Favourite Walks by Secret Hills Walking

Ledbury and Worcestershire Beacon - By Alan Garner 

The walk starts in the centre of Ledbury by the Market Hall.

Proceed slightly uphill on the main A449 road headed for Worcester, Great Malvern and Eastnor. On the right-hand side of the street, at the end of the housing, take a right footpath. After 200 yards, keep left then cross a track., all this through woodland.

The path winds a little, crosses another broad track and just beyond, keep right at the next at junction. Into a small patch of open land- small pool on your left, and then back into woodland before joining a broader track in front of you.

Leave this track and follow path alongside small stream, eventually into a small corpse and pass a small pond as the path turns into a small track. Take a left by the end of the pool and pass through Eastnor Farm to a lane.

Keep going forward past Eastnor school and to main A438 road. Look across the road and see a broad track going straight on at right angles to road- this is The Ridgeway and it ascends towards the Malvern Hills.

On the right is Eastnor Castle and a stream that feeds the lake below you. The Ridgeway is a good track and is two miles steadily up hill through wooded hillsides and largely in woodland. Reach the main road and turn right but enter the hillside of the Herefordshire Beacon and the British camp. The Camp is an Iron Age hill fort, and is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is owned and maintained by Malvern Hills Conservators. The fort is thought to have been first constructed in the 2nd century BC. A Norman castle was built on the site.

Explore here- then make your way to the main carpark- refreshments across the road, and the Malvern Hills Hotel also for that cool pint of cup of tea.

The next part of the walk takes you along the Malvern Hills ridge line, walk past the hotel and look left along the lane known as Jubilee Drive and soot run right onto the hillside.

There are at least three paths that you can take bt I recommend the higher path for super views. Over Black Hill and Pinnacle Hill, then Jubilee Hill. Cross Perseverance Hill to the Upper Wyche gap.

You are now heading for the Worcestershire Beacon, explore and take in the grand views.
Down the other side of the beacon and at a toposcope- with North Hill in front of you, take one of the two paths downwards , one the Green Valley that leads to St Anne’s Well- you may get a refreshing drink here but the café is not always open.

Head steeply downwards and into Great Malvern.

Buses and trains back to Ledbury.

10.8 miles – starting at 80 metres high in Ledbury and ascending to 414 metres at the Worcester Beacon, Total ascent and descent is 780 metres.
Allow six hours for this walk including rest and viewing stops and a lunch stop.