Some of the loveliest places to visit near us are the ones you can see from where you stand. The Malvern Hills are like that for us, a long green ridge sitting there on the horizon, close enough to walk and big enough to fill a whole day. People come to Ockeridge for the quiet and the copper baths, and then they look up and find a whole adventure waiting just down the road.
The view from our gates
It happens most weeks. Guests come out of the huts in the morning with a coffee, they look out past the fields, and they spot that ridge in the distance. ‘What’s that,’ they ask, and Elliot tells them, well, they’re the Malvern Hills, you can go and walk them, only about forty minutes away. And you can almost see them do the maths in their head, thinking it must be miles off. It isn’t. They’re always amazed that something that looks so far away is so close, and that they can be standing on top of it by lunchtime. We never really get over having that view as our everyday backdrop, to be honest. You look out and there it is.
Malvern Hills walking for every energy level
The best thing about walking here is that you choose your own day. If you fancy a proper leg stretch, you can head up towards the Worcestershire Beacon, the highest point of the whole range, where on a clear day the view seems to go on forever. If you want something with a bit of history under your boots, British Camp is the one, an Iron Age hillfort where people lived thousands of years ago, and you can still see the shape of it worked into the hillside. It’s a bit different, isn’t it, walking a path that old.
And you don’t have to do it all. Plenty of guests just want a gentle wander up onto the ridge, a sit down somewhere with a view, and a slow amble back. That counts too. The hills are laced with paths going every which way, so you can make your walk as easy or as long as you like, and no two days on them ever feel quite the same. There are good maps and route guides on the Malvern Hills Trust website if you like to plan before you set off.
Malvern town, tea and the famous springs
When your legs have had enough, the town of Malvern is a treat all of its own. It grew up as a spa town because of the water, and Malvern spring water is famous the world over, so pure that it’s bottled and sent everywhere. You can still find the old spouts and wells dotted about, and there’s something lovely about cupping your hands under water that’s been drawing people here for centuries.
After a walk there’s nothing better than a proper pot of tea and a slice of something in one of the little cafes, watching other walkers come down off the hills with the same rosy, windblown look. A pint works just as well if that’s more your thing. It’s simple stuff, a good walk and a good sit down afterwards, but that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it.
An easy base in the Worcestershire countryside
What makes it all work is how easy we are to set off from. Tuck yourself into the Ashwood or the Abberley the night before, sleep like a log, wake up to that ridge on the horizon and just go. Then come home to a hut, run a deep copper bath, and soak the walk out of your legs in fresh water at whatever temperature you like. There’s lots more to explore round here too, and you’ll find plenty of it on our out and about page.
Come and wake up to this view, then go and walk those hills. Book your hut with us and let us be your base for it.
