malvern hills

kristophish

Native
Mar 17, 2012
1,041
23
nuneaton
How do folks.

Im planning a weekend trip to the malvern hill so was wondering if anyone has been and can recomend an area. Also is there anything i should know about the place before i start. All help appreciated cheers kris
 

richardhomer

Settler
Aug 23, 2012
775
7
STOURBRIDGE
Malvern's a 40 min train ride away from where I live. Year ago sick children from our area where sent there to "Take in the air" You use to able to buy the bottled water from the area. There are points around the area where you can fill a bottle with the Malvern hills water for free. If you come across one I would recommend having a try of the water as its very good. There are a few camp sites in the area. If you are planning on wild camping then do this well away from the walking routes. The area is very popular with hikers. The Malvern hills are a lovely place to visit but make sure you have a good map of the area. Just in case you decided to a wander around. Its easy to get lost!
 

swotty

Full Member
Apr 25, 2009
1,880
249
Somerset
Get yourself to the Angel Well....there's a coffee shop there that sells the best cake ever! Makes it a bit heavy going getting back onto the hills tho' :p
I used to live near Malvern, its a beautiful place. Take a look at an OS map and West Malvern, there's some nice woods that side but wherever you walk you won't be disappointed.
 

Joonsy

Native
Jul 24, 2008
1,483
3
UK
Is there anything in particular that you want to know? How are you getting there (car/train etc). I have walked the Malverns a fair bit. A nice way if travelling by train is to walk the whole ridge starting from Malvern Link train station and finishing at Ledbury train station. There are three train stations close to Malvern all on the same line, Malvern Link (the furthest north one) Great Malvern (the one nearest the town centre) and Colwall (which is on the west side of the hills the other two are on the east side), and then there is Ledbury station at the far south-west end. Depends on which part of the Malverns you want to visit as to which is the best station to get off at. If travelling by car many of the official car parks have parking fees/ticket machines, the car park for North Hill for example has ticket machines though you can park for free on the road nearby. For description the area can be split into three sections from north to south, you have the North Hill / Table Hill / Worcestershire Beacon area, then you descend to a road junction (the B4218 & B4232), south of that junction you have the central area of Perseverance Hill / Jubilee Hill / Black Hill where you descend again to the A449 road, then you have the south section of British Camp / Hangmans Hill / Midsummer Hill (just south the final bit is Ragged Stone Hill and Chase End Hill, these last two are walked less than the main hills but give nice views over Eastnor Castle). --- Section one, North Hill etc, the ascent from the east is generally a bit steeper than from the west, particulary in the area by St Annes Well (it’s shown on OS map) where the lane is fairly steep. For North Hill/Table Hill area i would get off the train at Malvern Link station or if in car then park for free on the road by North Hill car park. Some people walk this part of the Malverns starting from North Hill car park at the northern end, most walk southish from the car park passing Ivy Scar Rock however slightly north-west from the car park is a clock tower on the side of the road, right behind that clock tower is a set of steep steps which takes you directly up through trees and an old quarry to North Hill summit. There are a few small rock faces/formations here where some locals do a bit of rock climbing such as Ivy Scar Rock and Westminster Arms Quarry (which is on the west side) etc. There are some wells which the area is famous for where you can get spring water from (free just fill up your bottle), St Annes Well which is shown on the os map being one and it’s also a tearoom/cake shop. The lanes and roads around the St Annes Well area still have the original gas street lights in working order (they are found in other places too), it’s nice to walk through them when they are lit at night. On the western side of this part of the hills you can ascend from a little lane called Westminster Bank where there is free car parking by a college and it’s not so steep an ascent here as from the east, there is a little sheltered spot a few hundred yards from that lane called Westminster Arms Quarry where some locals very occasionally do a bit of climbing, on the track between Westminster Bank lane and the little old quarry is an old well with running springwater. The highest summit on the malverns is Worcestershire Beacon and the 360 degree view is wonderful, I particulary like the view north west to the wooded area around Suckley and Alfrick and The Leigh Brook valley (which I have recently walked). --- On the middle section of the hills there is a place called Holy Well (it’s shown on OS map) on Jubilee Hill, this is another one of those places where you can fill up your water bottles for free with spring water. If using train for this middle section the best train station to get off is Colwall Stone station which is on the west side of the hills. --- On the southerly section is Herefordshire Beacon and British camp, it can get quite busy here with folks at times and there are quieter areas to be found elsewhere. Here is the iron age hill fort British Camp and by Hangmans Hill is a cave called Clutter’s Cave. Further south is an area called the Gullet which is a gully between a lane and Eastnor Castle Deer Park, there is a pool in an old quarry there which is a magnet for people swimming in hot weather which has attracted attention through some drownings. The Gullet ends at it’s western end by a deer fence, here there is gate through the deer fence with a public footpath which takes you past an obelisk right through Eastnor Deer Park and into Ledbury. Just south of The Gullet is Midsummer Hill (another iron age hill fort), there is a concrete memorial shelter on the hill where you get a lovely view down over Eastnor Castle in the woods below. --- PS, there is an army surplus store in Malvern Link called Harpers Bazaar, I haven’t been in it for a few years now so i can’t speak of what it’s like now but it’s still there, from the front it looks small but it used to go all out the back don’t know if it still does. --- The Malverns can be busy with folks in good weather and holidays though some areas are quieter than others, the areas by the main car parks being the busiest as normal with such places. The tops are mostly open grassland but the flanks of the hills have plenty of trees, there are loads of places to tuck yourself into overnight and you shouldn’t have any problem in that respect plenty of people do it there. You can get springwater for free from any of the places I’ve mentioned. (Oh PS, the well at Westminster Bank, when I was last there many months ago there was a sign by the authorities on the well saying it shouldn’t be drunk, however I have drunk from it for years and am still alive, that bit is up to you) Have a great time.

The Clock Tower (grid ref 770470) it's right on the B4232 road very slighlty north west of the main North Hill car park, directly behind that tower are steep stone steps leading up through the trees and an old quarry to North Hill summit.
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Westminster Bank well (grid ref 765462) on the west side of hills by West Malvern, park car for free nearby on Westminster Bank lane by college/school.
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St. Annes Well (grid ref 772458) inside the big open door is the well where you can fill bottles with springwater for free, the left part of the building is a tearoom and cakeshop.
7b026e06-8048-47c2-8fba-99a2e9681bd0.jpg


Holy Well by Jubilee Hill (grid ref 770423) inside the big open door is where the well is to fill bottles for free with springwater (no tearoom here).
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Dreadhead

Bushcrafter through and through
I used to head over to the Malverns frequently when I lived in Worcestershire. Cracking place! Definitely pop into the wee cafe, lovely place. All I would say is I much preferred the north end of the hills to the south, some nice places off the track in wee wooded areas you could stealth it
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
225
westmidlands
The seven hills that are easily reachable are a days walk from one end to the other, not that far, but being as it's all up hill and down dal. There is a camp site on the cleft inbetween two of the hills, I think it's at the lower road that bisects the hills.
 

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