WHITE HERON ESTATE TOURS
The White Heron Estate is set in the rolling hills of Herefordshire, and is a 4th generation working farm with 150 acres of blackcurrants, 35 acres of vineyards and 55 acres of cider apple orchards. We are proud of our heritage and history, and love to entertain visitors on our e-bike or walking tours. Walking tours can be arranged all year round, whilst the e-biking tours will run from April to October. Never ridden an e-bike before? Don't worry, it's easy and we give you a quick training course and tuition before we start out.
Ebike Tours
Our new and original e-bike tours around the White Heron Estate and beyond, are great fun and very informative. As you meander (or zoom, if you prefer) through our vineyards, apple orchards and blackcurrant fields, you will stop periodically to hear about the history and heritage of the farm. You will see crops in situ, and the biodiversity and environmental schemes that we have introduced. More importantly, you will get to taste the products of this land: our award-winning British Cassis liqueur, White Heron Estate Sparkling Wine, apple juice and cider.
You can stock up on these goodies at the end of the tour if you like what you taste (we're confident that you will!). Various meal choices based on locally sourced, high quality foods are available - anything from amuse-bouches, to a picnic lunch of local meats, cheeses, salads, seasonal veg. and other goodies, to a full outdoor experiential off-grid gourmet dinner. Enjoy a feast sitting at a sheltered rustic table hewn from a colossal estate oak tree that came down in a storm, with views over Herefordshire and the Brecon Beacons, Clee Hill and the Malverns. Purchase your cider, fizz, cassis or soft drinks while you spend an afternoon or evening in the sun at the top of our vineyard. Alternatively we can arrange a bespoke tour where we visit historic local villages, gardens and places of cultural interest and perhaps end at our vineyard; or in a local hostelry. For a more detailed look see our full video on YouTube
Luxury Residential Tour
Why not consider our Tuesday to Friday luxury residential tour. Arrive at the Colloquy (our flagship property) any time in the afternoon and chill by the pool. Enjoy a late afternoon agritourism e-bike tour and end up at the vineyard for an alfresco dinner. On Weds enjoy a trip down to Hay on Wye (20 miles) for lunch. An afternoon of browsing Hay's independent stores and a visit to Hay Castle is followed by an overnight stay either in town at a pub or - for a more off-grid experience - with a glamping partner in the hills beyond. On Thursday, we return to the Colloquy via a late lunch in Pembridge, one of our famous black and white villages (20 miles). Cycle just 3 miles after lunch and chill by the pool for the afternoon and complete your stay with a fresh dinner of simple seasonal fare. Depart on Friday morning. This is mostly back lanes with luggage transported.
PRICES:
E-bike farm tour and tasting £50 pp
E-bike farm tour with tasting and local fare lunch or dinner £75 pp
E-bike farm tour with off-grid gourmet lunch or dinner £95 pp
E-bike luxury guided residential tour Tuesday-Friday from £995 pp (half board)
Walking tours
Our established walking tours are very popular. Guests enjoy the fresh air and tranquillity of beautiful North Herefordshire, while strolling through our Blackcurrant plantations, vineyards and orchards, tasting our fruits at their freshest (in summer). You will also visit the small artisan Cassiserie, where you can see our delicious British Cassis being made (did we mention that it's award winning?). If we're bottling the Cassis at the time of your visit, you can bottle your own to take home. There will be a cocktail making demonstration, and of course you get to sample these creations. You will hear how White Heron founder and farmer Jo Hilditch manages this vibrant fruit farm and drinks business (amongst many other pursuits) and how she battled Dragons on the road to success. There is of course an opportunity to stock up your drinks cabinet with our deliciously versatile drinks, should you wish to take some home with you.
PRICES:
Walking Tour & Tasting £50 per group + £20 pp
(+£25pp for local fare lunch; +£45pp for off grid gourmet meal after your walk)
Minimum e-bike group size 10 (or minimum price for first 10 people £500 for bike tours). For open dates the tour will operate with 6 people or more and we reserve the right to cancel with 48 hours notice. The tour takes around 1.5 - 2 hours including the sampling.
Our e-bikes are excellent quality road/off road bikes with good suspension and knobbly tyres. Ridgeback bikes with Shimano batteries - 40/50 mile range.
Please ensure you wear suitable clothing and footwear for walking or cycling around the farm, especially if wet. No flares please!
Enquire for prices or to curate your own bespoke tour jo@whiteherondrinks.co.uk. For our full farm website and info about our wider business check out www.whitternfarms.co.uk
