Smallholding
Herefordshire
We are most fortunate to live on and run an 8-acre smallholding. Some years ago we enthusiastically planted trees over most of it: on 4 acres we created a native woodland which is now well grown and providing firewood to heat our home as well as a valuable wildlife habitat; and on 3 acres we planted orchards of standard fruit trees of old and local varieties. We have a half acre wildflower meadow and half an acre of out-of-control garden. Almost everything we do is for the benefit of nature: bird life is abundant and we have hedgehogs, hares, great crested newts and dormice as well as a muntjac deer - all this has been created over the past 30 years out of arable farmland. We also have a handful of chickens which roam the woodland. We are members of the Wildlife Trust and of local Meadows Groups and have a particular interest in the re-establishment of wildflower meadows.
We do try to live as ecologically as we can. Our home is a small barn converted by us in the early 1990s using as much local and reclaimed material as possible. It is heated by burning wood from our woodland and a thermal panel heats our water for much of the year. Solar PVs contribute to our electricity needs, and we also have a built in compost toilet which reduces our water consumption. There’s Wi-Fi in the house.
We run probably Herefordshire’s smallest award-winning commercial cidery! We use the fruit from the orchards to make juice, cider and perry. We are not registered organic but our trees are unsprayed and our ciders and perries are 100% juice and bottle conditioned using wild ferment. We also pick other people’s orchards where the fruit would otherwise go to waste. It is especially during the busy harvest months of September to November that we need help. Although the work can at times be repetitive and cold, you would learn the process and gain experience of picking, pressing, pasteurising and bottling. We welcome offers of help at other times of the year with orchard pruning, woodland coppicing and gardening.
Your accommodation would be in one of two shepherd huts which are used for holiday lets so you would have some independence. Your hut is situated in the orchard and the other one is in the woodland. You would share a shower and compost toilet with at most two others, and if you came in November you would have exclusive use as the holiday season finishes at the end of October.
We are very flexible when it comes to meals - you can join us for simple and wholesome food or you can enjoy cooking outdoors at your shepherd’s hut! We can cater for all tastes and if you are vegan we are happy to learn new ways of cooking from you! We are both retired from working in education, and whilst we work hard on our smallholding we do enjoy plenty of tea breaks and enjoy talking with our guests.
Our smallholding is situated on the edge of a peaceful village with fantastic views of the Black Mountains over the border in Wales. The village has a petrol station with a small shop and there is a pub in the neighbouring village two miles away.
Organic methods: No chemicals are used in the orchards or garden. Everything is done with wildlife in mind.
Certifications: We are not large enough to warrant certification.
Current projects: Apple harvest and juicing (September - November).
Garden maintenance
Firewood processing (January-February)
Orchard pruning (March)
Internet access available: Yes
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Learning opportunities
Fruit or nut farming
Forestry
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Host type
Production farm
3.2
Hectares
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8
Acres
Jeremy
Member since 2022
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Herefordshire
Trains to Hereford and Abergavenny. Bus to Ross-On-Wye or Hereford
Reviews
Annika
Germany
•
March 2026
I had a lovely stay with Jeremy and Clare. It was my first WWOOFing experience and I was a little nervous, but I felt right at home from the start. The shepherd’s hut was so cozy. I always ate with the hosts—Clare is an amazing cook! I always worked from 8 am until lunchtime. Jeremy and I did some woodwork, we built raised beds, and bottled perry. Working with Jeremy was a lot of fun. In the afternoons, the two of them took me along to their many leisure activities. We went to the local movie night, played table tennis, had a game night, and I especially enjoyed pickleball. Jeremy and Clare, thank you so much for this wonderful week!
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Heather
United Kingdom
•
December 2025
My stay at [Host] was absolutely lovely. I stayed for a week in November and the main wwoofing activities were preparing and pressing apples & pears, bottling the juice, and labelling bottles.
Jeremy and Clare were very kind and inclusive hosts who bought me along to many local events and involved me in their social lives; I felt very welcome at their place. I particularly enjoyed game nights, table tennis, and a visit to the cider museum in Hereford! The accommodation was lovely and we ate most of our meals together- all home cooked and delicious. This wwoof is brilliant for learning about the process of making cider (which I was very keen on), but also to be immersed in community and life in Herefordshire.
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Ian
United States
•
November 2025
I had a very nice stay with Jeremy and Clare. I stayed for a week and a half in November.
Living in one of their shepherds huts in and amongst the apple trees was such a novel and cozy experience.
We worked primarily on cider and juice production. Be it picking windfall apples, labeling bottles, milling and pressing, we did it all. I was grateful to have such an immersive introduction to the world of cider and perry.
Jeremy and Clare are very pleasant hosts who enjoy and honor a good coffee or tea break when necessary.
They brought me along to table tennis night, pickle ball, and out to a neighboring town to visit friends. I felt welcomed into the tight community of Broad Oak and surrounding areas.
There is plenty of work to do at the farm and when you’ve got some free time there are beautiful walks and hikes and bike rides in the area.
I am so glad for the chance to stay at Hollow Ash and look forward to the potential of a future visit.
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Phil
United Kingdom
•
October 2025
Jeremy and Clare provided a lovely location for my first WWOOFING experience. I was impressed with the house they built from an original barn. They have done this with sensitive consideration to the design and materials chosen, often from Reclamation sources. They have sought to be environmentally friendly and sustainable in their approach. There are many Solar Panels throughout the property, a special paper formed part of the insulation, and a wood fired Aga which is powered by their own trees. They use Compost toilets. Jeremy and Clare were friendly and kind. They invited me to a Village Fair where they sold home made Apple Juices and Ciders. I accompanied them to a local Film Night and Table Tennis group. Clare made many nice meals and was not thrown by my plant based lifestyle. I learned the different processes entailed in producing Apple Juice and Cider from Jeremy, who is a craftsman in his approach. The location is wonderful with many panoramic views, peace and quiet. I enjoyed seeing the Orchards and Woods they have grown. Many suggestions were made about places I could visit. This led to my visiting Hellens Manor Gardens and the 1500 years old Ancient Yew Tree in Much Marcle, and a trip to Monmouth. I felt immersed in nature and saw my nearest sighting of a Red Kite above the upper Orchard, as well as Buzzard`s and Woodpecker`s. Jeremy and Clare were happy to answer any questions I had. I would happily recommend [Host] to
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Grace
United States
•
October 2025
I had such a lovely time with Jeremy and Clare. I felt welcome as soon as I arrived and everything about the orchard was just so beautiful. The accommodation was so idyllic and the work was enjoyable and meals at the house were delicious and fun. I can’t recommend Hollow Ash enough and I’m so happy I got to spend a week there and experience Jeremy and Clare’s generosity and kindness. I hope to return one day!
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Nadine
Germany
•
September 2025
We had such a lovely time with Jeremy and Clare. It was our first Wwoofing experience and it couldn’t have been better! Our help felt really appreciated and we had a lot of fun to work almost independently after receiving some initial instructions. Jeremy and Clare are such kindhearted people. They played games with us and cooked us really delicious meals!! Thank you for everything and hopefully we will see us again :)
Best wishes Nadine & Pia
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