Our Spring break this year was to an area we had not visited before, despite being not very far from our home.

The itinerary was to take in some history, some culture and to walk some hills, and so we packed up "Mary Poppins", imprisoned the cats and, hoping for a change in the unrelenting bad weather of the past few months, set off for a few days in Great Malvern.

Opting for the scenic route, we found ourselves in Tewkesbury, site of one of the most decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. That ticks a History box! Skipping quickly past any possible ancestral affiliations we settled on some neutral ground in Tewkesbury Abbey, a quite stunning example of Norman architecture.

The Abbey survived the "Dissolution of the Monasteries", by the simple expedient of identifying, not as a Benedictine Abbey but as a simple Parish Church for the town which, the townspeople asserted, they had the right to keep. The townsfolk bought the structure from the Crown for the value of its bells and lead roof which would otherwise have been salvaged and melted down, leaving the building a roofless ruin. The price came to £453.

Today the Abbey is home to a 27cwt ring of 12 bells, but sadly there will be no ringing for me on this trip.

The day, dawned bright and optimistic. From our breakfast window the Malvern Ridge appeared clear and inviting, I think we have a plan for the day! Leaving the car behind we pulled on our big boots and set off on an adventure. Although it is perfectly feasible to walk the entire Ridge in one day, we decided to confine ourselves to the northern part today and to leave the southern part for another day.

Our route skirted the town of Great Malvern, and climbed steeply through fields and roads lined with large houses, towards the Wytch Cutting, marking the border between Worcestershire and Herefordshire. From here we began to climb onto the Ridge itself, aiming for the highest point, the Worcestershire Beacon (1,394ft). The clear, fresh weather gave stunning views, to the East, across the Severn Plain and to the West, across Herefordshire to the Black Mountains of the Welsh Borders. Beyond The Beacon lie the lesser summits of Sugarloaf and North Hill and the route down to Great Malvern, via St Ann’s Well, to be refreshed by pure Malvern Spring Water straight out of the aquifer. That ticks a Hill Walking box!

A late lunch was found in one of the many cafes, leaving time to explore Great Malvern, a Victorian Spa town and beloved home and inspiration of Sir Edward Elgar, whose statue stands on Belle Vue Island, looking down Church Street and across the Severn Plain.

Venturing to Worcester to escape a rainy start to the day we took in more of the “Elgar Route” and wandered in to Worcester Cathedral to see the window which inspired Elgar’s work “The Dream of Gerontius”. Much preparation was ongoing as the following week would see The Queen, standing in for King Charles, distributing Maundy Money from the Cathedral.

The following week would also see the River Severn burst its banks, resulting in extensive flooding of the Worcestershire County Cricket ground opposite the Cathedral.

Leaving Worcester we moved on to Croome Court. Originally owned by the Earl of Coventry, a rather “indifferent” red brick building was modified in the mid 18th century into a Neo-Palladian mansion, to better fit with the owners social aspirations. At great expense the house was decorated by Robert Adam and the parkland grounds landscaped by Capability Brown. It was once visited by George III.

By the early 20th century the fortunes of the house were in decline and it entered a period of some turmoil, being requisitioned by the MOD during the war, the estate became a centre for the development of RADAR.

Later roles for the building saw it used as a special school, a centre for a Hare Krishna sect in the 1970’s, who brought a interesting decorative style to some of the Robert Adam plasterwork, acquired by a property developer wanting to turn it into apartments, but when his plans were rejected proceeded to strip the roof and allow the building to fall into disrepair. The house was acquired by the Croome Heritage Trust in 2007, is today managed by the National Trust, and a program of limited restoration is under way.

The Other Way…turning our faces to the west we first aimed for Hereford, a chance to look around the Cathedral (33cwt ring of 10) but primarily to visit the Mappa Mundi Museum and the Chained Library.

The original Cathedral has its roots in the 9th century but was substantially rebuilt in the Norman period. We are all aware of the association between Hereford and the regiments of the SAS, a relationship celebrated in the Cathedral by a modern stained glass window. It is fair to say that the window appears to sit somewhat uncomfortably within the ancient architecture and some feel that its abstract nature does little to commemorate the men or achievements of the SAS.

Adjacent to the Cathedral is the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the then “known world”, drawn on a single sheet of vellum. The Map shows a Christian perspective, orientated with the East at the top (the expected direction of the Second Coming), and shows Jerusalem in the centre, with the British Isles bottom left.

The Chained Library is the largest surviving chained library in the world. In the early seventeenth century, chained libraries could be found in universities and cathedrals, but this is the only one still to be chained. It contains about 1,500 books, dating from around 800AD to the early nineteenth century, including 227 medieval manuscript books.

On to the Welsh borders and a visit to Hay on Wye. In contrast to the towns popularity during the “Book Festival” (typically late May- June) the town was very quiet, but a happy couple of hours was spent trawling the many book shops looking for interesting reads…some with more success than others!

A bright but windy day, the hills look inviting from our breakfast table and so again it's time for big boots and a walk to explore the southern part of the ridge. A bracing climb onto the main path and then up onto each summit, Perseverance Hill, Jubilee Hill and Pinnacle Hill before dropping down to Upper Colwall a quick coffee stop and then across the road to begin the climb up to the “British Camp” an Iron Age Hill Fort located at the top of the Herefordshire Beacon (1,109 feet). Following a very acceptable lunch, our return followed much the same path, the extra effort involved in climbing back onto the ridge far outweighed the prospect of a trudge back along the road…and those views!


At risk of offending Mary Poppins’ automotive feelings I felt that, while in the area, it would be rude to miss out on a visit to the Morgan works. There is something quite special about these quintessentially English "old school" sports cars, but if I were in the market for a “boys toy” would this be my first choice…I’m not sure! In any event the piggy bank did just about stretch to afternoon tea in the visitor centre cafe!