Old Hills, Madresfield and Clevelode

Grade - Easy, with a couple of steady climbs.

Map - O.S. Explorer 190 (Malvern Hills and Bredon Hill)

Suitable for - All ages/families, but some parts may be difficult or overgrown

Duration - 3½ hours

Start - Car parking at Old Hills (marked with nameplate), on Worcester/Upton road, Grid Ref. SO829487 (Click here for start point map)

Refreshments - None, so packed lunch advisable!

It doesn't have the views from the Hills but makes up for that by having excellent views towards them and, most days, a feeling of quiet solitude away from crowded, well-walked paths. The walk commences from the small car park at Old Hills, a charming spot much favoured by summer picnickers, being as it is a fairly large, open grassy space with trees for shade if needed. Great favourites also are the flock of geese which call this place their own and are quite happy to pester you for titbits! The walk takes you up to and around part of the Madresfield estate, then across fields towards Clevelode down by the river Severn before returning to its start by way of St. Cloud, now a large Nursing Home.

Commence by leaving the parking area, making off in a Southerly direction across the grass to soon descend a slope towards another, smaller, car park at the bottom of the hill. Here turn right along a rutted track and carry on until a stile is seen at the left immediately before a wooded area.

Take this stile and follow the trees around, bearing slightly to the right. As the tree line turns sharply right, strike away across the field (keeping, in effect, to the line you have been following) towards a small footbridge almost directly ahead of you. Cross this and turn right along the edge of a field, initially with a hedge to your right. Keep forward in a straight line across this large field until a stile is seen ahead in the field boundary.

Cross this and keep straight ahead, crossing another stile and eventually coming to a metal kissing gate at the far end of the last field. Pass through this to take the gravelled track ahead - keeping an eye open for the profusion of flowers to be seen in the gardens to the side in Springtime - to soon arrive at a lodge beside the road.

Immediately after passing through this gate a stile will be seen to the right. Take this and then another shortly afterwards to emerge into a long, fairly narrow field with the imaginatively titled Flasher's Wood to your right. Walk forward along the field boundary with the wood to your right and, as the trees retreat, bear right across the open field, passing through a gate and aiming for an arm of the wood which comes in again from your right.

Keep again to the field edge with this spur of the wood still to your right. Leaving the trees behind, cross a stile and then an open field to reach an opening (a stile may now be present) in the corner of the field leading into a small plantation. This is Bill's Hill and in Spring the wild garlic grows here in such profusion that it can be detected a hundred or more yards away! Follow the meandering path through the plantation - this can become quite overgrown during summer when attack-trained nettles are present! - to emerge at a field corner by an old gate.

Keep forward for a few yards when a stile will be seen in the hedge to the right, crossing the tiny Whiteacres Brook. There is often a problem at this point - the footpath leads diagonally left in a straight line across the field but in summer crops can make this route virtually impassable, as the footpath has never to my knowledge been maintained. The only alternative is to turn left and walk around the border of the field - perfectly OK if you cannot use the footpath due to crops obstructing it. If this diversion is necessary, keep the brook to your left and turn right at the field boundary, again along its edge.

Having negotiated this field, a gap will be seen to appear on the left. Pass through this to again follow the field boundary with trees to the right. Where the trees turn away sharply to your right, bear half right and keep straight ahead to a stile in the corner of the field close by where trees once again come in from your right. Take this stile to emerge on to a narrow lane.

Shortly after keep watch for a stile set back slightly from the road, again on your right. Take this and head off over a field, bearing slightly left until a stile is seen in the hedge (this was a bit rickety on my last visit, so take care). Having crossed this, make for the far right hand corner of the next field, crossing another stile to gain access to a narrow, well-fenced footpath taking you past riding stables.

Turn left along the meadows. A couple of wire fences now stretch across your path, so head for the gates in them and keep along a widening and improving track which later bends left then right to soon join another, better kept track that leads ahead.

If you are using the OS map please note that at this point the footpath has been diverted (although it may now have been restored, of course!). It is shown as heading straight up towards and through Pixham Farm to your left but in fact now climbs the slope to the right of the farm - if you look up the hill to your left you will see a waymarked post.

Walk 1. Walk 2. Walk 3. Walk 4. Walk 5. Walk 7. Walk 8. Walk 9. Walk 10. Walk 11. Walk 12. Walk 13 Walk 14. Walk 15

Here turn left and walk along the road through the small village of Madresfield, which, although only a mile or so from Malvern, seems rurally tranquil. The road bends right and then left, then carries on in a straight line for some way. Soon on your left will be seen another roadside lodge with a public footpath sign pointing off left down the metalled drive. Follow this until a metal gate is reached, where you will turn off again to fields. (see Sketch 1.)

Directly in front is a footpath sign but ignore this and turn left down the lane. Some houses will be seen on your left and soon after these, on your right, will be seen another footpath sign at a field corner. Climb the stile here and head diagonally left up the field to climb another stile in the top left corner. From here keep along the line from the previous field until a stile is seen leading onto a track. Take this stile and turn left along the track until it gives out on to the road close by farm buildings. (see Sketch 2.)

You are now on the Worcester - Upton road and if you were to turn left and keep walking you would eventually come back to your starting point. If, however, this doesn't appeal (I hope it doesn't!), turn left along the road, watching for traffic, to pass a caravan park and Little Clevelode farm on your right.

Keep to this (no alternative, really!) until another stile is reached. Cross this and bear left around buildings to emerge onto another track. Ignore the footpath sign almost opposite and turn right down the track, keeping forward until, as the track bends sharply right, another footpath can be seen leaving it to your left. (This may now have the blue waymarks of a bridleway).

Follow this past buildings to your right, pass through a gate to enter a long field which slopes at first gently then more steeply down towards the river, keeping roughly parallel to a line of electricity pylons to your left with the trees of Clevelode and Chapelhill Rough to either side. Bear slightly right at the bottom of the field to cross Whiteacres brook once again as it journeys down towards the Severn, then cross an abrupt rise immediately ahead to gain the water meadows beyond. (see Sketch 3.)

Make towards this across the open field and upon reaching it a stile will be seen in the hedge directly ahead. Cross this stile and bear right to another in the field corner, crossing this to bear half left to yet another stile in the next field boundary.

Take this to emerge onto a broad green track. Turn right and head for yet another stile at the end of this track - Saint Cloud is now on your left - to then come out onto a narrow path that heads through shrubs and bushes to join a gravelled track with buildings to your left. Carry on along this track until it emerges onto a narrow road. Here turn left to the road junction and keep forward for a few yards when Old Hills car park will again be seen opposite - complete with hungry geese! (see Sketch 4.)

Although this walk is not on the Malvern Hills - indeed it is several miles away - it lies within the area administered by the Malvern Hills Conservators. There are no gradients to speak of, merely a couple of slopes, and the whole walk lies through quiet fields and lanes.