Malvern Hills

The Malvern Hills district sits in Worcestershire within the West Midlands region and is anchored by the Malvern Hills ridge, which runs roughly 13 kilometres from Colwall in the north to Castlemorton in the south. The ridge reaches its highest point at the Worcestershire Beacon (425 m) and stands on ancient Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks, among the oldest in England. The landscape includes commons, woodlands and steep slopes that fall away to the Severn Vale to the east and to Herefordshire to the west, with long-distance walking routes following the ridge line.

Settlement in the district clusters around Great Malvern on the eastern slopes, where a Victorian spa developed around natural springs such as St Ann’s Well, and where water has long been bottled and drawn. Other towns in the district include Tenbury Wells and Upton-upon-Severn, linked by roads and rail heritage. Local economy combines small-scale agriculture, tourism focused on outdoor recreation and conservation, and services that support the market towns and hill-top commons.