One of England's Great Cider Counties
Devon has been making cider for as long as anyone can remember, and considerably longer than most people realise. While Somerset and Herefordshire often get the lion's share of the attention, Devon's cider tradition is every bit as deep-rooted — and in many ways more interesting, because it has remained stubbornly local. The big industrial producers never quite swallowed Devon whole. Instead, the county held on to its small orchards, its farmhouse presses, and its habit of making cider the way it has always been made: slowly, with proper apples, and without too much fuss.
The mild, damp climate and the county's rich red soil produce the bittersweet and bittersharp apple varieties that give traditional West Country cider its character. Names like Dabinett, Tremlett's Bitter, Yarlington Mill, and Slack-Ma-Girdle — varieties you will never see in a supermarket — are the backbone of Devon cider. These are not eating apples. They are tannic, astringent, sometimes eye-wateringly sharp, and they make cider that tastes of the land they grew in.
If you live in Devon, or you are visiting, getting to know the county's cider producers is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Many of them welcome visitors, offer tours and tastings, and sell directly from the farm gate. It is also, as it happens, one of the best ways to spend an afternoon with friends — a point we shall return to.
Sandford Orchards, Crediton
Sandford Orchards sits in what the company describes as the oldest working cider mill in the country, in the small town of Crediton, about eight miles north-west of Exeter. Founded in 2002 by Barny Butterfield, the orchards have grown into one of Devon's most celebrated cider producers while maintaining a genuine commitment to craft.
They use only fresh-pressed juice from locally sourced cider apples — no concentrates, no added water — and the range spans from the crisp and sessionable Devon Red to more complex, oak-aged single-variety ciders. Devon Red, their flagship, is a medium dry cider with a clean apple character that has won a shelf full of awards and become a staple in pubs across the South West.
The real draw for visitors, though, is the Cider Works Tap Room, which opens every Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 11pm with a fully licensed bar and stonebaked pizzas. Once a month, they run a Tour and Tasting event that includes a guided tour of the mill, a tasting flight, a pizza, and a chance to quiz the cider makers about their process. Check the current ticket price when you book — pre-booking is essential, and they sell out quickly.
Sandford Orchards' shop is open six days a week if you just want to pick up a few bottles. Their seasonal and limited-edition releases are worth keeping an eye on — they often produce single-variety ciders that showcase individual apple varieties in a way that is genuinely educational.
Sam's Cider at the Winkleigh Cider Company
If Sandford Orchards represents Devon's modern craft cider movement, Sam's Cider is its deep history. Cider has been made at Western Barn in the village of Winkleigh since 1916, when Sam Inch started the operation using methods that had not changed in centuries — 110 years of cider from the same barn.
The thread is not quite unbroken, and the real story is better than the tidy version. Bulmers closed the site in 1998, and the present company was refounded the following January by David Bridgman, who took the name and the barn on rather than inheriting them. The apples are sourced from within a twenty-five-mile radius, and the cider is matured in oak vats that are themselves well over a hundred years old. The result is cider with a farmhouse character that mass-produced brands simply cannot replicate — dry, complex, and tasting unmistakably of Devon.
Factory tours run every Friday at 11am and cost £10, taking visitors through the history of the company and the full cider-making process from apple to glass, showing traditional methods alongside modern ones. Book on winkleighcider.co.uk — note that the .com address in circulation is dead. The site also has The Tallet cafe, open Monday to Saturday 9am to 3pm, and a well-stocked shop open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, and Sundays from 10am to 1pm. You can buy everything from scrumpy in traditional flagons to their more polished bottled range.
For anyone interested in Devon's food and drink heritage, a visit to Winkleigh is close to essential. This is cider-making as living history.
The Cidery at Darts Farm, Topsham
For years the cider operation at Darts Farm, just outside Exeter, was Green Valley Cyder — a small specialist producer run by Nick Pring and Chris Coles. They retired, handing their press on to Sandford Orchards, and Green Valley Cyder Limited was formally dissolved in July 2024. If you are working from an older guide, that is why you will not find it.
The good news is that the site is still very much a cider destination. Sandford Orchards now runs The Cidery and Tastings Bar at Darts Farm, and the heritage press remains on display. You can taste before you buy, and the range takes in Sandford's own ciders alongside other Devon producers.
Darts Farm itself was named Best Farm Shop in the UK at the 2025 Farm Retail Awards — its fourth win — with The Farm Table also taking Best Farm Restaurant, so you can easily combine a cider tasting with a broader food shopping trip. Pick up some Quicke's cheddar, some Sharpham Brie, and a few bottles from The Cidery, and you have the makings of a proper Devon evening with friends.
Luscombe Drinks, Buckfastleigh
Luscombe Drinks is based near Buckfastleigh, on the edge of Dartmoor. Julian David founded it in 1975 as a cider and apple juice producer, and in 1998 it became the first drinks brand in the UK to achieve Soil Association organic accreditation — a distinction often mis-stated as dating from the founding.
Today the company is far better known for its soft drinks and mixers, blended with Dartmoor spring water, and its cider has quietly slipped out of the catalogue: their own site currently lists no cider at all. Their Organic Devon Cider — a light, medium-dry 4.9% blend of rare English varieties including Tail Sweet, Sugar Bush, Devon Crimson, and Slack-Ma-Girdle — still turns up at third-party retailers, but treat any bottle you find as residual stock rather than a current line. If you spot one, it is worth trying; just do not plan a trip around it.
Hunt's Cider, Stoke Gabriel
Hunt's Cider has one of the most impressive pedigrees in Devon. Established by N.P. Hunt in 1805, the operation has been passed down through eight generations. Today, Richard and Annette Hunt run the business from their farm in Stoke Gabriel, near Totnes, still using a family press of considerable vintage — and, since March 2026, a £240,000 bottling and kegging facility alongside it.
They have maintained traditional methods whilst embracing modern machinery, and all their ciders are made from the highest quality Devon cider apples, fermenting fresh bittersweet apple juice each autumn. Everything is gluten-free and vegan-friendly. Their flagship, Hunt's Wobbler — a 6% medium cider — is a proper farmhouse drop with the kind of depth that comes from over two centuries of accumulated knowledge.
Tours run every Wednesday from 2pm to 4pm through the summer and on into September, with a tasting session included. Tickets are £17.50 for adults and £3 for children, booked through the Hunt's website. If you are in the Totnes area, this is well worth combining with a visit to the town itself, which is one of Devon's liveliest food destinations.
Several of Devon's best cider producers are located within easy reach of each other. You could taste at The Cidery at Darts Farm near Exeter, drive to Sandford Orchards in Crediton, and still be back in time for supper. With a designated driver and some forward planning, a DIY Devon cider trail makes for an outstanding day out.
Orchards, Traditions and Apple Day
Devon's cider heritage is not just about what ends up in the glass. It is about the orchards themselves — the gnarly old trees, the traditional varieties, and the annual rhythms of tending, harvesting, and pressing that have shaped the county's rural life for centuries.
Whimple, a village near Exeter, was once home to the largest apple orchards in the world when the Whiteway's Cyder factory was in operation. Although the factory closed in 1989, the heritage lives on. The Whimple Heritage Centre is Devon's only cider museum, charting the rise and fall of Whiteway's. Entry is free, but check the calendar before you set off: it opens from 1 April to 31 October only, on Wednesdays and Saturdays from noon to 4pm, plus bank holiday Mondays. For half the year it is shut.
The village still holds its annual Whimple Wassail on 17 January — Old Twelvy Night — a traditional orchard-visiting ceremony first recorded by Victorian folklorist Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould, stopped during the Second World War and revived by the Whimple History Society in 1993. The procession sets out from the Heritage Centre in the early evening.
Courtney's of Whimple operates one of East Devon's oldest orchards, part of the original Whiteway's orchards, and their traditional ciders are made with 100% apples from their hundred-year-old ancient cider orchard. Each autumn, they host The Big Pick — open orchard days featuring apple picking, pressing, cider, and live music. The 2026 edition, The Big Pick and Cider Fest, runs on 19 and 20 September, at £6 for adults and £1 for under-16s, booked through Eventbrite. Visitors can use apple crushing and pressing equipment to turn apples collected from the orchard into fresh, natural apple juice. It is the kind of event that reminds you why seasonal traditions matter.
The Stoke Gabriel Community Orchard Wassail, typically held in late January, is another highlight — featuring folk music, Morris dancing, storytelling, an Apple Blessing Ceremony, hot homemade food, toffee apples, and mulled cider, with gates opening at 4pm.
Cider and the Art of the Slow Afternoon
There is something about cider that resists being rushed. You do not neck a glass of proper farmhouse cider the way you might a pint of lager. You sit with it. You notice how it changes as it warms slightly in the glass. You talk to the person next to you about whether they can taste the tannin, or whether this one is drier than the last.
This is what makes cider such a natural fit for social occasions — particularly the kind of relaxed, unhurried gatherings that we think matter most. A cider tasting with a small group of friends, either at a taproom like Sandford Orchards or with a few bottles at someone's kitchen table, is one of the most pleasurable low-key afternoons you can have in Devon.
Pair it with a Devon cheese board — some Quicke's mature cheddar, a wedge of Sharpham Rustic, maybe a slice of Curworthy — and you have an evening that needs nothing else. The cider cuts through the richness of the cheese, the cheese gives the cider something to work against, and the conversation flows because everyone is tasting something interesting and has something to say about it.
If you have not explored Devon's craft beer and taproom scene, cider is its older, quieter cousin — less trendy, perhaps, but with a heritage that goes back further and a connection to the landscape that runs deeper. It is worth getting to know.
If you are planning a cider-tasting afternoon with friends, start with something light and sessionable — like Sandford Orchards' Devon Red or Luscombe's Organic Devon Cider — and work your way towards the drier, more tannic farmhouse styles. This way, your palate builds rather than being overwhelmed.
More Devon Cider Producers Worth Visiting
Sampford Courtenay Cider
Sampford Courtenay Cider operates from Solland Farm in the village of the same name, between Okehampton and Crediton, and sells through The Firkin Cider Shop on site. They produce traditional Devon cider from locally grown apples, and the shop is open Monday to Saturday from April to October (mostly open through the winter too, but ring ahead). Their guided orchard and cider-house tours run about an hour with Alison, and — this matters — they must be booked in advance on 01837 851638. You cannot simply turn up for one. Their website is devoncider.com; the sampfordcourtenaycider.co.uk address you may see quoted is dead.
What makes Sampford Courtenay worth a visit, beyond the cider itself, is the setting. The village is beautiful — thatched cottages, rolling farmland, the edge of Dartmoor visible in the distance — and the farm shop sells local produce alongside the cider. If you are visiting the Crediton and mid-Devon area, this combines well with a broader food and drink exploration.
Grays Devon Cider
The Gray family have farmed at Halstow Farm, Tedburn St Mary — west of Exeter on the road towards Dunsford, not in the Haldon Hills to the south, as is often written — since the 1660s, and they claim more than 300 years and 15 generations of cider-making. Take the generation count as the family's own; the orchard record is better documented from the late eighteenth century. Either way, they are one of the oldest cider-making families in England, and the operation remains small and fiercely traditional.
Their ciders are unfiltered, unpasteurised, and made entirely from Devon apples. The style is drier and more assertive than many modern craft ciders — this is proper farmhouse scrumpy with real character. Buy directly from the farm — they are currently unable to post orders, so it is collection only — or find their ciders at local farm shops and delis across the county.
Planning a Devon Cider Trail
One of the most enjoyable ways to explore Devon's cider heritage is to plan your own trail — visiting two or three producers in a day, tasting as you go, and picking up bottles to compare at home over the following weeks.
Here are two suggested routes:
The East Devon Trail (half day, best on a Friday or Saturday): Start at The Cidery at Darts Farm near Topsham for a tasting, and give yourself time in the farm shop while you are there. Drive to Whimple (about 20 minutes) for Courtney's orchards and the Heritage Centre — but only between April and October, and only on a Wednesday or Saturday, when the centre is open. Finish at Sandford Orchards in Crediton (about 35 minutes) for the tap room and a stonebaked pizza; it opens from 4pm on Fridays and Saturdays, which is what makes those the right days for this route. Total driving: about an hour. Designate a driver, or book a taxi for the last leg.
The South and West Devon Trail (full day, Wednesdays): Start at Hunt's Cider in Stoke Gabriel near Totnes for the 2pm tour and tasting — book ahead, and pair the morning with a walk along the Dart and lunch in Totnes, since the tour runs into the afternoon. Then head north-west to Sampford Courtenay (about an hour and a quarter) for The Firkin Cider Shop and, if you have rung ahead, an orchard tour. Round the day off at Grays at Halstow Farm, Tedburn St Mary (about 35 minutes, and on the way back to Exeter) to buy direct from the farm. Three stops, a proper cross-section of the county, and no wasted miles.
For both trails, designate a driver or consider booking a private minibus. Several Devon tour operators offer bespoke cider trail days — worth looking into for larger groups. And remember: cider tasting is about quality, not quantity. A few thoughtful sips at each stop will teach your palate more than rushing through full pints.
Where to Find Devon Cider
Beyond visiting the producers themselves, Devon cider is well represented at the county's farm shops and markets. Darts Farm near Exeter stocks an excellent range through The Cidery. Greendale Farm Shop on the Sidmouth Road at Farringdon carries Hunt's ciders alongside Sam's, Sandford and Ventons. And Exeter Farmers' Market, held every Thursday at the junction of Fore Street and South Street from 9am to 1pm, regularly features cider producers selling directly to the public.
The food markets and street food scene in and around Exeter is also a good place to discover smaller producers who do not have their own taprooms but are making genuinely interesting cider in small batches.
For something more structured, keep an eye on the Exeter and East Devon CAMRA festivals, which regularly feature local cider alongside real ale, and look out for seasonal events — particularly in autumn, when the apple harvest brings a burst of activity across the county's orchards.
The Social Side
We started this guide talking about orchards and apples, but really it is about something simpler: the pleasure of sharing a drink with people you enjoy being around, in a place that has been producing that drink for longer than any of us have been alive.
Devon's cider heritage is a living thing. It is not preserved behind glass in a museum. It is being made right now, in old barns and modern mills, by people who care about what they do. And the best way to appreciate it is not alone — it is with friends, with conversation, and with the kind of curiosity that turns a glass of cider into a story about apples, about soil, about a county that has been getting this right for centuries.
If that sounds like the kind of afternoon you would enjoy, you are in the right place.
For more on Devon's remarkable food and drink scene, explore our guides to Devon's food and drink heritage, the best pubs in Exeter, and Devon cheese makers. For official information on Devon's traditional cider apple varieties and orchards, Devon Wildlife Trust runs orchard conservation projects, and the Exeter and East Devon CAMRA branch maintains listings of cider producers alongside their real ale guides.