LEOMINSTER was once surrounded by orchards, many of them cider apple orchards, walkers taking part in the Leominster Apple Week walk heard.

Pete Blench, from the Walkers Are Welcome Leominster initiative, talked about the town's fruity past and led a circular walk which included some recently planted fruit trees and complete orchards. The trail began at Leominster's thriving Millennium Orchard south of The Grange play area where any local resident is free to pick and use the fruit.

At the site of the long-vanished eastern half of the Priory Church – knocked down during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 – a fine but solitary eating apple tree grows close the site where the original High Altar would have stood. After the 16th century demolition the site was for many years a kind of quarry where townspeople helped themselves to stone, but maps from a later era show the site was an orchard right up to the east wall of the church. Long after the Priory was dissolved the largest of the monk's three fishponds survived on the site that is now Broad Street Car Park with orchards surrounding the pond.

At the Vicarage Street Community Garden tended by Echo group members with learning difficulties together with local residents young fruit trees were prospering with varieties including Bramley and eating apples Greensleeves, James Grieve and Cox – the latter trained as an espalier along the fence.

Just off Ginhall Lane Mr Michael Thomas was at home to welcome the walkers into his fascinating orchard of old and new trees, with recent plantings including apple, plum, cherry, damson and cob nuts. It is a highly productive small site where the bounty includes hen and duck eggs, vegetables, flowers and thickly berried holly which is taken for sale at the annual holly and mistletoe market at Tenbury Wells.

An abundance of wild fruits, including bullace, damson, sloe and crab apple were in evidence along the Ginhall Green Linear Park. Sturdy young fruit trees were thriving at the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Orchard 'an orchard planted for the community by the community' adjacent to the Buckfield neighbourhood. The 1825 Galliers Map of Leominster shows much of the former Buckfield Farm land between Barons Cross Road and Ginhall Lane covered in orchards.

Down at the nearby Leominster Allotments off Ginhall Lane plot holders Cathy Fewlass and Jane Lacy greeted the walkers for a tour where they enjoyed sampling delicious 'Red Falstaff' apples from Cathy and Jane's allotment.

Our last stop was a pause by the remains of a very orchard at Wegnalls Farm kind permission of farmer Mr Phil Powles. The Leominster Ordnance Survey Map of 1886 shows an orchard on the same site and there were other extensive orchards around the farm.

The group heard that virtually every Herefordshire farm once had at least one orchard as a cider 'allowance' was part of every agricultural labourers 'income' – four to six pints a day in winter and 12 pints a day during harvest time. The practice persisted into the early 20th century long after legislators sought to put a stop to it.