Ledbury

Ledbury lies between the Cotswolds and the Welsh Marches. Driving from London, take M4 west and leave at junction 15 near Swindon. Follow A419 / A417 towards Cirencester and Gloucester. Before Gloucester exit A417 onto M5 North (towards Birmingham) and continue as below.

From north or south, leave M5 at junction 8 onto M50. Exit M50 at junction 2 and follow A417 to Ledbury.

Hourly trains run from Birmingham New Street, taking 70 min via Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Worcester, Malvern Link, Great Malvern and Colwall, and continuing from Ledbury to Hereford.

From London, an occasional direct train from Paddington stops at Ledbury on its way to Hereford. But it's often more convenient to take the frequent fast trains from London Euston to Birmingham New Street and change for the Hereford train.

🌍 Ledbury station is north side of town. The ticket office is only staffed for the morning rush, otherwise use the machines. No toilets.

• 🌍 Ledbury Market House, 3 High St, HR8 1DS. Built in 1617. 

• 🌍 Eastnor Castle, Eastnor, HR8 1RL, ☏ +44 1531 633160, fax: +44 1531 631776. Summer only, dates vary. A fairy tale Georgian castle built between 1810 and 1824 from designs by Sir Robert Smirke.It sits within a 5,000-acre estate and is the family home for the Hervey-Bathursts who are the direct descendents of Earl Somers, the original owner. The castle sits in estate grounds of around 5000 acres and there are numerous walks as well as a deer park and an off-road driving circuit. 
• 🌍 Ledbury Heritage Centre, in the Old Grammar School on Church Lane. Easter to end of October: Th F 10:30AM-2:30PM, Sa Su 10:30AM-4:30PM. A museum about the history of the town’s buildings. Free. (updated Mar 2024)
• 🌍 St John the Baptist's Church, Upper Rd, Eastnor, HR8 1RA, ☏ +44 1531 631531. It was built in 1852 to a design by the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. 
• 🌍 Hellens Manor, Much Marcle HR8 2LY, ☏ +44 1531 660504. House May-Oct: W Su 11AM-5PM. One of England's oldest dwellings, as Harold Godwinson owned it before he became king. Most of it is Tudor, Jacobean and Georgian. See the house by guided tour then stroll the gardens. Adult £10, child free. (updated Apr 2021)
• 🌍 Butcher Row Museum. Apr-Oct: Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. It displays many items of local interest including reproduction helmets and breastplates that would have been worn in the Battle of Ledbury in 1645. There is a small collection of musical instruments ranging from a ‘hurdy-gurdy’ to a Tibetan pipe fashioned from a thigh bone. (updated Mar 2024)

• The Big Chill festival takes place in the grounds of Eastnor Castle in August.

• 🌍 Electromagnetic Field (EMF Camp): July – August 2022, Eastnor Castle Deer Park. Family-friendly summer camp for technology enthusiasts, including seminars, workshops, and a variety of activities for all ages in technology related fields. (date needs updating)

• 🌍 The Butchers Arms, Woolhope, ☏ +44 1432 860281. Th noon-3PM, 6-8:30PM; F Sa noon-8:30PM; Su noon-3:30PM. A Michelin star restaurant. (updated Mar 2024)

• 🌍 Westons Cider Mill, at Much Marcle. Founded in 1880, Westons is the county’s oldest commercial cider maker, with a Visitor Centre which conducts tours of the cider mills. 

• 🌍 Talbot Hotel, 14 New St, HR8 2DX, ☏ +44 1531 632963. 
• 🌍 The Feathers, 25 High Street, Ledbury HR8 1DS, ☏ +44 1531 635266. Wonderful Tudor timbered building - mind your head. Great comfort, style and cuisine. B&B double £100. (updated Aug 2020)
• 🌍 Eastnor Castle. Can be hired and there are luxury bedrooms and high quality cooking but this can only be done on a party basis and it is not a hotel. There is also a campsite for both tents and touring caravans at the castle. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 Up Sticks Glamping, Bray's Farm, Birts Street, Birtsmorton WR13 6AP, ☏ +44 1907 317717. Glamping in three large safari tents on the edge of the Malvern Hills. Double tent £200. (updated May 2022)

As of May 2022, Ledbury and its approach roads have 4G from all UK carriers. 5G has not reached this area.

• 🌍 Malvern
• 🌍 Upton-upon-Severn
• 🌍 Ross-on-Wye
• 🌍 Hereford