Sunday Walk - The Malvern Hills from Colwall [Malverns Trip]

Length: 18.8 km (11.7 mi) [shorter and longer versions possible, see below] 

Ascent/Descent: 804/849m 

Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ½ hours 

Toughness: 9 out of 10

 

Take the 09.18 Hereford train from Great Malvern, arrives Colwall 09.23.

 

This version of the walk will help you to cover all but four of the 22 notable hilltops in the range over the two days of walking the Malvern Hills. You are starting out along fields and through oak woods at the westerly base of the hills to then return north to Malvern along the top of the ridge. From the blurb: “The Malvern Hills stand majestically above the Severn Plain in Worcestershire and the rolling wooded hills of Herefordshire, offering far reaching panoramic views across a variety of landscapes from a multitude of viewpoints. The area is famed for its steep dramatic hills rising out of flat vales and for the pure spring water that flows from them, but it also offers a rich cultural heritage of forts, castles and priories in a landscape of ancient woodland, rolling pastures and wild, open commons.”

Walk Options: 

A Shortcut at the Silurian Pass cuts the tops south of British Camp and 5.2 km/3.2 mi and 305m ascent.  

An Extension to the two southerly tops adds 3.4 km/2.1 mi and 180m ascent.

Finish at The Malvern Hills Hotel and take a taxi back. 

An Extension to the four northerly tops adds 2.0 km/1.2 mi and 111m ascent (same as on Friday’s walk).

 

Lunch: The Malvern Hills Hotel & Restaurant (food all day) and Sally’s Place (food all day), both either 2.7 km/1.7 mi into the walk if taking the early diversion, or 10.9 km/6.8 mi on the full walk. 

Tea en route: The Wyche Inn (open all day, food served to 15.00 only) and Café H2O (open to 16.30 when last checked). Both are 4.1 km/2.5 mi from the end of the walk. 

Tea in Great Malvern: Plentiful options. Check the webpage or the pdf for details.

 

For walk directions, map, height profile , photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.324.a