Bridget and I have just returned from a weekend spent criss crossing the 9 mile Malvern Hill range which is located primarily in Worcestershire in the west of England.
My first visit to this part of the country was to participate in a weekend organised by our local walking club. Three walks were planned, one for each of Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and a shorter walk on the Sunday. Bridget had booked the accommodation and she also kindly drove throughout the weekend so all I had to do was turn up and walk!
Day 1: Upton-upon-Severn 5.2 miles
The first short hike of the weekend began on the Friday lunchtime, starting and finishing in Upton-Upon-Severn a small town about 5 miles from Malvern.
Having arrived early and found a lovely coffee shop for lunch, Bridget and I then joined the rest of the group and we set off in the spring sunshine. As a bit of a warm up in preparation for the following two days, this was a flat and easy stroll through farmyards, fields and villages.
In temperatures of around 16 degrees, we followed the River Severn for the second part of the walk which, thankfully, wasn’t particularly wet or muddy.
Historically Upton has been a strategic crossing point of the River Severn and in 1651 the Battle of Upton took place. It was here that Oliver Cromwell defeated Charles II of England.
In Upton-Upon-Severn we parked in the free rugby club car park opposite the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul. This church is often the location for some of Upton’s many music festivals.
Close to the car park just before the start of the walk Bridget and I came across a sign to ‘The Pudding Shop’ so of course we had to investigate… we were drawn there 🙂
We walked through a small and scruffy industrial area where we came across a delightful little pudding making factory! We chatted to the lovely owner who explained they were busy making fresh batches of puddings ready for Malvern market the following day.
Of about 20 different flavours, I chose Rum & Raisin, Apricot Liqueur and Toffee Apple. As they have already been freshly cooked on site, the puddings will keep in the fridge for up to a week and they can also be frozen. They can then be steamed for 20 minutes or so, or popped into the microwave. They are available for online purchase at the Pudding Shop
Day 2: Challenging Malvern Hills 10.5 miles
Today (Saturday) was the main trekking day. We parked in Priory Road South Car Park in Great Malvern and set off in atmospheric misty conditions until we reached Rose Bank Gardens and the ’99 Steps’. At the foot of the 99 Steps is a ‘C.S. Lewis Plaque’ which commemorates the time the famous author spent studying in Malvern College.
The 99 Steps enabled a quick route up into the trees above Greater Malvern and up into the Malvern Hills. From the steps we followed a winding path uphill through the woods.
Named (unsurprisingly) after St Anne, we soon came to St Anne’s Well which is home to a spring. This is the small pond in the front of the above photo. By now blue skies were emerging as the sun had begun to break through the mist.
We crossed over the Malvern Hills and descended to the other side where we walked adjacent to the hills and through a couple of villages.
Walking through meadows at the foot of the Malvern Hills.
Through quaint villages and over the railway line and Colwall Station towards Colwall.
As we walked along Evendine Lane we came across The Malt House where you could buy apple juice and leave your money in the box! And if you have no cash, you can do a bank transfer by following the details shown! Handy if you need some refreshments.
Along a grassy footpath…
Past a pretty orchard…
Back into the woods and uphill!
After about 6 miles we stopped for our picnic lunch near British Camp. British Camp is the site of an Iron Age fort which was first constructed on a hill in the 2nd Century BC.
After lunch we headed up into the hills and followed the ridge path through the middle which took in the peaks of Black Hill, Pinnacle Hill, Jubilee Hill and Summer Hill.
From the top of each of the peaks we could see views towards the Black Mountains of Wales to the west and across the West Midlands of England to the east.
We passed a cow field high up in the hills.
At 425m we reached the ‘Worcestershire Beacon’ which is the highest point in Worcestershire.
The Worcestershire Beacon overlooked Great Malvern and beyond. From there it was downhill and back to the car park!
Day 3: Circular walk 7.2 miles
On the Sunday morning for the third and final walk of the weekend Bridget and I met the rest of the group at British Camp car park where we began with a descent along a shady forested footpath.
Before long we came to the British Camp Reservoir.
At the foot of the Malvern Hills we made our way across swampy uneven and muddy fields until we started to ascend back up into the hills. Wild garlic was growing in abundance and some small bluebells were starting to appear.
A steep climb up a narrow track took us up to the first main hill of the day! We were in tee shirts in the warm weather although the views were somewhat hazy.
We had a couple of stops including lunch at the top of one of the hills.
Looking down over British Camp Reservoir…
One final hill before we returned to the car park. Bridget and I had a tasty Sunday lunch in the Malvern Hills Hotel before driving home at the end of a fab weekend.
Accommodation
We were delighted with our accommodation which was a small 2 bedroom house inside the grounds of a bigger farm house, advertised on Booking.com as ‘Little Gem at the foot of the Malvern Hills’.
Dinner on Day 1: Duke of Yorke Inn
At this time of the year as we are now in the second half of March daylight stretches to just about 7 pm. Having enquired about the possibility of a local pub, our farmer host suggested we could walk across the fields at the back of the farm to the nearby Duke of Yorke Inn!
Putting on our walking boots back on we set off for the 10-15 minute walk…
Following his directions past the pond…
Through an ancient gate we had a muddy field to traipse across until we came to a fence and a small stream. We to climb through the fence and into a caravan site where we popped out and surprised a guest who was sitting outside her shepherds hut!
The Duke of Yorke Inn was next to the caravan site and in there I had a fabulously tasty fish pie with fresh vegetables, washed down with a glass of Rioja.
Following our meal, thankfully it was just about light still as we made our way back to Little Gem where we spent a relaxing evening watching ‘Race Across the World’ on iPlayer.
Dinner on Day 2: Aldwyn’s at Ellerslie
The Saturday evening group dinner had been booked at Aldwyn’s at Ellerslie which is located in Greater Malvern. The food was top quality and we had a lovely evening with our walking friends, figuring out the questions to a pub quiz.
Dinner on Day 3: Malvern Hills Hotel
At the end of Sunday’s walk we happened to be parked near to the Malvern Hills Hotel and were in time for Sunday lunch. While most of the walking group visited nearby Sally’s Cafe for a bacon bap or an ice-cream, Bridget and I decided that a lovely dinner would be a wonderful finish to a great weekend!
Summary
Happy memories of a total of 23 miles trekked, 3 delicious meals consumed and one little gem stayed in!
We were incredibly fortunate to have had such warm and sunny weather throughout the whole of this early Spring weekend. This was perfect hiking weather as it wasn’t too hot for the steep climbs and wasn’t windy at the top of the hills.
I am grateful to Beds and Bucks Walkers, the organisers, who did an amazing job of planning the weekend, leading each of the 3 walks and arranging the Saturday evening meal to enable all of this to happen. We were also treated to some tasty home made cake throughout the weekend.
And finally I’m appreciative of my lovely friend Bridget who, as well as sorting our accommodation and transport, was great company sharing lots of laughs as always.
frombluetogreen.com 