The Bull's Head, Hereford

...and now No. 33 in the Estrella Top 50 Gastropubs, 2025.

In the shadow of the Black Mountains, you gird your loins and penetrate deep into Herefordshire’s heart of darkness, in search of this un-signposted, exceptionally remote pub. With single-track, winding precipitous lanes, some overgrown, some hairpin, many strewn with slippery wet leaves in winter, with only a prayer that with hardly any passing places you won’t encounter an oncoming tractor; you’re never far from the fear of having to reverse back around blind corners. For miles. But on arrival, what a treat: a beautiful, whitewashed 18th century farmhouse conversion, one of the last unspoilt drovers’ inns in England, which until 1998 had been in the same family’s hands for 125 years, closed for six years prior to reopening in 2021. And also on CAMRA’s list of heritage pubs, where a few photos can be seen (and a couple from me), the pub garnering *. With traditional furniture, no electronics and just a few simple knickknacks, this is a small multi-roomed affair on a steep slope, which explains the interior’s sharp change in steps; a place for the wheelchair user this isn’t. With a flagstone floor, there’s much bare stone, an abundance of roughhewn exposed beams and simple hole-in-the-wall servery, behind which was a tap wall dispensing SIPA, Gasping Goose, Lager, Bull’s Head Table Beer (£3.00 a half and nice, served by a friendly barman); I failed to spot Butty Bach and another cask behind the bar on stillage. Customers were mixed, with almost all eating at the time of my 2.00pm Friday visit, probably explained by the fact this remote and impecunious location is a clear indication that this must obviously be on Estrella’s list of 50 BEST UK GASTROPUBS 2021 (a Michelin 2022 citation too, natch); I should have spotted something was afoot when I had to negotiate the Range Rovers and BMWs in the smart car park. Food aside, I thought this was a very charming pub, my brief visit made all the more rewarding for having braved the wing on a prayer white-knuckle drive to get here, though I had to be offered help from a lovely barmaid to reverse out of the car park.

Facebook page of The Bull's Head - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Bull's Head - www.wildbynaturellp.com

Official site of The Bull's Head - www.wildbynaturellp.com

Facebook page of The Bull's Head - www.facebook.com

The Bull's Head is an old drovers inn situated in the middle of nowhere down some rather narrow and potholed country lanes where horses appear more frequently than cars. We first tried visiting here about 15 years ago, and on what was a dark November night and relying only on hard copy maps, had failed to locate the pub. We later ascertained that it had been temporarily closed. So there may not have been a sign or anything that could have indicated that it was a pub. Our long-awaited return in 2023 was in all honesty a bit of a letdown. We found it open this time and whilst the interior is still very traditional, it is now much more of a haute cuisine restaurant-type place that serves a few beers than a public house. The small bar had plenty of young and enthusiastic bar staff. Butty Bach was the only cask ale. There were instead a few keg options served from a modern bar back. The rom itself was fairly untouched and looked quite splendid. But with all of the tables reserved and some kind of ambient background music playing, the atmosphere was destroyed. A dining area could be reached by some impossibly steep steps from the bar. But we didn't attempt to venture there, as you needed to have reserved weeks in advance to have secured a table in there and I suspect that any attempts to view the restaurant would have been regarded with contempt. We did however get a good view of the garden outside, which was most popular with drinkers. Toilets are also outside. Although, these could be the poshest outside toilets I've ever been in. Since the pictures and the last review from 2013, this pub has very much morphed into a new creature. I'm pleased to say that they don't appear to have tampered much with the building itself, but the atmosphere is very much that of a high-end restaurant than a traditional drovers inn.

Isolated as you like in the shadow of the Black Mountain. Seems to be being run as more of a retirement hobby restaurant than anything, open only at weekends. Reportedly snarky if you only want booze. Walked in the area on a Friday, so missed it.