The cider club recently went on a tour of Herefordshire in search of cider excellence. This was the third tour the club has undertaken, the first being to Somerset and Devon, then to Normandy last year and this year the decision was made to explore Herefordshire, the epicentre of the UK’s cider industry!

We based ourselves at Meadow End Barn in the village of Dorstone which is a village right in the middle of the West Herefordshire cider circuit, very close to the Welsh border.

The village of Dorstone is also home to a rather pleasant pub called the Pandy Inn. Of course we had a debrief here most evenings.

The first day took us to The Hereford Museum of Cider (by public transport no less) in order to learn all about the history of cider making and what went on in the UK’s capital of cider. Of course we had to take in the Cathedral with its Mappa Mundi and Chained Library while in the area.

The second day was the day of the cidery tours. There were two of us cycling and eleven travelling by car! No, not because they were lazy but because cars were needed to transport all our purchases back to base. Well that’s what they told the tour organiser anyway!

We had a tour of three cideries in all and learnt how they produced cider and its derivatives in their own special way. Pictures speak louder than words so here are the links to the web pages of the three visits we made and some lovely pics of the team on tour. The problem is by the time we reached Pips Cider our cameras weren’t busy clicking! I wonder why?

Fair Oak Cider https://fairoakcider.co.uk/index.php

Gwatkins Cider https://www.gwatkincider.co.uk

Pips Cider https://www.pipscider.com

The last day was a well earned day of rest with a visit to Hay-on-Wye and a rather pleasant walk up to Arthur’s stone. And Relax! A tour enjoyed by one and all I believe.