Ledbury is busiest, and at its best, in early July, when the Ledbury Poetry Festival brings ten days of readings, workshops and music to venues across the town. The festival has grown since its 1996 founding to become the largest poetry event in Britain, with a regular line-up of Booker and Forward Prize winners alongside emerging poets.
Outside July, the late spring (April–May) is good for cherry blossom in the orchards around the town and for walking the Malverns before the summer crowds. September and October are the cider-pressing months, with most of the farms running open days and the air thick with the smell of fermenting fruit.
Winter is quieter; the timber-framed buildings look at their best in low afternoon light, and the pubs are the right temperature.