A moderate route in Malverns. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: Roadside parking, North Malvern (SO 770 470). If roadside spaces are taken, there is a pay-and-display car park just over the road.
Terrain: Track, Three Choirs Way, Worcestershire Way, open hill path, summit ridge, road crossing, woodland path, lakeside path Notable features: North Hill, Table Hill, Sugar Loaf Hill, Worcestershire Beacon with toposcope (425m — highest point in the Malvern Hills), Summer Hill, Perseverance Hill, Jubilee Hill, Pinnacle Hill, Black Hill, Earnshaw Lake, St Ann's Well, Three Choirs Way, Worcestershire Way, Geopark Way IMPORTANT — HILL SAFETY: This walk traverses the Malvern Hills ridge to Black Hill, involving significant ascent and descent. The ridge is prone to strong winds. Wear appropriate footwear and clothing and check the weather forecast before setting out.
A thoroughly enjoyable ridge walk that covers the Malvern Hills from North Hill to Black Hill and back, combining two of the great long-distance paths of the West Midlands — the Three Choirs Way and the Worcestershire Way — with an outstanding collection of summits. The Worcestershire Beacon is the undoubted highlight, its toposcope inviting you to linger and identify the remarkable panorama spread across the surrounding counties on a clear day, but the walk is exceptional throughout, with wide views east across the Severn plain and west into Herefordshire accompanying almost every step along the ridge. The two-stage structure — out along the crest and back on the upper eastern flank — makes excellent use of the terrain, keeping the return route interesting rather than simply retracing the outward path. The pause at Upper Wyche for the public conveniences and the option of the pub on the return leg, and the stop at St Ann's Well with its famous Malvern spring water, break the walk up neatly. A brilliant walk on a brilliant ridge.