Worcestershire Beacon - County Top Walk
Sunday 6th August 2006
A trip 'down south' (well for us) to the edge of The Cotswolds gave us an opportunity to walk most of the Malvern Ridge and take in a County Top at the same time. The views extended for miles on either side of the ridge, but without a more detailed knowledge of the area it wasn't possible to identify the various hills we could see in the distance. It was a very hot day (despite the cloud that gathered during the day) so hot that when we were walking through the bracken it often felt like we were in an oven. We did consider walking back along the ridge, but the heat and lack of shade meant that we opted to return along the shady track below the Malvern Hills and stop for a welcome pint during the walk, instead of having one when the walk was completed.
Order in which the hills along the ridge were walked: Swinyard Hill, Millennium Hill, Herefordshire Beacon, Black Hill, Pinnacle Hill, Jubilee Hill, Perseverance Hill, Summer Hill, Worcestershire Beacon, North Hill.
Start: Swinyard car park (SO 7664 3812)
Route: Swinyard car park - Swinyard Hill - Herefordshire Beacon - Black Hill - Worcestershire Beacon (CT) - North Hill - Upper Colwall - Wynds Point - British Camp Reservoir - Swinyard car park
Distance: 10.25 miles Ascent: 640 metres Time Taken: 6 hrs 20 mins
Weather: Very hot with an occasional breeze on the ridge.
Pub Visited: Malvern Hills Hotel, British Camp, Malvern Ale Drunk: Malvern Hills Hotel, British Camp, Malvern
The climb to the top of the first hill (Swinyard Hill) gave us a fine view of the obelisk in Eastnor Park.
On the way to the second hill of the day (Millennium Hill) we passed Giant's Cave.
From Millennium Hill we had a fine view of the walk that lay head. From L - R the four summits are:
Worcestershire Beacon, Jubilee Hill, Pinnacle Hill & Black Hill.
Looking back to the first summit of the day Swinyard Hill, from Millennium Hill.
The next hill was the Herefordshire Beacon which was also an excellent example of an Iron-Age Hillfort.
Millennium Hill from the Herefordshire Beacon.
Millennium Hill (L) and the Herefordshire Beacon (R) from Black Hill.
The climb to the top of Pinnacle Hill was steeper than it looked from the summit of Black Hill.
From the top of Jubilee Hill we had our first real look at the climb to the top of the Worcestershire Beacon.
Perseverance Hill is the summit between us and the highest point of the day.
Looking back at Jubilee Hill from Summer Hill, Perseverance Hill in the foreground.
Most of the route we had taken is visible in this shot taken from the summit of the Worcestershire Beacon.
The trig on the very busy summit of the Worcestershire Beacon which is the County Top of Worcestershire.
A very new toposcope ..........
........ which makes it quite clear where you are. The original one was stolen!!
The final summit of the day North Hill (R) and Table Hill (L) from the Worcestershire Beacon.
Looking back to the Worcestershire Beacon from Table Hill with Sugarloaf Hill on the right.
As we walked along both the ridge and the path below it we came across many seats all of which were
in memory of someone linked with the Malvern Hills.
Welcome shade along the path below the ridge.
British Camp Reservoir with Millennium Hill in the background.
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