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The Malvern Hills are a 15km (c.9 mile) range of ancient rocks
made up of a complex assemblage of crystalline igneous and
metamorphic rocks (granite) of pre-Cambrian age (at least 650
million years old). The soils on the ridge top are thin and support
little more than short wiry grasses, providing ideal walking
conditions and stunning views. Lower down the soils are stony but
thicker and support gorse, bramble and bracken interspersed with
silver birch, mountain ash, hawthorn, sycamore and oak. The trees
are stunted at higher levels but grow thick and lush in the valley
bottoms.
The Hills divide the Counties of Herefordshire and
Worcestershire with the rolling hills and fields of Herefordshire
to the West and the flatter plains of the Severn Valley to the
East. Much of the drama and beauty of the Hills arise from the way
they dramatically rise out of this landscape. Another feature of
the Hills are the many (c. 88) springs and fountains which flow
from outlets all around them - of particular note are St Ann's Well
and Holy Well.
The Hills are protected under Acts of Parliament (originally
passed in 1884 and subsequently amended in 1909, 1924, 1930 and
1995) and are administered and maintained by the Malvern Hills
Conservators, controlled by a Board comprising directly elected
members and representatives from the various Local Authorities and
funded by a precept on local rate payers. Although now protected,
our ancestors were not so caring and exploited the stone in the
hills. As a result there are a number of old quarries dotted around
the hills, all of which are now well weathered and form an integral
part of the overall landscape.
The highest point on the Hills is the Worcestershire Beacon
(425m) with North Hill (397m) and the British Camp Hill
(Herefordshire Beacon - 338m) the other highest points. In total
there are some 20 named hills comprising the complete range. The
entire length of the Hills are open to the public and are
criss-crossed with about 160km (100 miles) of bridleways and
footpaths. Dogs are allowed on the hills and can be let off lead so
long as they are well behaved. Cycling is allowed on bridleways
only.
Further nformation about the Hills can be found on the
following pages:
The town of Great Malvern lies at the Northern end of the Hills
on the Worcestershire side, underneath the Worcestershire Beacon
and North Hill. There is direct walking access to the Hills from
the town via the path and 99 steps up to St Ann's Well (and café).
The smaller village of Colwall lies on the Western slope of the
Hills, about one third down their length. Both Great Malvern and
Colwall have railway stations on the Worcester to Hereford line
that can be used as starting points for a visit to the Hills.
There are car parks located at points all round the hills. The
highest one is located on Beacon Road at the Wyche Cutting (B4218
road from Malvern to Colwall). This is also the closest to the
Worcestershire Beacon. For those wanting to walk the Hills from end
to end, the car parks to use are at the Clock Tower at the Northern
end (on North Malvern Road) and at Hollybush at the Southern end
(on the A438 Ledbury to Tewkesbury Road). Hollybush isn't quite at
the very Southern end as Chase End Hill is only reachable on foot,
although there is a minor road that goes to Whiteleaved Oak. The
other major car park is at British Camp. This is situated about
half way along the Hills, on the A449 Malvern to Ledbury road, and
is the car park to use for the Herefordshire Beacon and points
south. For those with difficulties walking, the Conservators have
constructed "easier access paths" and disabled parking spaces at
Blackhill Car Park on Jubilee Drive (B4232 road from Wyche Cutting
to British Camp on the Western side of the Hills) and at Earnslaw
Quarry on Wyche Road (B4218). There are public toilets at St Ann's
Well, the Wyche Cutting and at British Camp.
For those wanting to use public transport, the Wyche Cutting can
be reached:
- on Monday to Saturday by the 675 service from Malvern to
Ledbury
- on Sundays and Bank Holidays until the last Sunday in October
by the hourly 44B service from Worcester which goes to British Camp
from Malvern along the A449 Wells Road and then returns along
Jubilee Drive and the Wyche cutting
- on Sundays and Bank Holidays by the 476 service from Malvern to
Hereford
British Camp can be reached on Sundays and Bank Holidays until
the last Sunday in October by the hourly 44B service. From Monday
to Saturday, the 362 / 363 services go to the Upper Welland Turn on
the A449 (about 1 mile from British Camp).
It is also just possible to get to Hollybush by public transport
via Ledbury on Saturdays (388 service).
Finally, a taxi from Malvern to British Camp will cost about
£10
Contact the Malvern Tourist Information
Centre or
consult the Worcestershire County Council bus timetables for
more details of these services.
For those needing refreshment whilst on the Hills, there are a
number of cafés and pubs in convenient locations. There are cafés
at St Ann's Well (closed during the week in winter), and The Kettle
Sings on Jubilee Drive.There are also various cafés within the town
of Great Malvern.
There are also pubs serving food:
- at the Wyche Cutting - Wyche Inn and Chase Inn
- at British Camp - the Malvern Hills Hotel and
- on West Malvern Road - Brewers Arms
- there are no food and drink facilities south of British Camp
other than pubs off the hills at Castlemorton (Plume of Feathers
and Robin Hood) and Rye Street (Duke of York). There are also a
number of other town pubs in Great Malvern and Colwall.
To help you with your visit to the Malvern Hills, the Tourist Information Centre in Great Malvern
(TIC) can sell you a number of guides and maps in person or over
the phone (credit card needed):
- 6 Trail Guides detailing circular walks of about 4km each
(Trails 1 and 2 cover the area above the town, Trail 3 covers Wyche
Cutting to British Camp, Trail 4 British Camp to Gullet Quarry and
Trail 5 Midsummer Hill to Chase End Hill. Trail 6 is an end to end
guide).
- Malvern Hills Superwalker map (1:10,000) detailing all the
paths and bridleways
- OS Landranger 150 (1:50,000) and OS Explorer 190 (1:25,000)
maps
- Malvern for the Disabled Guide
You can also download some maps and guides to help you to plan
your walks on the Hills:
Further information on accommodation and
camping and caravan sites is also available from the TIC.
Useful contact points are:
The information in this short guide has been compiled from
current information sources and is believed correct, however the
Tourist Information Centre cannot be held responsible for any
inaccuracies or omissions
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