Malvern Hills

10:49am Monday 30th June 2008

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The Malvern Hills are formed from a mixture of rocks, including granite and diorite, which are nearly 700 million years old. Granite, in particular, has long been prized as a building material, so it’s no surprise to find abundant signs of quarrying in the hills.

In fact, old quarries are a common feature of our countryside in general, but mostly they are very small, having merely provided stone for a nearby village. Such quarries are quickly reclaimed by nature once abandoned by man, and they often enhance the landscape, providing additional habitats for wildlife.

Large-scale commercial quarrying is a different matter and the Malvern Hills have been badly scarred by granite extraction. Even here, however, nature has always fought back. The former Earnslaw quarry is a good example. It was started in 1836, and developed into a massive hole in the hills. In 1932 it caused a landslip, exposing the adjacent land, owned by Malvern Hills Conservators, to the risk of serious subsidence. After a legal battle, the Conservators won compensation. However, quarrying continued until the 1960s when the site was largely worked out. Worcestershire County Council bought it and leased it to the Conservators.

Since then, a wide range of flora and fauna has moved in, transforming the former industrial site. Most striking is Earnslaw Lake, the result of the quarry filling up with natural spring water. In summer its surface is covered with water lilies, above which jewel-coloured dragonflies and damselflies dart around in search of prey. The once ugly, noisy quarry has become a home for wildlife and an attraction for walkers and picnickers.

While Earnslaw can get quite crowded at times, far fewer people discover the lovely flowering meadows which survive in several places below the western side of the hills. One of these, near West Malvern, is included in this walk. As we stroll through it we can get an idea of what the Worcestershire countryside looked like before the advent of intensive farming.

FACT FILE

Start: Great Malvern, grid ref SO775459.

Length: Six miles/9.5km.

Maps: OS Explorer 190, OS Landranger 150. Terrain: Woodland and grassland, hilly but rarely steep.

Footpaths: Excellent.

Stiles: Two.

Parking: Great Malvern (or opposite Hayslad Spout).

Public transport: Frequent trains and buses;

First 44, daily and Astons 363, Monday-Saturday; www.worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or Worcestershire Hub 01905 765765. Refreshments: Reasonable choice in Great Malvern; café at St Ann's Well.

DIRECTIONS

1 If starting in Great Malvern, walk up Church Street, turn right on Worcester Road and then left on St Ann’s Road. Keep straight on when St Ann’s Road bends left. Turn right when you meet a path signed to North Quarry and Ivy Scar Rock. Climb a few paces to a junction and go right again. The path runs mainly through woodland but also through more open areas. Keep left at two forks, climbing slightly. After passing Ivy Scar Rock the path turns sharp left and then zigzags up to meet the Worcestershire Way, which is waymarked with a newly painted green pear and blue arrows.

2 Turn right, following the Worcestershire Way round North Hill and Table Hill, then gradually descending towards West Malvern. Ignore branching paths until you come to Westminster Bank Spring then take a track heading down to a road at West Malvern. Turn left, then go down Park Road. Keep right at the next fork, descending. When the houses on your right come to an end take an unmarked path across common land then cross a road to a footpath called The Quabbs, which descends steeply. Keep straight on at a junction near Model Farm, following a brook down to a track. Turn right, ignore a path on the left and proceed to a lane. Turn left.

3 Turn left on a footpath which runs mainly through woodland. Reaching a junction, go through a gate on the left and cross a meadow, then continue along a fenced/hedged path to a junction. Turn right on the access track to Mathon Lodge Farm, lined by majestic horse chestnuts, and walk to a lane. Turn left, then take a bridleway on the right, passing to the left of Park Farm. Keep left at an unmarked woodland junction, so that you meet the road opposite Hayslad Spout.

4 Walk uphill to the left of Hayslad then turn right on a track. After passing a turning area take a narrow path climbing past silver birches. Turn right at the top and walk past a quarry to find two paths going uphill. Take the right-hand one, climb to a grassy clearing and turn right. Climb gradually through woodland to reach the spine of the hills by a round, stone route indicator. Choose the path labelled ‘quarry walk’. After passing some large horse chestnuts fork right on a path by a wall. Descend to a junction in a clearing and stay on the main path which takes you left to Earnslaw Lake.

5 Leaving the lake, go back to the clearing and turn left. Reaching a junction, you can choose an easy route back to Great Malvern – just go straight on. Otherwise, go left uphill, zigzagging back to the ridge. Turn right at the top, over Worcestershire Beacon and descend northwards to a col where there is another round, stone route indicator. Choose either the Great Malvern path or the St Ann’s Well path – the latter is only a little less direct and is worth doing if you've never visited the well or you want to have a break at the café. If in doubt at any junction (of which there are many) just remember that you want to head down, and preferably slightly northwards.