Malvern Hills, 2009
WALKING GROUP TRIP TO THE MALVERN HILLS
We did it! Sixteen ‘peaks’ along the ridge of the Malvern Hills!! It took 3 days but for five ladies from flat Suffolk that was really good going. The Malvern Hills stand up above the Severn Valley, beautiful slopes and ‘peaks’ of some of the oldest rocks in Britain that contain no fossils because they were formed before life on earth. And they are the source of clear spring water which can be collected at various ‘wells’ or springs around the edges of the hills.
We rented a house on the side of the Worcestershire Beacon (at 1395 feet this is the highest in the range), in Great Malvern, not too far from St. Anne’s Well, with a wonderful view over the town and countryside beyond. We had fantastic sunrises reminding us where home was – due East. On the first day we climbed the middle section of the hills, starting, appropriately enough, with Perseverance Hill followed by Jubilee Hill and then Pinnacle. We continued to the Herefordshire Beacon, also known as British Camp which has the remains of a large Iron Age Fort on it, with deep ditches all round. We returned to the start of our walk along a path that followed a lower contour through the woods which covered the slopes.
On the second day we tackled what we thought would be the easier lower peaks, but despite being lower they were much steeper and not much frequented by other visitors. Raggedstone Hill will be engraved on our memories as the most challenging ascent made more difficult because of the loose skree underfoot. Coming down was also rather terrifying. We expected a tougher climb on the third day up to the Worcestershire Beacon but the slope was gentler and the paths more frequented by visitors. The sun came out and we had our picnic looking down on the town and the valley below. After a circumnavigation of North Hill and a stretch to the last hill, End Hill, we returned to St. Anne’s Well cafe for tea and a huge slice of cake.
Our last day was spent in Worcester visiting the Cathedral and having a stroll along the banks of the Severn and lunch in the sun at an outdoor restaurant. Our bus passes came in useful as we returned via Upton upon Severn where we managed another stroll and another cup of tea and slice of cake after visiting the Heritage Centre with the history of life on the river before articulated lorries changed transportation. Plans for next year’s trip are now in the making.
We took lots of pictures, have a look at a few here. Click the link below to see the full album as a slideshow on Windows Live.
Stowmarket U3A 