Herefordshire (produces over half of England’s cider!)

Herefordshire is a lovely county, quiet and quite small, next to the Welsh border. Even the main city of Hereford is more like a leafy town.  Thanks to enormous amount of fruit orchards in these parts, apple and pear ciders are abundant. Cider is to Hereford, what wine is to Bordeaux. Pickers go out early morning to harvest baskets of fruits, before being pressed and fermented into cider.

There are even towns that celebrate apples, with orchard walks, barn dances and sampling of cloudy juice. Cider is sold alongside chutney, jam and fresh bread in markets. And there are even cider competitions, with entertainment from local Morris dancers.

Like Cumbria and Northumberland, it has more sheep than people!

If out walking, follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. Herefordshire has more sheep than people!

Pregnant sheep (and sometimes due to wool waterlogged from rain) can sometimes roll over onto their backs, and can’t get back upright, due to having four stomach chambers (so will die if not turned back upright). 

If you see a sheep on its back, just firmly right it back, then stay with it, until rain has drained off, so it won’t happen again. Then inform your local farmer.

The Pretty City of Hereford

Sitting on the River Wye, the city of Hereford feels more like a quiet town, than a city. Surrounded by lush countryside, people here still nod hello, and sup cider in local pubs, made with apples from local orchards.

Farmers’ markets spill onto ancient streets, and even the cathedral has a lovely green, where people sit outside and enjoy chat and picnics.

Inside the cathedral is housed the Mappa Mundi, a stunning map from the 1200s, that tries to show the entire world, as it was known then. It also houses one of the world’s oldest chained libraries; you can still see the iron links that once kept books safe from thieves, centuries before borrowing cards!