White Heron, a north Herefordshire estate known for its production of British Cassis, sparkling wine, and other crops, is set to offer e-bike tours and tastings from April.

Under the management of Jo Hilditch, a fourth-generation family owner, the estate has diversified its activities over the years.

In addition to growing blackcurrants for Ribena since the 1880s, the estate now cultivates apples for cider and juice, among other crops.

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Beyond the e-bike tours and tastings, the estate is also introducing three-day biking holidays.

These will be based at the farm and will include explorations of Hay-on-Wye, the Black and White Villages, and a night in the Golden Valley near Dorstone.

The farm offers seven holiday houses for potential guests.

The cycling holidays are set for June and September, presenting a new addition to the UK agritourism scene.

White Heron is not only an estate and business but also a community.

The farm, along with its surrounding hamlet of the Whittern and Next End Farm, operates on a model that promotes biodiversity and sustainability.

The estate’s varied crops include blackcurrants, cider apples, wheat, barley, oats, maize, and oilseed rape.

It also participates in a Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, a Wildlife Trust initiative, and a clean rivers project.

Other features of the estate include rented grassland for Herefordshire sheep, 100 acres of woodland under a Premium Woodland Grant Scheme, and chickens kept in environmentally enhanced sheds.

The estate supplies these chickens to a local large producer for supermarkets and beyond.

In addition to its agricultural activities, White Heron also celebrates renewable energy.

The estate has a 450KW solar panel array on its poultry sheds and three 700KW chicken manure-burning boilers to heat the chickens.

The estate also produces fruity liqueurs under the name White Heron Drinks.

Guests staying at the estate are encouraged to explore the property, which has footpaths, and engage in farm visits.





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