
Walking along the Malvern Hills
If you are ever driving across the UK and you have a little time to stop at the Malvern Hills, do it!! Marc and I fancied stretching our legs on the drive over to visit my brother, and my mum always has good ideas for walks, so she suggested hiking along the top of the Malvern Hills. It turned out to be a brilliant idea! We only had a couple of hours to spare, so we did half the walk, starting from the village in Upper Wyche.
Most of my recent posts have been catching up with our time in New Zealand, and the epic walks here in Canada. But it’s good to remember how ridiculously pretty the UK can be as well. I don’t think I had ever been hiking in Worcestershire before. It is green, lush and beautiful! I can now see why people love it there so much!!
The Malvern Hills – Upper Wyche to Great Malvern
We started in a pub in Upper Wyche and then hiked along the ridge of the Malvern Hills. However, we did this walk the super easy way. We just hiked in one direction, and then met my parents at the end of the walk. They then drove us back to our car afterwards. If you’d like a longer hike, and you have another couple of hours, you could wander the whole way along these hills!
The mini summits that we visited were:
- Summer Hill 382m
- Worcestershire Beacon 425m
- Sugarloaf Hill 368m
- Table Hill 373m
- North Hill 387m
Bluebells on the Malvern Hills
There were plenty of bluebells in the woods near Upper Wyche. I love bluebells woods. I climbed down a steep hill to reach the flowers in the woods here on the left(!)
Then, right before you get the top of Summer Hill, one side of the hill is COVERED in bluebells. This is one of the few places where I have seen them covering hills, instead of carpeting forest floors.
Getting up to the ridge-way
We made it up to the ridgeway pretty quickly, with just one hiccup. I may have left my phone in the car, so I had to run back and fetch it (as we were meeting mum and dad at the end of the walk, so we needed a phone!) So, I got to hike up to this pretty point twice. Marc looked really unimpressed by my dappiness. Oops.
Once you make it up Summer Hill, this walk becomes really easy. You basically just stay on the top of the ridge the whole way along the Malvern Hills. There are lots of small up and downs, but you have pretty views for the entire walk.
How lovely are these views!?
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
This is the kind of view I think of when I think of England. It’s officially an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Marc and I were chatting about it along the walk. It is ridiculously beautiful, but I don’t think you can really describe it as natural. To me, it is a man-made kind of beauty, a bit like the steps of rice fields in Japan. The hedges are mostly in straight lines and the green fields all look so manicured.
Worcestershire Beacon
This was the tallest summit along the Malvern Hills. This part of the walk will get your heart pumping, but it doesn’t take very long, so it is totally worth the effort.
We took an obligatory jump photo.
The views from the top of the Worcester Beacon are pretty lovely.
Sugarloaf Hill
To get to the next summit, Sugarloaf Hill, you have to walk down into a dip and then back up again.
Once we wandered up Sugarloaf hill, we caught up with a large group of school children.
Table Hill and North Hill
We overtook the kids by zooming up in between Table Hill and North Hill (the two summits at the North end of the Malvern Hills.) The views back to the Worcester Beacon were pretty good!
We’d made it to the end of the Malvern Hills, so we backtracked a little to start our descent.
The path we found was reeeeeally steep! I made it the whole way down the steep section… and then fell on my arse on my final step. My hand landed on a thistle and I ended up with about twenty tiny spiky splinters! So be careful on the steep sections!!
Once we’d made it this far, we just had to walk around the edge of the Malvern Hills to find one of the paths down. We were above the trees, so we had some gorgeous views!
We enjoyed the views down to Great Malvern as well as the views straight up to North Hill.
So, for the end of the hike we just had to follow the path down through the woods. My parents were waiting in a car park down below.
This entire walk was less than 2 hours, and it wasn’t very strenuous, so it’d be perfect for a stroll after a sunday lunch! Or, if you have more time, you could do the entire walk, from end to end. If you are interested in that, I found a map for it here.
65 thoughts on “Walking along the Malvern Hills”
Parts of the UK are ever so pretty this looks like a beautiful place to go for a walk. Love your pictures!
Thanks Rachel! 😀
It’s absolutely beautiful! Obligatory jump photos are the best.
-Knurly
Thanks lovely!
I need a parachute dress like you for these jumps!! 😉
Cool. I love the bluebells. There’s a place in California called Antelope Valley where the entire hillside is covered in orange poppies. It’s absolutely breathtaking but it only lasts about 2 weeks then it’s gone for another year.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Oooh I just googled Antelope Valley poppies and it is gooorgeous! I love places like that!! It’s also like the cherry blossoms in Japan. They don’t last long, but they make your heart sing while they are in bloom!!
We’ve done part of the walk before but I haven’t done the whole walk since a particularly cruel school trip! Like the car at each end idea 😀
Oooh did they make you do the whole thing as kids? I wonder if that is what the school group we saw did. They all seemed pretty exhausted, but they were moving reeeally slowly!!
It’s a pretty area isn’t it!
Your post so reminds me of Summer Sundays as a kid walking on the Malverns, followed by refreshments at the Kettle Sings, a lovely tea room with views across Herefordshire to the Black Mountains in clear weather. If you go back again, do the Herefordshire Beacon – the most unnatural peak as it was an Iron Age fort. Meanwhile, I’ll continue reminiscing 🙂
Oooh I just googled the Herefordshire Beacon, it looks awesome! You grew up in a gorgeous area!!
My little brother moved to Wales, so I think we’ll be looking for places to stretch our legs on the way over to visit him again!! We just didn’t have time to do the whole ridge on this occasion…
Ohh this looks lovely! 🙂
Thanks Clazz! <3
Gorgeous views Josy! I believe Elgar got a lot of inspiration on those hills for some of his works.
Oooh I didn’t know that! (I am ashamed to say I did not know much about Worcestershire, apart from they have tasty sauce and pretty hills!!)
This looks like a beautiful hike/walk. It’s so easy sometimes to get caught up in traveling to new places, this is a great reminder to explore closer to home. Also, those bluebells!!!
Thank you!!
We moved away to Canada, so going ‘home’ is starting to feel like a holiday for us… but I am sooo glad we timed it for the bluebells this year!!
This looks beautiful – those flowers are so cute and exactly what I imagine in the English countryside. One more reason that I have to get here to visit!
Lol thank you!
If you can make it to England in the springtime, the bluebells are sooo pretty!
I love the English countryside because it reminds me of my hometown, Seattle. And these look like easier hikes that anyone could enjoy. Which is extremely helpful for those of who aren’t quite as adventurous. 🙂
That is soo cool! Although, I had to admit, I think Seattle is better for real mountains…these English hills are pretty tiny!
Do you have any recommendations for pretty Seattle hikes? We live really close (over the boarder in Vancouver) so I am planning to visit this summer…
Great photos! What a beautiful trail! Sounds like a great hike!
Thank you!
Ahhh, I miss outdoor travels like this. I’ve been doing a lot of city travel plus I live in a city too so I haven’t hiked in a while. The landscapes are gorgeous!
Thanks Jennifer!
We can’t help it, when we lived in London we were always planning escapes to go walking! Now we’re in BC, Canada, so we head out into the countryside (well, mountains!) every week!
Sadly, I have not been hiking in such a long time. It is just way too hot in AZ right now, but your adventures in the green countryside really make me want to get back out there again (even if it means waking up at 4:30a to beat the heat- hahaha).
It’s soooo hard in the heat isn’t it!? Although, it is really worth it if you can wake up early…then you can head back to sleep just as everyone else is waking up!!
If not, escape the heat and pop up to Canada. It’s looovely at this time of year!!
Beautiful photos, Josy. They make me nostalgic for the perfectly manicured look of the English countryside. x
Thanks lovely!
It does look quite manicured and green doesn’t it! I really loved those views.
Such a beautiful place to go for a hike. So green!! I’m loving your jumping shot with the breathtaking scenery. And all photos are lovely indeed..
Thanks Nafisa!
I look pretty crazy in one of the jumping shots, but the one at the top of the Worcester Beacon is pretty cool!! 😉
Gorgeous. What a beautiful place to hike and take in all the greenery. I can almost smell the fresh air from your great shots! Amazing jumping shots!!
Thank you!! It was really lovely fresh air (it smells sooo good near those bluebells!!)
I haven’t heard about Malvern Hills until now but they indeed seem like a perfect hiking destination, Josy. Is it possible to go camping there?
I think it must be, but just not on the top of the hills – I am sure I saw some signs for camp sites as we were driving through. 🙂
The has encouraged me to start walking further out and explore. The view, and the things you see on the way is really breathtaking.
Thanks Farah! That is such a sweet thing to say, I hope you love your own walks!! <3
I never knew England was so green! I need to make a trip out here to see the beautiful views for myself. The obligatory jumping shots are needed for every hiking trip 🙂
England can be soooo pretty! I think I never really noticed it, until the first time I moved away. I am happy that I can appreciate it now.
The Malverns are a part of the country I’ve travelled through so many times yet ever stopped to walk. What a mistake! We’ll definiately make a point to explore here in future, it looks absolutely beautiful – thank you for sharing.
Oooh I hope you can stop and take a peek next time Alice! Even if you don’t want to walk, some of the bluebell-covered hills were right by the road, so you can even just drive up and see the views! Plus, there are lots of good pubs if you need a break and some grub. 🙂
I’m always reluctant to get out of the car during a road trip (especially in the UK when it’s cold and grey outside!)… I *may* have missed Stonehenge for this reason when I was a grumpy teenager on a road trip with my parents! Shameful, I know. But I would definitely stop for this! And you really had perfect weather for it!
Lol I do understand that feeling! Sometimes I just want to arrive at where we are heading.
But recently I’ve been trying to enjoy the journey as part of travelling…so we often stop off on the way to places to hike or explore. It makes it seem like driving as less of a waste of a day…
The Malvern Hills are truly beautiful 😍
They really are aren’t they!! It’s only about an hour away for you right? I am sure we drove past Ritu-land on the way there!!
You may have done!!!!
Beautiful spot! Love the images of rolling green hills so magical:)!
Thank you so much Eva!! I love sharing piccies of pretty views!!
Wow, those pictures are great. It truly was an area of outstanding beauty. And who doesn’t love a hike that begins in a Pub and ends with a car ride back?
Lol YES!! It was really easy! My mum was brilliant at finding lollipop hikes and then collecting us at the other end. Normally we just do the same walk twice to return to the carpark!
I just think I am.not built to jump like That! Another lovely walk post x
If we ever meet up, I bet I could get you jumping! The trick is to train your husband to be good at taking the photo at the highest point of the jump!! 😉
Stunning -beautiful part of the country. We have some truly wonderful walks in the UK!
We really do!!
I have to admit, when I first saw ‘AONB’ on maps in the UK, I thought it was a bit conceited (shouting that this is an area of outstanding natural beauty!) but they are really pretty areas.
Some of the most beautiful hikes I’ve done were in the UK. People complain about the weather, but the landscapes are incredible! I’ve never been to this part of the country, but now I want to! The bluebells are gorgeous and Table Hill and the North Hill look marvelous! Haha of course you had to take a jumping picture! It’s mandatory =)
Hehe I think complaining about the weather is just for the fun of complaining. The UK has pretty mild, easy to live in weather!! 😉
I totally agree about the prettiness of hikes though. I think misty hikes can be incredibly beautiful too.
The Malverns are very pretty. I’ve walked there and cycled across them on the way from Worcester to Ross-on-Wye.
Oooh that must have been a good leg workout on a bike April!! 😀
Whilst this is quite different from your Canada/New Zealand posts, it really is just as lovely. I haven’t seen the Malvern hills, but I’ll add them to my bucket list.
Thanks Hayley!
Are you close-ish? It seems like lots of us drive past this area without stopping, but it is really worth getting off the motorway to explore!!
Sadly not. I live in Yorkshire and when I’m visiting my family in Oxfordshire we go straight down the M1, but I’m sure we’ll make it across there one day. It just looks so lush.
I need to explore Yorkshire more too! You have soooo many pretty places on your doorstep! 🙂
I am so lucky living here. So many amazing & stunning walks. You’d love exploring Yorkshire, Josy.
At least you didn’t fall on any gorse when you slipped… 😀