Places of interest, grouped by town, village or locality, that could be included on a day’s bike ride from Malvern, but some more so than others (depending on fitness, electric assistance etc.). The info and web links below should give you some idea of what might be worth a visit. Ordnance Survey grid references are given in italics for some and we try to highlight refreshment possibilities that are most of interest to the hungry/thirsty cyclist.
Also See
Note: Forest of Dean, Newent, May Hill, Symonds Yat are on South and East page; Tenbury Wells, Black and White Village Trail on North and East page.
Acton Beauchamp
St Giles Church has part of 8th/9th century preaching cross re-used as tower doorway lintel (pic) – apparently pretty unique in Herefordshire. Some more pics on Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust website.
Bishops Frome SO663485
The Hop Pocket Tea rooms and more, open March to December (limited hours Jan/Feb?). Also garden supplies and Greenstage Gallery.
Abbotts Living Wood SO672480 Runs courses in green woodwork, pole-lathe turning and chair making. Also publishes books on the subject.
Majors Arms pub (technically Halmonds Frome) near the bottom of the climb up Fromes Hill from Bishops Frome direction. Real ale and stunning views, may have food, but likely to be closed weekday lunchtimes. 01531 640261.
There are two pubs in the centre of Bishops Frome, the Chase Inn overlooking the green (phone 01885 490561, Facebook page) and the Green Dragon just round the corner. Both provide food but may not be open weekday lunchtimes.
Bosbury and Coddington
Bosbury Church has a detached tower which, as with some others in border country e.g. Garway, “appears to have been built as a refuge during Welsh incursions” (from church website). The Bell pub is opposite (info on village website).
Coddington Church has some pleasant views to the west (if the hedges aren’t too high). Off the beaten track and a good place for a break when out cycling.
Bringsty
Bringsty Common is to the east of Bromyard.
The Live and Let Live is the pub in the middle of Bringsty Common (SO700548). Food and local real ales, phone 01886 821462. It is possible to get there (on foot or cycle) from the minor road running from Linley Green to Sapey Bridge (via SO697541), but requires some off-road navigation.
The Garden at The Bannut has knot and heather gardens. May be closed – check Facebook page.
Brockhampton Estate (National Trust, SO682546, right) includes Lower Brockhampton House, a 14th century moated manor house (pic is of gatehouse). There’s 1700 acres of parkland and traditionally farmed land. Has tea room by car park – to get to it you may need to pay for entry.
Brockhampton SO594322
Not the Brockhampton mentioned under Bringsty!
Brockhampton Church (All Saints), built 1902 but looks much older, is in the Arts and Crafts style (architect William Lethaby) with many interesting features. Worth a detour. Our picture of tapestries. Church website has history, photos and more.
Nearby, there’s a good viewpoint over the River Wye at the top of Capler Hill – a rather wonderful ‘Artmarker’ bench has been installed there.
Bromyard SO653548
A town big enough to have a variety of pubs and tea rooms. Has community website.
Teddy bear museum and collectors shop. Also original Thunderbird and Stingray puppets, and a dalek. At east end of Broad St (12 The Square), phone 01885 488329.
Rowden Mill station SO628565 (right): in private hands, has a small collection of carriages and a loco. There is also Bromyard & Linton Light Railway to the east of the town.
Bromyard & District Local History Society. Has a research room open to the public, in Sherford St. Also produces various publications.
The Saxon church at Edvin Loach (SO663584), 4 miles north of Bromyard, is worth a short detour. (English Heritage).
Tourist Information Centre in Cruxwell Street, phone 01432 260280.
Colwall
Just over the Hills and next train stop from Great Malvern (and down the road from West Malvern). See Eat and Drink page for refreshment stops.
Picton Garden/Old Court Nurseries is the home of Michaelmas Daisies (Asters) National Collection, and is also the birthplace of modern Asters.
See Caves Folly Nurseries for organically grown and peat free plants.
Dymock
Known for the Dymock Poets. The display in the church is very informative and is worth setting aside some time to take in. Updated 2008 with some great additional material (right: small extract from previous version). There are walks based around the Poets – ask at local Tourist Info Centres. The University of Gloucestershire’s Gloucestershire Poets, Writers and Artists Collection archive includes the Dymock Poets. Ledbury’s Poetry Festival will often feature material. Also see Friends of the Dymock Poets. The John Masefield cycle trail has an option to take in Dymock, which we would recommend.
Dymock village website (not working at Dec. 2020) did have some history and copies of Poets walks. The village pub, The Beauchamp Arms, was saved by the parish council purchasing it. Dymock is also part of ‘daffodil country’ (see Kempley).
The Moment Centenary Project “aims to record, in the context of 100 years ago (First World War), what happened in the working landscape of the ‘Golden Triangle’ villages centred around Dymock”. Worth a browse at least.
Book: The Dymock Poets by Sean Street, Seren Books, ISBN 1854111213. Buy from Amazon.co.uk.
Eastnor
Eastnor Castle – a Victorian construction. Estate has an arboretum with cedars and redwoods, 22 acre lake, woodland walks and hosts various events. Check on website for grounds/castle opening hours (generally not autumn/winter). Also camping/caravan site, but own toilet required. Tea room – only available when castle/grounds open?
The Woodshed refreshment kiosk (new 2021) at Eastnor Deer Park is just off the A438, opposite the castle main gates. Take-away hot and cold drinks, ice creams, locally-made cakes and light snacks. Plenty of outdoor tables. Card payment only.
Eastnor Pottery Workshops for adults and children as well as ceramics to view and buy.
Roger Oates Design Studio shop for ‘soft modern’ living.
Fownhope SO580345
Parish council website has a page of local walks. Fownhope has a quite good village shop, too, if you need supplies.
The Greenman pub has gone upmarket, food-wise. (A bit further north The Moon at Mordiford is not cheap either.) The New Inn‘s menu is more down to earth and enjoyed on our last visit.
Gorsley
Don’t get lost in the infamous ‘Gorsley triangle’ of roads!
Orchard Coffee House great refreshment stop created by Gorsley Baptist Church, open Tues-Fri to 10am to 4.30pm, Sat to 4pm (lunch 12-2). Community Shop and Post Office is next door. HR9 7SE.
Hoarwithy
While not much further west than Fownhope, this is a little far for a leisure cycle from Malvern. Italianate church is worth a visit (see parish church website), and the roads near the river are attractive.
The New Harp Inn is now a bit of a gastro-pub but there are cheaper bar snacks available and good choice of beers and cider. A little way north, at Carey, is the Cottage of Content pub with good food (SO564310). Phone 01432 840242. Trivia note: this pub, originally built in 1485, ‘inspired’ the miniature Lilliput Lane model The Tap House. Just south of Hoarwithy is Sellack and the Loughpool Inn near the Picts Cross crossroads – providing bar snacks and (not cheap) restaurant – plenty of reviews on TripAdvisor.
Kempley
St Mary’s (Kempley Old Church) SO670312. English Heritage – open 1st March to 31st October, 10am to 6pm. The ‘oldest timber roof in Britain’ according to info in the church (from Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory report). Plus ‘superb wall paintings from the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries’ – see left, and another pic. See Flickr for other people’s photos. The ‘new’ church (St Edwards) is also an interesting building.
The Kempley area (along with Dymock) is also known for the drifts of wild daffodils. Walks (and maybe cycle rides) are organised at the appropriate time – check our Events page for info.
Ledbury
When human touch (as monkish books attest) Nor was applied nor could be, Ledbury bells Broke forth in concert flung adown the dells, And upward, high as Malvern’s cloudy crest; From St Catherine of Ledbury (sonnet), W. Wordsworth.
Historic features in Ledbury include the Market House in the centre of town, which is next to the cobbled Church Lane (right) leading to the pleasant church. Market House is also the meeting point for many local cycle rides. The Cider Trail starts nearby, and takes advantage of the Town Trail.
There are various tea rooms, coffee shops, etc.
Also a bike shop: Cycles Clements, Bank House, 6 Bank Crescent, HR8 1AA. Phone 01531 632213.
John Masefield, who became poet laureate, was born in Ledbury in 1878. The town celebrates its strong links through an annual, quite large, Poetry Festival (see Events). The High School is also named after him.
MalvernTrail includes selected events, such as the well-regarded Poetry festival, in its listings. Also see Creative Malvern page for arty things.
Ledbury Portal encourages citizen journalism and keeps tabs on local developments and events.
My Ledbury A personal site going since 1996 with pics of the town and local events.
Victoria County History Herefordshire section has produced two books on Ledbury: Ledbury: A Market Town and its Tudor Heritage and Ledbury: People and Parish before the Reformation.
A new building created by and for the Tinsmiths design business, tucked away behind Ledbury’s main shopping street, has won some praise – see The Guardian’s Miracle of Ledbury article. The architect Alex Clive has a little info and some photos.
A couple of miles west of Ledbury, The Nest at Little Verzons, (HR8 2PZ, on A438) has a good cafe, and sells local produce. Phone 01531 670816.
Much Marcle
The Bounds in Much Marcle has been the home of Westons Cider for over 120 years. They offer daily Cider Mill tours – see website for details or phone 01531 660233 for group bookings. Their Scrumpy House Restaurant is in an old hay barn – lunches but also coffee, cake etc (separate tea room has closed).
Hellens A mansion dating from 1292, this is one of the oldest English homes, and has associations with Mary Tudor, Ann Boleyn, the Earl of Essex, the Black Prince and the Civil War. For part of the Second World War, pictures from the Tate Gallery were evacuated here. 15 acres of grounds, plus tapestries, armour, carriages. The restored Great Barn hosts various events. Open Easter-October, Wednesdays, Sundays, bank holidays 10.30 to 5pm, phone 01531 660504 – tea room open same times.
The Walwyn Arms pub is at the cross-roads. Slip Tavern is up the hill a bit (in Watery Lane), phone 01531 660246.
There is an interesting ancient yew tree at St Bartholomew’s church, which also has other points of note – see the National Churches Trust website.
See the Cider page for more on this area’s best known activity.
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye website is rather dated and is more useful for history stuff. The town has a variety of cafes, tea rooms, etc.. Quite a few interesting/historic buildings in the centre of town (but does have some boring approach roads!).
Moody Cow pub and restaurant at Crow Hill (Upton Bishop), north east of Ross. Appeared in The Guardian’s ’50 best Sunday lunches’ Sep. 2017. Phone 01989 780470.
Wobage Makers Gallery, Upton Bishop, phone 01989 780495. Workshops of a number of potters, woodworkers and a jeweller. Also run pottery workshops.
Tourist Information Centre at Edde Cross Street, phone 01989 562768.
For cycle stuff, Revolutions – see Bike Shops.
Woolhope Dome
A beautiful if rather hilly area west of Ledbury. Earth Heritage Trust has published a geology/landscape Trail Guide – ten miles so possible to cycle (there’s also some info in their Frome Valley discovery guide).
Good views from the picnic spot half way or so up the hill from Cockshoot to Checkley (SO577385). Canwood Gallery (limited refreshments) is on the road from Checkley to Woolhope village – check website for when exhibitions are on.
The Crown at Woolhope village has good beer and food, and is likely to be packed on a Sunday. The nearby Butchers Arms has re-opened and is worth checking out, phone 01432 860281.
Separate entry for Fownhope, above.
Further Afield
Towards Wales
Kilpeck Church (SO444305), left. Well worth a detour for the carvings (not just around the door!). There are quite a few web sites with info. Also check out Kilpeck Inn, which wants to be the greenest pub around.
Visit Herefordshire Churches web site has basic information on many of the most interesting churches in the county.
Garway Church and Dovecote are worth visiting (close to the Welsh border) – note that dovecote is on private land. Garway Moon pub is open from 11am at weekends – coffee stop or lunch?
Hereford Cathedral The famous Mappa Mundi, Chained Library, “wonderful carvings in stone and wood, fine tapestries, and beautiful stained glass” all worth a visit. And outside there’s also the sculpture of Elgar leaning on his bicycle – there’s a video 360 degree view on YouTube (better with the sound off).
Waterworks Museum, on the outskirts of Hereford.
The village of Dorstone in Golden Valley has the Pandy Inn and almost opposite. Sadly community enterprise Dorstone’s Front Room (shop and small cafe) has closed, Nov. 2022.
Hay-on-Wye Secondhand bookshops, mountain biking etc. on the Welsh border.
Kington keeps on cropping up in our web searches! Hergest Croft Gardens and estate famous for trees, azaleas and rhododendrons – tea room. Small Breeds Farm Park and Owl Centre; Kington Museum. Tourist Info Centre website has a page on cycling (under Activities). Also see Kington Walks website.
Presteigne and Norton. Just over the Welsh border. Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts.
Dore Abbey (SO386304) The massive barn-like interior of the Abbey is sometimes used for theatrical productions. As well as carved screens etc there are interesting items of masonry, as right.
Welsh Borders/The Marches and beyond
Part-Y-Seal is a large house with tea rooms (morning coffee, lunches and afternoon teas), b&b, extensive gardens, oriental items including furniture for sale, near Grosmont on the Welsh border. Website is graphics heavy (at 2017) and may not load in some web browsers. Phone 01981 240814.
The History of Ewyas Lacy Website studying south west Herefordshire nestling up against the border, full of great history, geology, nature.
Offa’s Dyke Association Independent info for walkers.
Walking holidays with Celtic Trails includes various Welsh walks including Offas Dyke and Wye Valley Walk .
Marches Walks do holidays from their base near Hay-on-Wye. Wye Valley, Black and White Trail are mentioned.
National Cycle Museum, Llandrindod Wells.
Brecon Beacons National Park – where to stay, what to do.
Monnmouthshire tourist site.
Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Wye Valley Walk official site.
Kite Country mid Wales – see Gigrin Farm and the Red Kite feeding centre.
Clwyd-Powys Archaeology Some great pages on Offa’s Dyke.