5 on this long expedition in warm and sunny weather.

Tourists are back, and with a vengeance: only after the Windsor & Eton crowd had departed at Slough and the Oxford masses had left the train a bit later, did a quiet journey develop.

In Great Malvern, we were only slightly delayed by a food fair in Priory Park, before scaling The 99 Steps to St Anne's Well and spending most of the route to lunch under tree cover, with plenty of breaks in the canopy though for views into the plain.

At the Malvern Hills hotel, 4 had lunch, while the 1 picnicker settled at the next-door Sally's Cafe for a hot drink and an ice cream (local farm-made). Up onto the ridge then and into the sun, but thankfully with a kind breeze that prevented the weather feeling stifling. The views from the Herefordshire Beacon were simply stupendous, the dry air having no haze at all. So, not only were the Cotswolds and the Black Mountains crystal clear, but also Sugarloaf, Blorenge, The Skirrid and the Central Beacons out to Pen y Fan.

We descended to the road through the pass and the 4 lunchers then decided to have a go at the local farm-made ice cream as well. 6 more hills to go then, and by the time we got up onto the Worcestershire Beacon, the lightest of hazes had developed, yet this was the first instance I can remember when one could clearly see ALL the hills and towns detailed on the toposcope. The Long Mynd and The Wrekin in Shropshire seeemed just a stones' throw away...

At the decision point (extension or not) it had reached 6 o'clock already, and unanimously we turned down into Great Malvern, where 3 stocked up with food and drink for the 19.00 train, while 2 with Advance tickets for the 20.55 settled in for dinner in the perfect-for-an-outdoor-meal temperatures.

Due to a change of plan for one walker, a couple of cheap Advance tickets for the 19.12 return train are available (£20.00 for two). They are only valid though with a Two Together-Card and for two people travelling together! If interested, send an email to me (if you have my address) or to saturdaywalkersatyahoodotcodotuk

Hi,

I read that it is a 'self led' hiking.

Does it mean there's no an organizer at Colwall station?

How can I recognize the other members of the group?

How can we know when all the members of the group have reached the rendez-vous?

Thank you

Andrea

Hi. Quite straightforward: we will be 20+ walkers getting off the 9.26 train at Colwall, grouping up on the platform. Our walks are self led insofar as you are expected to have the written directions printed out or at least the GPX route downloaded, so that you can walk your own pace should you want to. There are no formal leaders. And the group often subdivide into groups walking different paces or variations of the route.

There may not be 20 if she is taking the train from Paddington, Thomas. There are 20 of us staying in the area, who will do the earlier start. How many will travel from Paddington for the 11.25 start is uncertain, especially as it requires an unusually early start from London.

27 today, 17 of those walking the southerly extension (with some pretty steep bits), about a handful the posted 18km norm walk, and the rest some shortcut, mostly by turning left at the Silurian Pass and cutting out any hills south of British Camp.

The weather was dry and sunny with passing clouds, meaning very far views: from the ridge we could not only see cloud-free Black Mountains and Cotswolds (and Bredon Hill anyway), but also some ranges in Mid-Wales, the Wrekin and other Shropshire hills, etc.

The very different outbound route compared to yesterday seemed to find favour, justifying the separate posting. A few bailed out by taxi from The Malvern Hills Hotel lunch stop, not feeling well, one explored an alternative finish to Ledbury, but most of the rest did not mind re-doing the core ridge walk between Herefordshire and Worcestershire Beacons.

All in, 30 different SWC-folk in total over the three days.

dry and sunny with passing clouds

Is there any connection between this area and Elgar? I have long wanted to see the area he lived in.

There absolutely is, yes. This is the area he loved and mostly lived in. The landscape is the one his music describes and encapsulates. Elgar himself once claimed that much of his music came from walking and cycling around the area and writing down the sounds he heard. He lived in various places in the area (particularly in Worcester) and there is even an Elgar Birthplace Museum - though I would warm you he only lived there till he was two, so the influence on him of that particular location can’t have been that great!

Elgar's statue is passed early on: see the last para on page 5 of the pdf

Due to a change of plan for one walker, a couple of cheap Advance tickets for the 19.12 return train on Sunday are available (£20.00 for two). They are only valid though with a Two Together-Card and for two people travelling together! If interested, send an email to me (if you have my address) or to saturdaywalkersatyahoodotcodotuk

So there it was: the easiest accessible ridge walk in Britain (possibly). In weather much improved from yesterday, namely dry with sunny periods .

22 at the station, 3 picked up higher up in Gt. Malvern near their hotel/bus drop off, 1 starting early straight from his hotel and 2 up from London on a later train. 28

The sightseeing bit at the start of the route seemed to be appreciated by the masses, as was the first bit of ascent out of town to St. Ann's Wells. We then contoured the ridge half-way up it, mainly under tree cover, past the odd viewpoint, quarry or hidden lake, a bit of ridge walking with views of hills to climb later, and the Holy Well. Some stopped at the lunch pub at its first passing, reasoning that the loop up to Herefordshire Beacon and back down was unnecessary as we'd be up there tomorrow anyway, but most took the time.

Fine views were the just reward, as it would be the case from the following tops, to The Black Mountains across Herefordshire, and into the Severn Plain and to The Cotswolds on the other side.

About half the group walked the northerly extension to End Hill and North Hill, towering over Great Malvern. Drinks were in order at The Red Lion after the descent.