Beacon Hall
Sleeps 20-24
Herefordshire
Wild-swim the Wye
Enjoy the fine hill views with golf at The Herefordshire. Experience fine dining at The Causeway Bar & Restaurant. Pamper yourself at the Holmer Park Spa and Health Club. Conquer the local ‘easy peaks’. Wild-swim the Wye or just sip Wild Knapp gin at the distillery. Step into the 1870s at The Judge’s Lodging, meet miniature cuties at the Small Breeds Farm Park, or get fired up for Manic Ceramics.
Country kids
Kick off with some culture: see one of the world’s unique treasures, the Mappi Mundi, a medieval map of the world, at Hereford Cathedral. Keep it going at The Courtyard in Hereford, home to all things arty, including cinema, comedy, music, classes and workshops. Or find a flick at the Odeon in Hereford.
Younger kids will love the soft play at Play Planet in Hereford, while, at The Cider Museum, older ones can learn how apples were milled and pressed and the juice fermented to produce either fine or ‘farmhouse’ cider. Or climb without ropes at the Boulder Barn or take on over 200 climbing routes at Green Spider.
Step into the 1870s at The Judge’s Lodging, a fascinating small museum, and discover a most unusual household. Meet friendly owls, piglets, pygmy goats, sheep and miniature donkeys at the Small Breeds Farm Park and Owl Centre. Or get the gutter guards up and strike it lucky at MFA Bowl in Hereford.
Get fired up for an afternoon at Manic Ceramics and keep your painted creations. Ride the Broomy Hill Miniature Railway and visit the museum when you’re done. Roller-skate at The Core, not forgetting the laser tag games, archery club and futsal club. Or take a picnic and tackle (bits of) the 150-mile Herefordshire Trail.
For the grown ups
Enjoy the fine views of the Shropshire Hills, the Brecon Beacons and the Malverns with a round of golf at The Herefordshire. The Causeway restaurant, with its glorious terrace, is the perfect 19th hole. Or escape all stresses and strains with a pamper package at the Holmer Park Spa and Health Club.
Reach new heights at Boulder Barn Climbing, shoot paint or pigeons (clay), build rafts, scale the ropes and more at Oaker Wood Leisure, or rent bikes for the Forest of Dean or Black Mountain trails at Drover Cycles. Or conquer the local ‘easy peaks’ on two feet, such as Hergest Ridge, Symonds Yat and Garway Hill.
Hack over pretty farmland on horses and ponies from Noakes Farm Riding Centre. Take on the highest-rated kart track in the UK at Herefordshire Raceway. Fly-fish for trout at Kingfisher Lake. Paddle along the river at the foot of the Black Mountains with Wye Valley Canoes. Or wild-swim it with Angela Jones.
Reward your strenuous efforts with a trip to Hay Distillery for some Wild Knapp small-batch gin. Or head back into history at great border castles such as Eastnor, Hampton Court, Goodrich and Ludlow. See the Mappa Mundi at Hereford Cathedral. Or shop for knick-knacks in Hereford Ledbury, Hay-on-Wye (books) and Leominster (antiques).
