A new map and guide for cyclists (and walkers) who want to make the best of the Malvern Hills has been produced by the organisation which manages most of the land.
Printed copies of the Malvern Hills Trust’s ‘Walking and Cycling on the Malvern Hills Map and Guide’ should be available at tourist info in town, local bike shops, some cafes etc. or MHT offices. Or download the two pdf files (totalling 15MB) from their website. The MalvernTrail cycling page has also been updated with links and the expanded advice – we previously had extracts from the old Code of Conduct for the Hills.
The Trust has worked with other bodies (including Historic England, Worcestershire County Council) to “open up a series of permissive cycle paths” to improve access. From a quick look these may well have already been well used by mountain bikers but don’t the fit the officially defined bridleways. Also there are to be three waymarked cycling trails – Short, Medium and Long – with the short version due to be completed this spring.
Malvern Hills Trust news item on the new map and guide.
A wild ride in The Guardian
The guide came out just in time for the Malverns to get a prominent entry in The Guardian’s travel feature ‘Rides on the wild side’ on 21st April. A “ten of the best” – Malvern Hills get top slot online but number 3 in the print edition, with large photo.
Do note that the article is bit misleading- you can’t actually legally ride along the ridge itself all the way – only a small section north of Wyche Cutting (around Worcester Beacon, the part nearest town). But there are plenty of routes just below the ridge line and elsewhere.
