While staying at the house
To help you enjoy your visit to Herefordshire, we have put together a summary of some things of interest in the area.
The following are the sections:
SEE AND DO - tourism highlights
FOOD & DRINK - places to eat but also much more
LOCAL AMENITIES - nearest shops for supplies
WALKS - a selection of places to get out and about
TAXI - Local taxi and minibus services
If you have kids in tow, please see our Children section
See and Do
Hay-on-Wye is the second hand book capital of the World and the location of the famed Literary festival. This should definitely be on your list of places to see during your stay.
Hereford Cathedral dates back to 1079 and is lucky enough to have the Mappa Mundi on show.
Should you want to sample some more modern entertainment, Hereford also has a
Theatre (with very good café / restaurant attached)
Black & White - To the North of the county, there is a range of small market towns and villages, many of which are well worth a quick visit.
Cider Route - If you are interested in one of Hereford's greatest exports - cider.
Cider Museum - Hereford has a Cider Museum too.
Weston's Cider is a local cider producer, it's lovely
There is also a tour available.
food & drink
In Herefordshire, we are extremely lucky to have some amazing produce, restaurants and pubs.
Given Hereford's link to cider (not just the home of Bulmers, the world's largest cider with Strongbow, Scrumpy Jack etc as part of its portfolio but also Westons and a multitude of smaller craft producers) and beef (the eponymous breed being synonymous with the most flavoursome meat), this may not surprise you.
Anyway, having spent a lifetime sampling as much as we can, these are a few thoughts on things to do out and about (don't forget, if you want to bring back some of that produce, we really have done our best to make The Old Vicarage's kitchen fully stocked to help you cook a storm. We also have a herb garden just outside the back door and fruit in the orchard. What's not to like?!)
We have broken this section down into a few areas:
Places to eat Food - Pubs & Restaurants
Drinks to go with Food (cider and others)
Festivals for Food
Shopping for Food
PUBS & Restaurants
There really is a plethora of possibilities in and around the surrounding area and the following is just an extremely small selection of them.
Herefordshire is lucky to have some amazing produce and there are loads of great eating establishments in the area.
The following are just a selection of local ones (including a few I haven’t actually been to yet but look like they could be very interesting for a group to visit!) If you google, you will find loads more great pubs in the vicinity and also a wide range of options in Hereford, Hay and Abergavenny.
A lot of these places have limited opening hours so please check before turning up.
Very Local
The Hub - Peterchurch
The hub is a lovely friendly café run out of Peterchurch church that is open to all. If you go there on Friday you might see mother helping out - please say hello to her!
https://www.hubcommunity.org/copy-of-caf%C3%A9
The Red Cow - Vowchurch
If you fancy something a bit different from a pub, pop down the road to The Red Cow. They do a great breakfast if you’re feeling too lazy to cook your own. They also offer a wide range of ciders made in the farm.
https://www.gwatkinredcow.co.uk/
The Nag’s Head - Peterchurch
Just along the road, The Nags Head offers traditional home cooked food, a friendly welcome and an open fire. It’s so old school it doesn’t even have a website!
Food for Thought - Peterchurch
Food for thought is a quaint little bistro that has been offering lovely food for over 20 years.
https://www.foodforthought-herefordshire.co.uk/
The PanDy - Dorstone
The Pandy is a proper country pub with beams and hops just like they have on tele.
https://www.thepandyinn.co.uk/index.htm
Hay
Old Black Lion
A reliable choice for Sunday lunch if you fancy combining eating with a visit to Hay.
The Granary
Standard place to call in at for coffee or a snack when popping into Hay. There are other really good options but this has just been the tradition for as long as I can remember!
Places I want to visit!
Chapters - Posh dining in Hay but needs booking in advance.
The following two look really interesting, alternative options. Please let me know how it goes if you get there.
Hereford
The Beefy Boys
I don’t generally go into Hereford to eat that often these days so I don’t doubt there are many good options there but the only one that comes to mind is Beefy Boys.
Came second in the worlds best burger championships in Vegas a few years ago and they really do do a mean burger
Further Afield
The Riversde at Aymestry
If you are happy to travel half an hour or so to get something a little bit different, there are probably a few options but this is one I definitely enjoyed last time I was there.
Where do you want to go?
If you want to try local, you only need to go a few minutes down the road to find Denis at Moorhampton
They spend a lot of the time travelling around festivals but you can sample the produce at many local pubs and supermarkets and can also call in yourself to the farm to select it from source. This is cider made the proper way - not the mass production techniques of the larger producers!
Denis ready to serve!
A little bit further afield (about 40-45 mins drive), a big favourite is Westons who are now sold across the country and further but still maintain that independent feel. Stowford press is a very drinkable cider that is very widely available (and still tastes of apples) but Wyldwood is possibly my personal favourite. It's organic but at 6%, care needs to be taken. The Henry Westons vintage has even more of a bang at 8.2% but is still very drinkable.
They have a visitor centre that explains all about cider making and the company. Tours are also put on several times a day (11, 12.30, 2, 3.30 last time we checked) - suggest you pre-book but these are highly recommended and we have been on them several times. This is not just for the tasting session at the end - honestly!
They also have tea rooms, a restaurant and various animals to see - something for everyone.
Westons cider
If you're in Hereford itself, there is a cider museum which may not offer quite the experience of Westons but still gives a good insight to the history and process and if you don’t want to head over to Westons is worth a visit.
Hereford Cider Museum
Finally, I feel we need to mention Butty which is an ale rather than a cider but is the pride of Herefordshire.
It is available in bottles in most local supermarkets and shops but is at its best when drunk on draft.
Known as a "burnished gold, full-bodies premium ae", it has won many prizes.
Wye valley brewery also offer a pale ale which I would normally expect to be more to my taste but butty is always my go to drink. You should try it!
They have built up a stable of 8 pubs in the local area, all of them specialising in offering great beer and reasonable prices. The Barrels in Hereford is mentioned in more detail in the pubs and restaurants section.
A pint of Butty
Walks
There really are a multitude of walks available. There are footpaths from the front door or, if you want to go a little further afield, the following are some of our favourites:
Olchon Valley (Cat's Back) - A 20 min drive to start. A ridge walk that gives stunning views (but is often windy!). Probably about 90 mins. This is also the setting for Resistance by Owen Sheers as referenced in this Hereford Times walk
Hay Bluff- Walk to the top of the bluff and along the ridge or if the weather isn't great, you can just walk along the quiet road and back again to the car. Walk duration can be anything from 10 minutes to 90 minutes.
King Arthur's Stone - Not really a walk but something you can possibly call in at on your way back from somewhere! Just a few miles up the road towards Hay.
Other stuff:- Slightly further afield and you have Brecon Beacons and Pen Y Fan, you have The Sugarloaf ,the Blorenge and the Skirrid down towards Abergavenny. If you fancy something longer and can plan transport, how about a walk along Offa's Dyke itself, maybe from Pandy to Hay.
If you want to print out the Olchon Valley and Hay Bluff walks, try this pdf document that we have created.
Local Amenities
Closest Shop - The closest place for picking up your milk etc is the Golden Valley Post office and Stores which is 2 miles up the road in Peterchurch. (Poston Mill caravan park is even closer and they do have a shop that is open at certain times for some essentials)
Bigger Shop - Locks garage is a 10 minute drive down the road and comes highly recommended. Open 5am to 10pm 7 days a week. Described by The Times as "The Fortnum and Mason of the Borders" this is the hub of local life and offers a ridiculously broad range of everything you could ever need. You want bread and milk? They’ve got it. African or Asian vegetables? They have them. Cartridges for your shotgun? They have them. It is rare they let you down!
Big Shop - The closest supermarket is Tescos, which is open 6am - midnight (10-4 on Sunday). Delivery to the house is available. (Hereford also hosts all the usual suspects; Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys and they also all deliver to Vowchurch).
Taxis
There is a bus service travelling between Hereford and Brecon that goes right past the front door but given that they only travel a few times a day, it is probably not something that you are likely to be using.
Taxis are available in Hereford and will come out to Vowchurch.
An approximate cost for a taxi to Hereford is about £35.
Some possible companies shown below:
www.blueline-taxis.co.uk - 01432 343435
www.herefordranktaxis.co.uk - 01432 278279
www.hitowntaxis.co.uk - 01432 354321
Links
Some other properties rented out by friends:
https://www.blockleycourthouse.com/ - A great property in the Cotswolds catering for up to 10 people
Some sites we work with:
https://www.amoritravel.com/
https://www.awaywiththekids.co.uk/