Dilwyn

Dilwyn is a small village on the Black and White Village Trail, sitting in a broad valley roughly six miles from Leominster and eleven miles from Hereford. The Stretford Brook runs through the valley to the south, while the rivers Arrow and Lugg lie to the north, and the surrounding parish stretches across some 6,400 acres of farmland, orchards and hopyards typical of this corner of the county.

The village itself is a designated conservation area, built around a scatter of timber-framed, black-and-white houses that give the trail its name. At its centre stands the grade I listed church of St Mary, parts of which date to the 12th century, including a Norman south arcade and a chancel with an unusual example of ballflower stone decoration. The wider civil parish takes in a string of small hamlets, among them Sollers Dilwyn, Little Dilwyn, The Haven and Bidney, reflecting a settlement pattern that has changed little for centuries.

Top things to do near Dilwyn

Dilwyn is a quiet base for exploring the Black and White Village Trail and the rolling orchard country of north-west Herefordshire.

• The Black and White Village Trail — a signposted 40-mile circular route from Leominster through Herefordshire's best-known timber-framed villages, including Pembridge, Eardisland and Weobley.
• Weobley — a few miles south, with a Norman motte and bailey castle site, the tall-spired church of St Peter and St Paul, and a village trail past centuries-old timber buildings.
• Pembridge — often called the jewel of the trail, with its 16th-century open-sided Market Hall and the rare timber-built detached belfry at St Mary's Church.
• Dunkertons Cider Mill — a working organic cider and perry maker near Pembridge, using traditional Herefordshire apple and pear varieties.
• Leominster — the nearest town, with a priory church, independent shops and a regular market, plus rail links onward.

Getting to Dilwyn

Dilwyn lies just off the A4112, around six miles south-west of Leominster, which sits on the A49 and has a mainline railway station with services on the Welsh Marches Line. From Leominster, minor roads lead west across the valley to Dilwyn and on towards Pembridge and Weobley. Hereford, with its own station and the A465 and A438, is around eleven miles to the south-east. There is no rail station in the village itself, so a car is the most practical way to reach and explore the area.

Best time to visit Dilwyn

Late spring is a highlight, when the county's orchards around Dilwyn come into blossom. Summer offers the longest days for walking and cycling the Black and White Village Trail, while autumn brings the cider and perry harvest and turning colours across the hopyards and orchards. Winter is quieter, with the village and its old church at their most atmospheric on crisp, still days.

Where to stay near Dilwyn

Dilwyn itself has no hotels, but Leominster and Hereford both offer a range of accommodation within easy reach, from town-centre inns to countryside guesthouses. Self-catering cottages and farm stays are common throughout this part of Herefordshire, often in or near the black-and-white villages along the trail.

Food and drink near Dilwyn

The village's own pub, the Crown Inn, is a 17th-century coaching inn turned community-owned pub, serving a changing seasonal menu of home-cooked English and Italian dishes. Beyond the village, Pembridge's New Inn and Dunkertons Cider Mill are within easy reach, and Leominster offers a wider choice of cafes, pubs and restaurants.