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A Seasonal Celebration of English Apples and Cider in the Herefordshire Parishes of the Marcle Ridge |
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A Seasonal Celebration of English Apples and Cider in the Herefordshire Parishes of the Marcle Ridge |
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For an afternoon, a day or a full weekend — the Big Apple is a special opportunity to enjoy the autumn countryside in the Herefordshire parishes on the Marcle Ridge. The local orchards are famous for their cider fruit and their excellent eating and cooking apples. In our fifteenth year, the award winning communities of these tiny parishes have put together a collection of small rural events based in Much Marcle, to enable you to share with us in our tradition of apple growing and cidermaking.
Our local pubs and restaurants will be serving dishes using apple and cider recipes.
In Much Marcle:
Nearby:
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The Royal Oak (GR662341)
A Feast of Apples — Apple displays and apple tastings of dessert and culinary fruit — feast your eyes and your taste buds! Also Marcher Apple Network; ‘Jus’ apple juice; apples for sale. 2 - 4.45pm. Entry:£1 (Children free).
Much Marcle Memorial Hall (GR658330)
Apple teas - delicious! 2 - 5pm.
Display of cider fruit and perry pears.
St Bartholomew‘s Church (GR657327)
Harvest church, produce sale, tours of the bell tower. 11am - 5pm.
Lyne Down Cider (GR646312)
Open day — demonstrations of traditional cidermaking. Don‘t miss the pig roast — delicious local pork! 10am to 5.30pm.
Westons Cider (GR648331)
Self guided tours £3 (children £1). Tastings and sales. Shire horse dray rides. 10am — 5pm (last tour 4pm).
While you‘re here..... adopt an apple tree!
Awnells Farm (GR659319)
Open weekend. Awnells Farm has been gifted to the Countryside Restoration Trust, a farming conservation charity. Hear their plans for its future management. Guided walks around the orchards - first walk 11.30am. Donations welcome. 11am to 5pm.
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Blessing the Pressing - Leominster Morris Men will dance at the Royal Oak at 1pm and Lyne Down Farm at 2pm.
Fruity fun with The Flying Potter from Eastnor. Much Marcle Memorial Hall, 2 - 5pm. £1.50 a go.
Apples in season - cookery demonstration with Wiz Clift, passionate believer in local, traditional and seasonal produce. Wiz and her family run The Talbot at Knightwick.- “not your average pub”. Great Barn at Hellens, (GR661332) 2.30 - 4pm £3.50.
Poetry in the Orchard Follow the year round the orchard with a first time reading of a set of poems inspired each month by this place. Charles Bennett, Director of Ledbury Poetry Festival, leads this poetry walk, finishing in darkness with hot spiced apple juice. Dragon Orchard, Putley (GR651380) 4.30 - 6pm £3
Gourmet Evening at the Scrumpy House Restaurant. Special menu including apple and cider recipes. From 6pm. Reservation recommended: tel 01531 660626
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Further information about all venues and events is available on the day from the Functions Room behind the Royal Oak, before you reach Much Marcle on the right hand side of the A449 from Ledbury — please call in.
If you want to know more about this programme, then please phone Mrs Jackie Denman on (01531) 670544.
For details of accommodation available in the area, phone Ledbury Tourist Information Centre on (01531) 636147.
Much Marcle lies 5 miles from Ledbury on the A449 road to Ross-on-Wye, beyond the point where it crosses the road from Leominster to Newent at the Preston Cross roundabout. We are just 15 minutes from the M50 motorway, 2½ hours from London and 1¼ hours from South Wales and the West Midlands.
Blossomtime in Putley for 2004 will be on Sunday and Monday May 2nd and 3rd.
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Another good reason to come to the Big Apple is simply to enjoy this wonderful stretch of countryside. Hopyards, pasture and soft fruit fields mix with the orchards and woodland to create a lovely farming patchwork. The slopes of the Marcle Ridge offer splendid views across to the Malvern Hills to the east, while Woolhope, to the west, is within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
CIDER CYCLING ROUTE
Starting at Ledbury Railway Station, this cycling map takes you through Big Apple country at your own pace along 20 miles (16 miles with short cuts) of quiet lanes in one of England‘s finest cider-growing areas. See, hear and smell the countryside — taste the cider!
Use it to enjoy our Big Apple weekend — or come back some other time.
Produced by Herefordshire Tourism in partnership with the Ledbury Area Cycle Forum. Available for £0.75 inc. p.p. from Ledbury TIC, 3 The Homend, Ledbury HR8 1BN (01531 636147) .
This page was last updated on: Mon 5th April 2004. Copyright © The Big Apple and Marcher Apple Network, 2003, 2004
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