Celebrations of English Apples and Cider
in the Marcle Ridge Parishes of Herefordshire
Aylton, Little Marcle,
Much Marcle, Munsley, Pixley, Putley and Woolhope
View Big Apple Autumn 10 in a larger map
Harvestime 2010 - October 9th and 10th
For an afternoon, a day or a full weekend – the Big Apple Harvestime Event 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 apples. In our twenty-second year, the award-winning communities of these tiny parishes have put together a collection of small rural events based in and around Much Marcle to enable you to share with us in our tradition of apple growing and cidermaking. This year's event is even bigger and better than last year and we have made changes to try and reduce the congestion you may have experienced in 2009.
If you are a regular visitor, please note the earlier opening time at Hellens this year. Also, payment for entry into the Hellens site (£2 per adult) covers all activities within the site, except where an additional charge is noted below for special events such as the Cider Tasting, or tours of the house. If coming by car, please have payment ready as we will have the payment point before the car parking area. Cash only please - we cannot take card payments.
The map on the right shows the locations of the various venues in Much Marcle. Zoom out to see the venues outside of Much Marcle.
The Common Core
- available throughout the weekend.
Apple sales
Take home some quality English apples
Reddingend, Much Marcle 9am to 6pm
Roots at Little Verzons, Pixley 9am to 5pm (Sat and Sun this year)
Cider tasting and sales
Much Marcle
Lyne Down Cider, 10am to 5pm
Gregg’s Pit Perry and Cider, 10.30am to 6pm
Westons Cider, 10am to 4pm
Much Marcle Village Shop,
Sat 8am to 6pm, Sun 9am to 12.30pm
Putley
Once upon a Tree, 10am to 3pm
Coffee shops
Roots at Little Verzons, Pixley, 9am to 4pm (Sat and Sun this year)
Bottle Museum Tearoom, Westons, 10am to 4pm
Lunches and suppers
Our local pubs and restaurants will be serving dishes using apple and cider recipes. Booking advisable.
In Much Marcle |
Nearby |
|---|---|
| Royal Oak, 01531 660300 Scrumpy House, 01531 660626 (closed Sunday eve) Slip Tavern, 01531 660246 Walwyn Arms, 01531 660758 |
Butchers Arms, Woolhope, 01432 860281 Crown Inn, Woolhope, 01432 860468 Trumpet Inn, A4172 / A438 / A417 crossroads, 01531 670277 |
The Venues
Special events
Saturday 9th October
Enthusiasts Day - hands on opportunity to learn to make cider with the Little Cider Press Company. Lunch provided; take home apple juice and cider for fermenting. Details and booking (essential) 01531 670713. 10am to 4pm. £65.00.
The Naked Guide to Cider. James Russell will be signing his new book at Gregg’s Pit from 10.30am to 6pm
Leominster Morris at Westons (11.30am), Gregg’s Pit (12.30pm), Hellens (3pm).
On the trail of our iconic woodpeckers. A talk by Nicky Davies, Woodpeckers of Herefordshire Coordinator. Haywain, Hellens*, 12.30pm
Single variety tasting. An expert introduction to a selection of apples, their juice and their qualities as single variety ciders. With Gabe Cook/Jean Nowell.
Haywain, Hellens*, 2pm. £1.50
A Changing Climate for Orchards? A talk by Richard Heathcote, Sustainable Development Manager, Heineken UK. Haywain, Hellens*, 3.30pm.
The Apple Tree project at Hereford Cathedral. Sandy Elliot will be presenting this project to create a 6 metre diameter stone 'apple tree' in the pavement outside the west entrance of the cathedral. Hellens* 12.00 - 4.30pm
Sunday 10th October
Marcle Ridge Walk. 7 mile walk, led by David Walker. Steep in places. No dogs please. Donations welcome. Meet Crown Inn, Woolhope (GR612357), 9.30am.
Big Apple Bike Ride. Market House, Ledbury at 10am, leave 10.30. Follow quiet country lanes, visiting cider producers and orchards. BYO picnic and explore Big Apple, returning pm to Ledbury. Information 01531 635432.
Press your own apples with The Little Cider Press Company. Booking essential (01531 670713). At Crown Inn, Woolhope, from 11am
Single variety tasting. As Saturday, but at 1.30pm
The Mystery and History of the Perry Pear – a talk by Jim Chapman, Unfortunately Jim has been taken ill and cannot attend - he hopes to deliver the talk on a later occasion and we wish hima speedy recovery. Gabe Cook will deliver a lecture instead - 'A brief introduction to perry'. Haywain, Hellens at 3pm*.
The Apple Tree project at Hereford Cathedral. Sandy Elliot will be presenting this project to create a 6 metre diameter stone 'apple tree' in the pavement outside the west entrance of the cathedral. Hellens* 12 - 4.30pm
*Please note that unless otherwise stated an entry charge of £2 will cover all events on the Hellens site
Hellens (GR661333, HR8 2LY) - The 'Main Event'
A Feast of Apples – displays of apples, cider fruit and perry pears; tastings of dessert and culinary fruit.
Exhibitions and various talks – see special events.
Apple identification by Marcher Apple Network (£2 a variety on the day where possible; otherwise collected and retained for investigation)
Sales of apple juice, cider in the marquees outside the Great Barn.
Apple market selling less usual varieties.
Tools for Self Reliance
Tours of the house (£6, concessions) at 1, 2 and 3.30pm.
12 noon to 4.45pm. Entry £2.00 per person (children under 16 free). Note the earlier opening time this year.
Much Marcle Memorial Hall (GR658330, HR8 2LY)
Morning refreshments 10am -12 noon
Apple teas – delicious! 2 - 5pm
Gregg’s Pit (GR662323, HR8 2NL)
Open day – small scale artisan perry/cider-making in a traditional orchard. Ploughman’s lunches by Truffles Delicatessen. 10.30am - 6pm
Lyne Down Cider (GR646312, HR8 2NT)
Open day – demonstrations of traditional cidermaking; orchard tools and machinery. Barbecue. 10am - 5pm
Westons Cider (GR648331) (HR8 2NQ)
Guided tours (£6.00/£3.25) 11am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm. Self-guided orchard walk. Shire horse dray rides (£3/£2). 10am - 4pm
St Bartholomew’s Church (GR657327)
Harvest church open, produce sale, tours of the bell tower (children must be accompanied by an adult). Donations welcome. 11am - 5pm
Awnells Farm (HR8 2NW)
Guided walks through the orchards. Meet the traditional Hereford cattle. Craft activities for accompanied children, 11 – 1. Donations welcome. 11am to 5pm
Marcle Ridge Country
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.
Getting Here
Much Marcle lies on the A449 Ledbury to Ross on Wye road.
We are just 15 minutes from the M50 motorway, 2.5 hours from London and 1.25 hours from South Wales and the West Midlands. There is car parking at Hellens and Westons. There is some parking at other venues but may be more limited in capacity. Please do not park in areas designated as "No Parking". Most of the Much Marcle venues are within a 15 to 20 minute walk of each other.
If you wish to come by public transport, Transport Direct can work out a route for you - just enter your details in the form below and click on 'Go'. Ledbury has a railway station served by London Midland and First Great Western.
Using SatNav?
Postcodes are provided for the main locations but please be aware that rural postcode areas can be quite large and you could be taken to a point some distance from the actual event - eg HR8 2LY is the postcode for a large area of Much Marcle - look out for the signs on the roadside when you near your destination.
Accommodation
For details of accommodation available in the area, telephone Ledbury Tourist Information Centre on (01531) 636147.
Bed and Breakfast
There is a range of bed and breakfast accommodation around the Big Apple parishes. Whilst we can't make specific recommendations, the following websites are also a source of local accommodation information.
http://ledburybedandbreakfast.info/bb-ledbury-villages/
http://muchmarcle.net/accommodation/
http://ledburybedandbreakfast.info/
http://www.royalforestofdean.info/accommodation/ledbury.shtml
Camping
See our campsite listing page>>
