Malvern Hills Sunset: December 20th (Friday) Supporting SeeSaw
Regular price
£20.00
Spectacular views!
It is no surprise the Malverns have been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Full of incredible history, this is undoubtedly on the most stunning hills ranges around!
We take 12 mile trek up and down a wonderful route with spectacular views over the Cotswolds one way; the Black Mountains & Brecon Beacons in Wales the other. Read more about this fascinating route below.
The Details:
All of the info for the walk is below. Once signed up, you will receive an automatic booking email as confirmation (may need to check your SPAM folder). We look forward to welcoming you to the walk and will be in touch near the day via the event WhatsApp (please see below).
- 10:00am meet, prompt 10:15 start.
- Swinyard Pay & Display (cards accepted) HR8 1EU.
- Transport: 8:00am from OX5 1RR can be booked above.
- Walk Distance: 12miles approx.
- Walk duration 6+hours.
- Walk Rating - Strenuous.
- Leader: Chris meet our leaders.
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If you have any question or need any further info, please do get in touch by email: info@getoutdoorsuk.org
Finding the Car Park:
If heading towards Eastnor and Ledbury on the A438, turn right onto a very narrow road as you reach Hollybush (2 miles before Eastnor). The nearest postcode of HR8 1EU takes you to Zephir Lidar Farm; go past the farm entrance and soon after is the pay and display car park on the right.
Important Instructions:
- A WHATSAPP group will be created to share info and photos on the day. In signing up to the event you are agreeing to be added to this group, which will contain other participants. This is necessary so that details can be shared in the run up to the event, including last minute changes, reminders or cancellations.
- Charity involvement: many of our walks are being run in partnership with charities. As such, sign up information is shared with the charity involved for the purpose of running the event and communicating its purpose, which is to help raise awareness and funds for the charity. By signing up, you are agreeing to receive information from Get Outdoors and the charity.
- Remember waterproofs, walking boots/shoes and a packed lunch & water.
- Please note you may need to pay for parking.
- Dogs are welcome, but are entirely the owner's responsibility and must have a lead and be under close control at all times.
- If encountering livestock do not walk too close or get between a cow and calf. If threatened, let go of your dog so it can escape and reduce the risk to yourself.
- Please keep to the indicated public rights of way and respect the landowner’s property at all times.
- There are often stiles to negotiate on this type of walk.
- Countryside walking can often include hills and uneven terrain. Our group ethos is to support everyone in group to achieve their maximum potential in terms of completing the route. As such, we endeavour to walk at a pace all participants are comfortable with. We apologise if this causes any frustration to fitter walkers.
- Please consult your doctor if you are at all worried about your fitness and ability to take part.
- Please inform the walk leaders, Get Outdoors, of any underlying health conditions that may affect your walking ability before signing up.
Required Form:
We need a few more details from everyone, so we know how best to look after you. Once you have booked your walk above, please follow this link and complete some simple questions ASAP: Applicant H&S Registration Form
Supporting Seesaw:
Half of the sign up fee will be donated to Oxford based SeeSaw and we encourage everyone to set up a fundraising page to support them even more! E.g. Justgiving
One of our favourite charities, which "provides support for children, young people and their families in Oxfordshire when they have been bereaved or when somebody close to them is terminally ill."
The Route:
The Malvern Hills is one long ridge made up of a series of hills that tower over the surrounding countryside, providing a quite unique and outstanding view for miles in all directions. Designated as a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest and as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by Natural England. Famous for being the source of Malvern Spring Water; the home of the Morgan Motorcar Company; the invention of Radar; a place Sir Charles Darwin would come to convalesce from 1849 and where Anne his daughter was buried at Great Malvern Priory in 1851.
Malvern was home to composure Edward Elgar from 1899 to 1934, when he died and was buried in Little Malvern. Florence Nightingale visited Malvern on numerous occasions to seek an improvement to her ill health through the Malvern Water hydrotherapy and "water cure", due to the healing properties it was said to possess - and she lived to 90!
10:00am - Meet
Starting at the southern end of the Malverns range, we climb over Swinyard Hill, Hangsman Hill and Millenium Hill to the Herefordshire Beacon, the site of the British Camp, an Iron Age hill fort. This site is thought to date back 3,500 years to the Bronze age, before the Common Era and was extended subsequently with a medieval castle around 1060. Ancient folklore has it that this is where the British chieftain Caractacus made his last stand against the Romans. The extensive earthworks remain clearly visible today and determine the shape of the hill.
Our view from this wide ridge of hills extends over the Cotswolds to the east and out into the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons to the west. Close by we glimpse Eastnor Park and its mock castle built between 1812 and 1820 for the 1st Earl of Somers; owned and lived in now by descendent James Felton Somers Hervey-Bathurst CBE, who is the 6th Baron Somers and who's titles include the High Sheriff of Herefordshire and Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition for services to national heritage. The castle is open for tours certain times of the year, as well as being a wedding venue. We can see the 90ft grade 2 listed Eastnor Obelisk at the southern end of the hills, which was also built in 1812 to commemorate various distinguishes members of the Somers Cocks family.
11:30pm - Coffee & toilet stop
Having dropped down to Sally's for our brief pitstop it's time to climb gradually back up the ridge and on to climb Black Hill, Pinnacle Hill and Jubilee Hill before dropping down again to cross the Wyche Cutting, a mountain pass through the hills used in prehistoric times as part of the salt route from Droitwich to South Wales.
1:00pm - Lunch & toilet stop
We follow the steps of George Mallory, the English mountaineer who took part in the first 3 British expeditions to Everest. He walked here in his teens, as strangely these were the highest peaks he had climbed before taking up mountaineering in the Alps and Himalayas in the early 1900s. As well as the Lake District, he returned to use the Malvern Hills to prepare for his fateful ascent of Everest in 1924 with Andrew Irvine - it is still debated as to whether they made it to the summit at Mallory's 3rd attempt. They were last spotted 245m below. Mallory's body wasn't discovered until 1st May 1999.
Continuing our undulating route, we take in almost the entire length of the hill range. We over look the grandure of Malvern College (founded 1865), attended by CS Lewis in 1913, who's description of Narnia was inspired by the hills, where he spent time with J.R.R. Tolkien. There is also the Three Counties Show Ground below, which has been holding shows in some form since 1797.
We finally ascend a long slow climb to the top of Summer Hill, where the spectacular plinth of the Worcestershire Beacon (1,395ft) sits at the Malvern Hill's highest point and our furthest destination.
2:00pm - Worcestershire Beacon Summit
We turn around and head back mainly taking the lower paths homewards.
3:00pm - Toilet & Coffee stop
If time allows or needs to be filled, we will stop again at Sally's Cafe' for refreshments and toilets.
4:00pm - Sunset on British New Camp
4:00pm - Sunset on British New Camp
We then head for British Camp, for what can often be a chilly sunset from the perfect view point on top of the hill.
4:45pm - Finish back at Swinyard Car Park
As the lights starts to fade, we make our way back to the car park, for the end of a most satisfying day.
