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Weston's Cider - Visitor Centre and Cider Mill

Westons Cider is situated in the Herefordshire countryside on the A449 between Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye. Guided Mill Tours at 11.00am, 12.30pm, 2.00pm and 3.30pm daily. Cider Shop open daily.

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Take Westons Cider Mill Tour and Taste Traditional Herefordshire Cider

by The Foodie Travel Guide | Aug 8, 2016

Westons Cider Mill, Much Marcle, Herefordshire

Herefordshire produces a staggering 60% of the world’s cider. At the heart of the county is Westons Cider Mill, an independent family-owned business that’s rich in cider-making history and heritage.

Grow Your Own Cider

Wooden Apple Press

Three Litre Moonshine Bottle

Wooden Apple Storage Rack

Need more inspiration? Shop for cider gifts

Where to Stay 

Brooks Country House – ‘affordable luxury’ in this new 22-roomed hotel housed in a former Georgian Manor with stunning views of the Black Mountains and surrounding countryside

The Bell at Skenfrith  – a foodie pub in the Monmouthshire countryside close to Abergavenny that’s also a great base for walkers

Westons Cider Mill, The Bounds, Much Marcle, Ledbury HR8 2NQ

Website: www.westons-cider.co.uk

Discover more  Cider Tasting Experiences .

The Foodie Travel Guide

Sally is the founder and editor of The Foodie Travel Guide. She travels around the UK and beyond in search of the best foodie days out, tasting experiences and delicious places to stay. She loves a glass of English sparkling wine, afternoon tea with friends and escaping London for gastronomic adventures. 

Westons Cider Mill

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WESTONS CIDER MILL (Ledbury) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Westons Cider Visitor Centre

Deep in the heart of the Herefordshire countryside Westons Cider is situated in the village of Much Marcle. It was established in 1880 and is still a family owned firm, renowned for both traditional and premium ciders, such as Stowford Press, Old Rosie and Henry Westons Vintage. Along with its world famous products, we have our award winning herd of Hereford Cattle and much loved resident shire horses Ben and Prince, who are great ambassadors for Westons heritage, offering anything from dray rides to a one-of-a-kind wedding transportation.

Stop by our Visitor Centre shop for great offers and cider tasting, open 7 days a week. Our Daily guided mill tours give you the opportunity to gain a unique insight into the business, its heritage and traditions (11.00am, 12.30pm, 2.00pm and 3.30pm, booking recommended, private tours also available).

The Scrumpy House restaurant is located within the grounds of Westons Cider Mill in Much Marcle. With rustic charm ambience and traditional country menus, we offer a warm welcome to customers old and new. We can cater for large group bookings or perhaps a personalised small gathering with friends and family. Special dietary requirements are catered for. To reserve a table or make an enquiry please call 01531 660626

Our Orchard Tearoom is open throughout the summer months serving a selection of homemade cakes, freshly baked pastries and jacket potatoes.

Tour packages are available please visit our website for more details.

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A Day Out at Westons Cider Mill

By: Author Laura

Posted on Published: 26th September 2017  - Last updated: 1st November 2020

Categories UK , Food & Drink , Travel

Westons is a household name in the UK and I don’t know anyone who isn’t a fan of Henry Weston’s cider. But did you know you can go on a tour at the Westons Cider Mill? The Westons Cider tour makes for a great day out in Herefordshire and is perfect for cider lovers.

Keep on reading for more on what you’ll get to see!

I was invited to Westons Cider Mill in Herefordshire to spend the day with Wyld Wood Organic Cider and celebrate Organic September. I’m a huge fan of cider and my uni friends had a soft spot for Westons (it’s 8% cider, what’s not to love?), so I was really excited to see how the stuff is actually made!

Westons is the head of many different Cider brands but we were there to find out more about Wyld Wood Organic Cider, which is (unsurprisingly), made from organic apples.

What does organic mean?

If I asked you to tell me what “organic” means or why it’s better for your body, I’m sure most of you reply with “it just… is?”. Now I’ll confess that I’m a food documentary addict so whilst the ins and outs of what “organic” really means is fascinating to me, you guys might not feel quite the same. Here are a couple of mind-boggling facts that you surprise you:

• Almost 2/3 of all antibiotics used in the EU are used on FARM ANIMALS (yep, farm animals and not humans), and these are passed down to us through the food chain
• If organic farming was common practice in the UK, we could offset at least 23% of agriculture’s current greenhouse emissions. Yes, eating organic food can help save our planet too!

I’ll throw in another fun fact for you: the “E” in “E numbers” actually stands for “Europe” as it’s a code for substances allowed in the European Union. Bet no one told you that when you voted for Brexit! Now we’ll have to call them “B numbers or something…

After this introduction to organic produce and Wyld Wood Cider , it was time for lunch (i.e. MORE CIDER but also food). The lunch spread prepared for us was absolutely amazing and it was like we were on a bloggers’ summer picnic with Westons. There was plenty of Cider to go around and I liked that it wasn’t fizzy or bubbly as many other Cider’s are. It’s a really refreshing summer drink, perfect for washing down a big meal.

Westons Cider Tour

When we had filled our bellies (mine a little toooo much – I had to undo the top button of my skirt!), it was time for the Westons cider tour! You really don’t know what it takes to handle a large scale business operation for a major brand until you go right to the source and see the process at every step of the way.

I feel really privileged to have been able to see how Westons make their various different ciders from picking the apples from the orchard to the long fermentation process in barrels that are 20 feet tall!

Here on the right we have the original stone mill used to make apple pulp. Westons Cider actually has a long and very interesting history dating back to the 19th century and it has remained a family business since then!

There are lots of old structures and even the original Henry Westons house on site for you to see. Would you believe they still have the original barrels used for fermentation? That means they’re centuries old!

They can also hold a whopping 5,500 gallons of liquid, and there are lots and lots of these – one can only imagine how much cider they must produce annually!

Westons Apple Orchard Tour

After a tour of the production process, the original Henry Weston’s great-grandson (also named Henry Weston!) arrived on a tractor to give us a tour of the apple orchards. Although incredibly bumpy, the tractor ride gave us a whistle-stop tour of the area and we got to see some sweeping views of the great British countryside.

At this point I thought I’d mention I am actually allergic to apples. Only raw ones mind, so apple crumble is still on the cards. Touching apples is ok but ingesting them raw is a big nono, though, we were told that cider apples taste disgusting anyway! Even worse than baking apples supposedly…

So you can appreciate just HOW big Westons orchards are (and there are several), take a look at this breathtaking picture. Their mill really is in the heart of the country side and some of the apples are even grown by locals! The orchards stretch on for miles and miles with rows and rows of juicy red apples lined along them.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering how they actually pick the apples. In my mind I had this romantic image of farmers picking them carefully one by one, but obviously that’s completely impractical. Today they use this large tree shaking machine to get all the apples onto the ground before a sweeping machine (much like road cleaners) come along and gather up all the fallen apples.

So that’s where our tour ended and it was time to catch our trains back to London! It’s always interesting to see exactly where your favourite brands come from and how their produce is made so I’d highly recommend taking a tour of Westons Cider Mill if you’re ever out in Herefordshire!

It’s important to be more educated about our food and what goes into it and I’d urge everyone to take a closer look at what exactly “organic” means and how you can make sure that you’re buying sustainable and ethically sourced produce from your supermarket. Check out the Soil Association’s website for more info on how you can help make a difference.

Find out more about Wyld Wood Cider on their IG page here and H Westons Cider Mill tours on their website here .

Many thanks to Wyld Wood Organic Cider for inviting me to Westons Cider Mill for the day! 

Editor of What’s Hot?

Saturday 30th of September 2017

Sounds like a fun visit, I do like the fruity ciders!

I love cider! I would have loved this tour!

Helen Costello

Friday 29th of September 2017

OH I love a tour around food or drink premises. Those apples look so inviting - very interesting to discover that raw they would be horrid. You did make me smile about changing E numbers to B numbers!

What a fab day out that must have been! I love cider so seeing how it’s made is really interesting. I was with you on the idea of the farmers picking the apples one by one ha!

It's amazing to see how cider is made, isn't it! I really enjoyed my trip to Westons.

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Blossom Walk: Westons Cider Circular

Enjoy the local countryside around  Westons Cider Mill with a walk through the orchards. Apple and pear trees are an integral part of the local landscape and Westons has been making cider and perry in Much Marcle since 1880. Follow your walk with a tour of the mill (booking necessary) or lunch and a pint of finest cider at The Scrumpy House restaurant.

You'll see many traditional orchards along this trail, which burst with blossom in the spring. They are typically made up of larger, older trees and they have bigger gaps in between them, often rich with grassland and wild flowers. Some orchard trees, particularly perry pears, can live to a great age and provide a welcome habitat for many species. There are also many ancient oaks and willows on the walk, beloved of the resident bat, fungi and invertebrate population. 

The team at Westons has planted wildflowers around the field margins which put on a gorgeous show of colour in the spring and autumn. These field margins provide a home for the pollinators needed to pollinate the fruit trees to help the cider apples to grow and eventually become refreshing cider. On a warm day, you will see butterflies and bumblebees feeding and foraging on the blossoms. You’ll also hear grasshoppers and crickets chirping in the long grasses. The margins also provide homes for small mammals and are a favoured hunting ground for owls and other predators.

Route Guide

From the entrance to Westons head uphill on the road for approximately 200m to a waymark post on your right. Walk up the steps and follow the path, keeping the metal fence on your right. Go through the metal gate and into the orchard. It is a great place for wildlife with old perry pear and apple trees. Walk across the orchard, bearing slightly right. Look out for an old willow pollard. This is an important veteran tree providing a home for a variety of species. Proceed to a metal gate into another orchard. Note the wildflower field margins we’ve added to support wildlife.

Turn right , keeping the hedge on your right. Look out for the veteran oak tree in the hedgerow. Walk past the rear of the Westons Cider Mill site and bear left, reaching a gate on your right. Cross the field to a pedestrian gate into a road (Watery Lane). Turn left and then right into another orchard, signposted on your right. Walk straight ahead through a couple of traditional orchards, separated by a stile, before crossing a further stile into a younger, ‘bush orchard’. Walk straight ahead through the gaps in the trees to the opposite side. At the far end of the orchard cross a stile and bridge into a field. Bear diagonally left and head for the far left of the field. Pass through a wide gateway and continue with the hedge on your right. The path crosses a stile and continues with the hedge on your left. Continue for approximately 50m looking out carefully for a bridge and stile through the hedge on your left. Cross this, and walk along the side of the field with the hedge on your left.

Continue straight ahead down a dark tunnel of trees. The woodland to your right is an older orchard showing you what can happen if the trees are left to go wild. When you emerge there is a house on your right and a tree plantation on your left. Walk straight up the track for 500m. At the end of the track turn right onto the road. Shortcut walkers can re-join here. After approx 200m, the road sweeps round to the right, but take the left hand turn and follow this lane for a further 300m.

At the waymark post on your right go through the gate, walk along the right hand side of the orchard and follow the fence as it turns steeply uphill for a short distance to a stile on your right. Walk up the left hand of the meadow. This is a species rich grassland that is great for insects and other wildlife. Towards the top look back for beautiful views of the Malvern Hills and towards Ledbury.

At the top of the field cross over the stile and pass across a narrow bird cover crop and over the fence into a field. Turn diagonally left, heading towards the left of a green metal farm building. As you approach the far side of the field, look for a wooden stile in the hedge to your left. Turn right up the lane for 200m before taking a track on your left immediately before the white building & house. Continue on this track for 200m. Pass to the left of the imposing metal gates of Little Puckmore and into a field. Walk round the field keeping the hedge on your left.

On reaching the top corner of the field, look out for a stile in the hedge on your left. Walk ahead with the hedge on your right (and some more great views of the Malvern Hills) for about 100m. Look for a stile on your right and cross onto a track next to a contemporary built house. Walk down the track for a short way to reach a waymark post on the left. Take the path downhill, passing close to a group of oak trees in the middle of the field. When you reach the road, walk downhill for 400m back to Westons Cider Mill and the start point. Time for some well deserved refreshments!

Westons Cider Mill

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Westons Cider Mill - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Westons Cider Tour

We were lucky enough to be invited to a tourism day at Westons Cider, in Much Marcle, to see what they had to offer in the way of days out for our guests.

The drive from the Priory took around half an hour and there was ample free parking available when we arrived. The entrance is very picturesque with a flagstone path meandering its way through the visitors site including The Scrumpy House Restaurant, gift shop, Tea rooms and more.

We sampled some of the delights of the tea rooms before being met by our passionate and very knowledgeable guide, Jenny, who educated us throughout the one hour Westons Cider Tour. Before our visit, we were advised that some of the tour is partially outdoors, and that there are numerous steps, so to ensure we were wearing appropriate clothing and footwear.

The Westons business is still managed by the Weston family and they clearly maintain traditional values and cider making practises but have integrated modern technology to allow production to be upscaled to meet demand.

It was fascinating to see the vast array of traditional oak barrels, used during the maturation of the ciders, and a heady aroma filled the large buildings within which they are housed.

The tour takes you from the point where the apples arrive on site all the way through their journey to bottled cider ready to go to supermarkets and beyond. The hour concludes itself in the shop where there are ample tasters of some of the many varieties of ciders on offer.

Westons would make a great day out for groups and individuals alike but, although they say they cater for children, it would greatly depend on their age. Westons is a working farm and the tour is very factual, which is precisely the reason you would visit, but not tailored to younger visitors. A visit would be a pleasure at any time of the year but particular points of interest are Spring for the cider blossom in the orchards and autumn for the fruits coming in (roughly from 2nd week in September to 1st week in December)

What their website says:

Discover the craft of cider-making from blossom to bottle. We’ll show you everything -with an expert guide leading the way. See where we harvest, weigh and wash apples. Venture into the heart of the mill where we press, ferment and mature before blending and packing. See all we do, why and how – and hear a little bit of home-spun history, too.

THE CIDER MILL TOUR RUNS:

Every Day:  11.00am,   12.30pm, 2.00pm & 3.30pm

TOUR PRICES:

Adults:  £10.00  / Children : £4.00  / Family:  £25.00

For a family booking discount, bespoke tour packages, including evening and groups please email [email protected] or call  01531 660 108 .

https://www.westons-cider.co.uk/

There is also the option to enhance the basic tour with cream tea, Ploughman’s lunch, breakfast, etc.

We were treated to a Ploughman’s lunch at the end of our tour and the standard was excellent. Definitely recommend adding this to your day!

Posted by Nadia on 21st March 2019

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Guided Tour of the Cider Mill followed by tasting of our ciders with a 2-course meal. (Lunchtime only)

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