out place that brunch was invented for.  

Under The Nut Tree

When you’ve got a whole breed of cattle named after a county, there’s no surprise that meat features heavily on the menu there. At Under the Nut Tree, their motto is “Long, Slow & Smokey” and they describe themselves as an experience rather than a restaurant. Their BBQ nights are the stuff of legend, held whenever possible, under the giant hazelnut tree in the garden. They only run on Friday and Saturday nights, probably to give people the rest of the weekend to recover. 

Wild By Nature

Events on this regenerative farm are worth booking your whole trip around. While you’ll often find it fully occupied by wedding season, it’s worth keeping a keen eye on the calendar so you can join in events such as a Spring Feastival & Alpine Saturdays, with wood-fired alpine food, as well as a farm shop, market stalls, farm walks and fire pits. If you want to taste their produce at any time of year, then drop in to The Bull’s Head. The pub is owned by the same people as the farm and is a fine outlet for everything they produce.

 See

Symonds Yat & Biblins Rope Bridge

The small village of Symonds Yat (yat is from the old English for “gate” and is thought to refer to the gorge) is a beautiful spot in the Wye Valley National Landscape. It’s rightly popular, so best visited in the shoulder season. You needn’t worry about the cold too much though, because the best thing to do here is some hilly hiking that’ll warm you up in no time. If all you do is climb up to Symonds Yat Rock and look down on the valley, then you’ll be very well rewarded for your efforts, but if you’re up for a challenge, take on the 11-mile Highmeadow Trail, which includes a river crossing by ferry and another along the swaying length of Biblin’s Rope Bridge, as well as some lung-busting ascents of its own. 

The Black & White Village Trail

This 40-mile circular route takes in the incredible medieval timbered buildings in various villages, including Lyonshall, Pembridge, Weobley and Kington. Ostensibly, it’s a chance to see some superbly preserved history and beautiful scenery, but in reality it’s more like a good excuse to wander into some lovely quiet villages and stop at the pubs and cafés you’ll inevitably find in them. The trail officially starts in Leominster but you can follow the brown and white signs from wherever you see them and linger wherever a pretty, rose-framed house catches your eye. 

Bodenham Lake & Queenswood Arboretum 

With its 50 acres carefully protected, to the extent that some of it has restricted public access, Bodenham Lake has become an important breeding site for an enormous number of bird species, with over 170 recorded in the area. The birds, of course, are blissfully unaware of the restricted areas, so this is a place to come with your binoculars and set up camp in one of the hides or even at the picnic sites. The well-maintained paths make for gentle rambling, a welcome change from Herefordshire’s generally hilly hiking, and it pairs perfectly with Queenswood Arboretum, a couple of miles down the road. Here you’ll find a host of seasonal marked trails that wind through the woods, one route with audio installations along the way and the Champion Tree trail, which takes in nine of Queenswood’s finest specimens. 

Shop

Leominster – antiques 

You might not go out of your way to visit one antique shop in a town, or even two, but how about 25? That’s the current count of places in Leominster that are piled high to the rafters with all sorts of potential treasures. There’s a healthy cluster centred on the high street, so you can wander idly and stumble across them, although some of the ones further out are worth a look for the specialisms in specific items, such as furniture at Lanna’s Vintage. There’s even an auctioneers on the south edge of town, and it’s worth keeping an eye on their schedule for a chance to flash your paddle. 

Ledbury – homeware 

Ledbury is one of those heartwarming towns whose flourishing high street has resisted the invasion of chain shops. You’ll find artisanal homewares everywhere, with a local country flavour at Tusk, a Scandi influence in Hus & Hem, or in a colourful contemporary style at Tinsmiths. If you need a break from browsing and a bit of a treat, we recommend The Malthouse Café, while at Hay Wines, you can find what will almost certainly be a short-lived souvenir. 

Hereford – more interiors and fabrics 

Hereford has a couple of its own shops that rival Ledbury in the homeware department. Printer & Tailor and No 28 Fabrics and Interiors are well worth stopping at if you’re making a day of the cathedral and one of the aforementioned eateries. No 28, especially, is a design studio rather than a shop, where you can chat colours and textures for hours in the inspiring showroom. 

Stay

​​Wild Cabins at the Bull’s Head

At the foot of the Black Hill in a wildflower meadow, just steps from a 17th-century pub where local brews like Wye Valley and Oliver’s Cider is on tap, four oak-framed cabins wait to welcome you. Picture windows framing soaring views of the Black Mountains, vaulted timber ceilings tower above heated floors, and fluffy robes beckon you to slow down. Each cabin has a porch for your morning coffee, best enjoyed as you watch the sun rise over the hills.

Fairoaks – The Carthouse

Within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this converted barn sits on a peaceful 600-acre estate. Huge Crittall doors flood the generous space with sunlight and open into your private garden with stunning Malvern Hills views. Inside, the style is fresh, modern and uncluttered. Underfloor heating keeps things cosy, and a sociable kitchen invites long, lazy meals. The estate has its own indoor heated pool, spa and gardens to explore, while football, croquet and cricket make it easy to while away the hours outdoors.

The Freeth

Hidden down a mile-long track, The Freeth is a stunning red brick farmhouse perfect for big family get togethers or celebrations. Inside, light pours into the big kitchen (complete with Aga), cosy living rooms beckon with squishy sofas and shelves of books, and a beautiful indoor pool promises a swim whatever the weather. Outside, gardens designed by a Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist surround the house with fruit trees, meadows and a walled garden angled for perfect sunsets.

We hope our Pocket Guide to Herefordshire has given you a flavour of this green and quietly glorious county. If we’ve piqued your interest, take a look at our other personally inspected places to stay and start planning your escape.

 

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