Worcestershire is a county in the heart of the West Midlands, not far from England’s second largest city of Birmingham. But a world away in terms of stunning countryside, canal walks and pretty villages and market towns.
Parts of The Cotswolds (England’s largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) spill over from Gloucestershire to here, including the village of Broadway, which back in the day was a stagecoach stop, for people travelling from Worcester to London.
Broadway Tower is the second highest point in the Cotswolds, 312 metres above sea level, first used to warn of the Spanish Armada back in 1588. If you venture up it, you can see views for 60 miles across 16 counties.
Riverside Walks in Worcester
Worcester is one of England’s oldest cities, with a rich history and a surprising amount of green spaces and parks. The street layout of cobbled Tudor streets and Queen Anne architecture has not changed much, and you can enjoy a lovely 3.5 mile circular walk that begins and ends at the city cathedral, enjoying the views along the banks of the River Severn.
Malvern Hills: England’s Mini Himalayas
The Malvern Hills are kind of like ‘England’s mini-Himalayas’ (often used as practice for climbers attempting Mount Everest). Forming a natural border between Worcestershire and Herefordshire, this is the largest area of open common land in the West Midlands, covering 3000 acres
Always follow the Countryside Code, to keep dogs and livestock safe.
Stretching over eight miles, they are easy to reach by train from Birmingham or Hereford, then just a short trip from Great Malvern train station.
Mostly made from granite and schist (mineral rock), tectonic movements caused rugged peaks to rise up to form one of England’s oldest landscapes, telling stories of prehistoric oceans and volcanic eruptions. Here you’ll find hills carpeted with heather and gorse, the slopes bursting with different colours each season. And a tapestry of native wildlife, from roe deer and skylarks to the rare high brown fritillary butterfly.
If you fancy climbing to the Worcestershire Beacon, on a clear day you’ll be rewarded with views across 13 counties, three cathedrals (Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester) and the Welsh mountain peaks.
At the foot of the hills lies the spa town of Malvern, where Victorians would visit to ‘take the waters’ for good health. You could even trace the steps from pilgrims years before, and visit St Ann’s Well, reputed to have healing waters. Nearby Droitwich is known for its sea salt (the nearby river Salwarpe means ‘the river that throws up salt!’
Home to the (resilient) Cubbington Pear Tree
HS2 high-speed rail project has already decimated large areas of Buckinghamshire and the surrounding Chiltern Hills. It also has chopped down England’s second-largest pear tree – in Worcestershire. The Cubbington Pear tree has however (like the Northumbrian sycamore tree that was recently felled by vandals) displayed immense strength, showed signs of coming back to life, showing new seedlings from its transplanted tree stump.
But it need never have been chopped down in the first place. Locals say the loss of this 250-year old tree was ‘devastating’ and ‘heartbreaking’. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust says the Cubbington Pear Tree is the ‘poster-boy for all the trees along the route of HS2 that are under threat.
HS2 won’t do anything to stop climate change (some parts are even planned to link to airports?). And experts say that due to England not being a huge country, we don’t even need high-speed rail. If built, it could kill around 22,000 wildlife each year, based on comparisons with other high-speed rails abroad. Wildfowl in particular (like swans) mistake flooded railways for rivers, and take them and their cygnets for swims along the waterways.
All sustainability campaigners, say the money could be better spent updating rolling stock (especially in ‘ignored areas’ like the north of England and south west, which often have poor public transport links for both trains and buses).
Setting of Radio 4’s ‘The Archers?’
The Archers has broadcast on BBC Radio 4 since 1951, set in the fictional village of Ambridge. Some people believe this is based on the Worcestershire village of Cutnall Green.
Underneath the Archers is a book by an ecological farmer (who wrote over 600 episodes), who looks at how this much-loved drama of farming life, which covers real events like floods, GM crops and loss of family farms. And asks if new stories could help return from industrial agriculture, back to nature-friendly farming methods?
Everyone Here Seems to Be Vegan!
Maybe it’s something in the Malvern water, but this is one of the most vegan-friendly areas of England (locals choose Bonsan organic Worcestershire sauce, as it’s free from anchovies). You can even take a vegan cooking class with Our Lizzy (then walk off your dinner in the Malvern Hills!)
Worcestershire has several farm sanctuaries, where abused/neglected barnyard friends receive loving homes. All struggle financially (so find ideas to help your local farm sanctuaries):
- Baah-land (over 100 happy residents, run on a shoestring budget)
- The Farm Animal Sanctuary (one pig was found by council workers on the M42, likely fallen off a trailer to an illegal slaughterhouse).
- Goodheart Sanctuaries (home to over 300 rescued animals in 92 acres of rolling countryside, plus two large pools for waterfowl).
- Hillfields Animal Sanctuary (refuge for 300 animals, who live out their days free from fear, neglect or cruelty).
