MALVERN Help for Heroes is holding its annual Challenge in September, two walks across the famous hills.

Catering for all abilities and ages, they are not competitive races but trials of stamina and consist of a"long walk" of 15k (just over nine miles) and a "short walk" of 7k (just over four miles), both held on Saturday, September 12.

Malvern H4H organiser Tim Kidwell said: "It’s going to be a great day out filled with fun and a truly amazing sense of achievement. Set on the beautiful Malvern Hills with their spectacular views and historic landmarks, the routes take in some tough gradients and relaxing flats with picturesque woods and open grazing, all on clearly marked tracks and lanes."

Registration will be at the Malvern Splash car park close to the centre of town and Great Malvern railway station. Special event coaches will take those entered for the long walk to the start on the Bromsberrow Estate with its extensive 18th-century parkland and ornamental woodland.

The long walk Challenge starts up the estate’s south drive and continues north to take in the hamlet of Whiteleaved Oak. Hollybush on the Eastnor Estate provides a loo stop before the haul up Monument Hill, but the fabulous views across Herefordshire, Eastnor Castle and the Needle are well worth the effort. The fort at British Camp provides a focus for the next stage with a warm welcome to be found on the far side at the Malvern Hills Hotel.

For the short walk, coaches drop off entrants at the Malvern Hills Hotel and all set off to the Wyche via Pinnacle and Jubilee Hills with unique views west into Wales and east across the Severn Valley and to the Cotswolds. The Wyche provides a welcome break, with the Wyche Inn just a few meters off the route, before heading up to the Worcestershire Beacon and its stunning panorama. With the back of the Challenge broken, it’s down past the pretty St Ann’s Well to the finish in Malvern’s Rosebank Gardens.

Mr Kidwell added: "Walkers will be greeted at the event's finish by celebrities, including Hero the Bear, to present them with their medals. A host of local organisations, businesses and services will be there to provide a fun-time finishing party with the Mount Pleasant Hotel offering refreshment."

Register now at www.malvernhillschallenge.org