He said:
Today was the first day we have been to the Great Malvern area, and other than a high ridge of hills, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It seems that this is, and has been, a ‘spa’ town, where the natural waters are believed to have healing powers and a certain unequaled purity. I do not know about that, nor about the location of a pure spring that we were told about where hikers can fill their water bottles with a pure original source of the finest drinking water. What I can say is that the water coming out of the shower in our hotel is very soft water, or at least feels like it. The skin feels very slippery when rinsing to the point that you think that you are not ever fully rinsing the soap off. The tap water also tastes very good. We also heard that the queen has said that she prefers Malvern water to all other sources.
This hotel, like most places we stay, seems to have spotty internet from the room. Whereas now, I’m down in the lounge where other folks are drinking gin, and I am typing into the laptop, but the internet connection is better, and I need that for every addition or change to the blog.
The hike today was 8 miles, and I was worried we would not like it because of all the ups and downs. But, I must say it was all fine, the weather was clear and cool and mostly with light clouds or haze above. We felt great the whole day, not foot sore nor hurting in the knees. Maybe we are getting more fit to walk, or maybe “it’s the water” After the many ups and downs, the final up got us to the Worcestershire Beacon at an elevation of 425 meters, and with parasails launching and circling the top where the winds are the highest.
She Said:
A few words about our meal last night...
The name of the hotel's restaurant is l'Amuse-Bouche. The chef is famous and has buckets of awards. The dining room is small (maybe 30 seats) and decorated impeccably. The service is flawless. Our amuse-bouch was cauliflower soup with apple bits and croutons - heavenly. R had a chicken confit as a Starter and I had the creme of watercress soup - heavenly. R's Main was Dover Sole; mine was lamb shank - heavenly. Sides were perfectly steamed hericots verts, scallions and snap peas tied up in a beautiful packet and a 10 layer potato gratin - heavenly. We split a dessert - citrus mousse with chocolate sorbet, raspberries and creme anglaise - heavenly. A truly gourmet meal. Gary Danko caliber. A real treat.
Our taxi driver's daughter spent a summer session at Stanford and also worked in the States as an au pair. Small world.
On the way to our start point this morning, we drove by "hobbit" houses - very old, very small cottages with huge chimneys. All the surrounding land was "common" land, meaning it was owned by the crown. If a man could build a chimney and hearth within 24 hours, he could keep a small portion of the land. So, a rush to build a substantial chimney, but once that was accomplished, these poor peasants could only afford to put up a shed next to the chimney.
Darwin was from Great Malvern.
The Malvern hills trap clouds. For this reason, the Germans were not able to see this region of the country well enough to bomb it during WWII. And, for that reason, the Brits moved their radar testing and experimental functions to the Malverns.
The taxi driver also told us that a castle that we went by - Eastnor Castle - was really only from the Victorian era and had been build by a very wealthy family who wanted to experience living like royalty. Later, we met a couple along the path who told us that it was, in fact, a real castle, built before King Henry VIII, and used during his reign to house one or two of his wives, at various times. So, who knows? The couple seemed earnest but the taxi driver said he had lived in Malvern all his life.
At the start of our walk we walked through field after field of Bluebells again. They are so beautiful here and so plentiful that walkers come to this area during exactly this time of year to be able to walk the paths through them. Lucky us!
Today's walk, though Up and Down, was not the grueling, steep, relentless walk that we walked our last day in Dartmouth. Yes, we walked up and down hills - Midsummer Hill, Hangman's Hill, Black Hill, Pinnacle Hill, Sugarloaf Hill and North Hill - but the slope was gentler and the surrounding countryside more varied and interesting. Not to say that the South Coast Walk around Dartmouth wasn't beautiful; it was. However, I do prefer countryside walking to seaside walking, so I enjoyed today immensely. At the tops of these hills were fantastic views into Wales and the Brecon Beacons. The near views were small villages and patchwork farmlands. And, the very near views were Bluebells and sheep and cows and birds and brooks.
The couple that we met on the path (who heard me talking to R about the Victorian-built fake castle and who corrected me) were walkers about our age and we fell into a happy conversation about vacations and birds and wildflowers. They had just finished a boat trip in the Norfolk Broads that they said we might like. They rented their fully equipped boat and navigated it themselves. They said that the wildlife was so plentiful that they often just stopped and looked around. They also recommended a boat trip that cuts across Loch Ness in Scotland. Only 10 people, and plenty of walking or biking or nothing - depending on what's your pleasure. We got the names of a couple of good trip planners. (We saw them twice more on the trails and we all waved hearty hellos.)
At the top of British Camp, we walked around an extensive earthworks, built the 2nd century, BC. They were enlarged and fortified before the Roman Conquest. This was the largest hill fort that I have seen and it was easy to see why the builders chose this spot - commanding 360 degree views and steep inclines all around up to it. Awesome.
We ate First Lunch on a sweet bench looking out over the countryside. Quite near the bench were rose petals and ashes. Potentially creepy, but mostly touching.
Our last hill was the tallest and we watched para gliders, snug in their cocoons, sailing around the peak. A memorial on top was dedicated to Queen Victoria in the 60th year of her reign. A couple with 7 dogs joined us and we all looked around in amazement. (2 Boxers, 1 mastiff, 1 wolfhound-looking and 3 mutts - all with huge personalities. Lots of fun to watch as one owner tried to get them to all pose near the monument.)
Our walk down the final hill was through an "avenue of Sycamores" and I wondered if they had been planted specifically for the Memorial to QV's dedication, all those years ago. It seems likely, as there really is no other reason for an avenue of Sycamores to be along this otherwise very rural path.
Stopped at the Malvern Waitrose grocery store and picked up salads for dinner in our room. After last night's feast, back to healthy eating.
Tomorrow, on to Ludlow.
2015 Walking Trip around the South Devon Coast, Great Malvern, and the Shropshire Hills
Looks like you're having a beautiful trip.
ReplyDeleteTally Ho!
Love the photos!
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