Great Malvern (Cotswolds) and short visit to Worcester 🇬🇧

Today the weather was not great for cycling and so my warm shower hosts recommended a train trip to Great Malvern and a hike in the hills.  All quite doable with a bit of light rain and storms forecast for late afternoon when I would be on the train again.

I arrived into the historic train station and headed up the hill to the town with the road and footpath filled with gorgeous Autumn leaves.  

Great Malvern became known as a healing spa town due to the significant number of springs in the area.
I popped into the visitor info centre and the young guy gave me a map of the hills and plotted a suggested route.  He said storms were coming but checked the radar and I decided to head for the hills straight away.

I had to peel off layers on the way up worked up a sweat on such a steep climb.  I had a drink from a couple of the spring water spouts on the way up the hill.  It started sprinkling with rain and I got to the junction and chose to hike to the Beacon which is the highest point in the Malvern Hills.  The views were wonderful down to the village and green fields.  

Then from nowhere the weather rolled in.  I persisted to the lookout and it was a whiteout with a roaring gale!

It was bracing, exhilarating and occasionally the clouds would move a little to reveal the view.  I could have hiked all over the mountains as so pretty, but not in that weather 🤣🤣
Back down in the village I went into the first pub serving food, and peeled off my wet raincoat and thawed out with soup of the day.  

A visit to the 900yr old Benedictine Priory, now Anglican church with mediaeval tiles and beautiful stained glass.  Saw squirrels in the cemetery.  A wander through the main street and back on the train.  

I had inadvertently booked a train via Worcester and so with 50 mins between trains did a quick wander through the town famous for its Worcestershire sauce, cathedral, cricket club and porcelain.  Still raining but a nice bonus to have a quick look.

A lap of Morton in Marsh where I am staying, a bit too late to do a comparison cafe for sconefest 🙄. 

But Charles made me a hot chocolate as soon as I arrived drenched and frozen at the door and then whipped up waffles for desert.  I have definitely been given the royal treatment by my hosts Charles and Diana (pun intended 😊). 

 
Fabulous day.