Hidden Beauty

Hidden beauty Nestled between the Malvern Hills and the Cotswolds, sleepy Worcestershire is full of rural charm.

Few ranges in Britain are quite so satisfyingly shapely as the Malvern Hills. The rounded belt of green peaks stretches to a total length of some eight miles – no great distance, but the chain’s pleasing bulk is accentuated by flatlands on either side, making the hills not just an uplifting sight but a natural magnet for the eye.

The range rather begs to be walked, and the good news for those who heed the call is that the summits are simple to climb and afford deep, drowsy views over both English and Welsh countryside.

The hills certainly worked their allure on the great composer Sir Edward Elgar, who was born and spent much of his life in one of the counties spread under them: proud, peaceful Worcestershire. Elgar, whose Pomp & Circumstance Marches and Enigma Variations remain among the most recognisable British classical works of all time, is known to have drawn inspiration for some of his compositions from the beauty of these same hills. When he died in 1934, he was buried a mere flute-call away at St Wulstan’s Church in Little Malvern, where his gravestone – shared with his wife – still stands.

Elgar wasn’t alone in his appreciation of the Malvern Hills. The writer JRR Tolkien also hiked here and is said to have based some of his depictions of Middle Earth on their flowing topography. And if all this seems like a rather recent historical take on an ancient mass of land, the hills have many older associations too.