A different location today, with a starting point at the southern end of the Malvern Hills. The path started by going straight uphill through a wood and edging around the peak of the hill, Chase End Hill. It is quickly evident that this is an area with many wild flowers and it’s tempting to keep stopping and photographing them.
From the side of the hill we can see the next section of hills and this will be the pattern of the day. I haven’t ever seen as many wood anemones as these spread widely amongst the remains of last years ferns.
We meet a B road which we followed for a short while and we were ready to start the next section. Again round the side of the hill – this time ‘Ragged Stone Hill’. I would have quite liked to have gone to the tops! Bluebells in this section and this part of the hills comes down to a more main road but before we do I spot small yellow flowers that I hadn’t noticed before this year – Potentilla aurea- Golden Cinquefoil.
we leave behind the lower less popular stretch and approach the first of three more significant and popular sections, again cut top and bottom by roads which have obviously been built to intersect the countryside in the dips between this hilly ridge. We pause for coffee at the edge of a car park and then set off up hill. Across the fields to the right is a large castle/house and we are on the edge of an estate. Having climbed Midsummer Hill we reach some extensive Earth works and the site of a fort.
We are taking a less conventional route off the top of this section and are heading for a path down a hidden valley. Firstly we had to go though a section with a large number of fallen trees- climbing over and under. Towards the end of the section I spot a notice about Ash Die back and realise that I should have noticed the black buds rather than assume it was storm damage. The clambering was worth it to walk down the valley.
After a short section along a B road we walked through a parking spot and started uphill again. After a short climb we turn north and are travelling parallel to the top of the hill- I do begin to wonder if we are going to go to the crest of any of these mounds! We continue around the bottom of the crest Swinyard Hill and in the next dip join and follow the Three Choirs Way. This area has many more walkers and intersections of paths. One prominent feature is a cave- not sure whether it’s natural or manmade?
I’m a little disappointed that yet again we go around the next peak which is called Herefordshire Beacon. This is an elongated ridge with spurs stretching south and north east, much of which is covered with earth works . Shire Ditch which runs north to south and a hill fort called British Camp amalgamate at this point. The land falls away on our right hand side and we can see a reservoir. Steve from SPR suggests that we sit on a well placed bench for lunch and then decides he doesn’t want to eat his sandwich as we’ve still got lots of up to do! After our food stop it is a short way to the end of this section- a car park, pub and snack shack. Unusually Steve hasn’t brought his flask of tea so we stop for a ‘pre planned’ tea and then he also orders a toasted tea cake which takes for ever. I feel a bit concerned as we haven’t even started the last two sections yet which have the biggest hills!
As we start climbing up the next section I’m offered the choice of track or almost a road. No real choice! I’m also offered over the tops or round- again no real choice – so we start along the track to the first of three peaks in this next section. we can look back and more or less see where we started.
After the start of the first peak Steve decided to follow a path which went round the side but told me to just carry on which I did. I certainly wasn’t going to go round another hill! I continued and reached the top and went on and reached the second peak. I turned round expecting to see Steve coming up to meet me – instead there isn’t a proper path and he is climbing up the side of the hill, he then turns back because he assumed I wouldn’t have got that far!!I had to wave and attract his attention before he turned and followed the correct way! Third peak to go and then the ridge dips quite steeply down to a road again. I did explain that walking along a ridge like that I was in my happy place.
Just the last ridge to go – Worcestershire Beacon – quite a steep climb up but very rewarding and then a path which edges round the size of the hill before dropping down in wonderful zig zags back down to the edge of the town. A good view back to see where we’ve been.
A good days walking, I would have preferred more peaks but perhaps that’s greedy! 16km so just over 10 miles.
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 