South and East from Malvern

Places of interest, grouped by town, village or feature, that could be included on a day’s bike ride from Malvern, but some more so than others (depending on fitness, electric assistance etc.). The info and web links below should give you some idea of what might be worth a visit. Ordnance Survey grid references are given in italics for some, and we try to highlight refreshment possibilities that are most of interest to the hungry/thirsty cyclist.

Also See


Ashleworth SO812255, and Hartpury

North of Gloucester on west bank of River Severn.

Tithe Barn (National Trust) – free entry but then it is quite basic (and old). Church next door also has ancient features such as the royal crest on the rood screen – see photo.

Boat Inn – sadly, with floods and pandemic disruption probably closed for good.

Ashleworth Hub is a well-stocked village store (and post office, very much in the centre) providing refreshments across the week including light meals, with tables inside as well as out.

The Royal Exchange Inn on the A417 (Hartpury, GL19 3BW). Phone 01452 700273.

Hartpury church is worth a visit (SO780236) – ancient chest, unique stone bee hive structure outside, and info leaflets.

Bredon Hill area

In summertime on Bredon The bells they sound so clear; Round both the shires they ring them In steeples far and near, A happy noise to hear. From AE Housman, A Shropshire Lad.

Kemerton Conservation Trust based around (but not limited to) Kemerton Estate.

Bredon Barn (National Trust) 14th-century Cotswold stone building in Bredon itself. SO919369

Toff Milway – Conderton Pottery.

Beckford Silk Mill – tours available. Cafe (The Eatery) open Tues-Sat 9am to 3pm.

Book: Bredon Hill: a Guide to Its Archaeology, History, Folklore & Villages. Logaston Press, ISBN 1873827067.

Bromesberrow

Spelling varies, with or without an ‘e’ in the middle, and the main village is Bromsberrow Heath. The Shop at Bromsberrow is community run, refreshments (tea, coffee, cake) available. Current hours 9am to 2pm, 4 to 5.30 or 6.30pm weekdays, 9 to 12.30pm Sat/Sun.

Attractive tower to the church – see our photo album.

South of Bromsberrow Heath, at Ryton is The Garland Hut, open to walkers and cyclists following the (Dymock) Poets Trail. It’s a shed in the garden of the artist who has designed the distinctive guides, worth a stop.

Chaceley Stock

The Yew Tree (was Old Ferry Inn). On the banks of the Severn, next to sailing club. Now (autumn 2022) only open Friday – Sunday, Phone 01452 780333, Facebook page.

Go a little north along the river from here and you get to The Lower Lode Inn – campsite attached so likely to be open when Yew Tree isn’t. Also note that in the summer (mid-July to end August?) there is a small foot (and bicycle) ferry running across the river from here – it’s not very far to Tewkesbury on the other side.

Croome/ Croome Park

Croome D’Abitot, SO888448. North east of Upton.

National Trust property. The landscape park, ‘Capability’ Brown’s first complete one, has been restored. Tea room, near NCN cycle route 45 (2 miles SW from SO 913 465) – very busy at peak times. Croome church St Mary Magdalene is managed by the Churches Conservation Trust.

The Rose Garden cafe at Nuyard garden centre ,on the A38 near Earl’s Croome, could be worth checking. 8.30-5 Mon-Sat, 10-4 Sun. Phone 01684 438321.

Forest of Dean

A fascinating area, of early industrial and mining activity which now blends in with the beautiful landscape. Forest of Dean/Wye Valley tourism site. Would be pushing it to visit much of this on a day cycle ride from Malvern but worth looking at possibilities.

  • For example, Lydney rail station is on the Gloucester/Newport line.
  • Symonds Yat (see sectionbelow) is on the north western edge.

The ‘Visit Dean Wye’ website also has a cycling section.  See that or our Cycle Hire and Shops page for Pedalaway bike hire in the Forest – their Pedalabikeaway Cycle Centre is next to the 12 mile way-marked off-road Forest trail. Also Dean Forest Cycles, plus Wye Bikes opening 2021.

Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail.

Model Village Lydney Park estate, phone 01594 845244. Looks fun from the pics on the web site.

Dean Forest Railway; Perrygrove Railway on the edge of the Forest.

Ruardean Garden Pottery.

Forest of Dean (community) radio broadcasts on 1521/1503 MW.

Dean Heritage Centre. It has a coffee shop.

Greenway Farm Campsite, north of Drybrook, has a cafe (Woodlands Coffee House) open to visitors.

Just to the east of the area, near Westbury on Severn, is Apple Orchard campsite’s Horse Shoe Tea Room.

Hanley Swan and Hanley Castle

The Hanleys village website. Swan Inn at Hanley Swan. The old-fashioned Three Kings pub at Hanley Castle, is popular with cyclists, and others, for its inexpensive real ale, phone 01684 592686.

May Hill

A prominent landmark south of Newent, it can be seen for miles around – the hill with a distinctive clump of trees on top.

Taynton is just to the east and is the home of the Taynton Squash Perry Pear and award winning walnuts. According to a now defunct website, Glasshouse village (right on the edge of the hill) is actually a part of Taynton.

Leaf Creative near Huntley has a Cafe, The Fernery, phone 01452 830118.

Newent, Glos

Three Choirs Vineyard Has a restaurant (upmarket) and guest rooms as well as wine tasting; north of Newent. Just south of here the cafe in 3shires garden centre or the more down-to-earth Cafe Rosie at Roses Garden Centre (Ledbury Road, GL18 1DL) are popular with cyclists.

Penny Farthing pub sign

Penny Farthing, Aston Crews (SO671233), west of Newent. Good food (closed Monday), phone 01989 750366.

Pendock

Village stores open to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

Staunton, Lowbands Chartist Cottages, Corse

Lowbands road sign

Dating from mid 1840s, this was an attempt by the Chartist Movement to settle the “working classes” on the land. Some 40 dwellings (?) were built at Lowbands (SO775315). Quote from The Chartist Land Company “Second Chartist estate consisting of 23 smallholdings with model cottages laid out on a network of lanes around a schoolhouse and 10 acre common water meadow. 22 working horses and rows of fruit trees were provided along with firewood, manure and seeds.” Surely there must be something useful on the web about Lowbands history, other than National Lands Company page on Wikipedia? (A Chartist location map was on Kidderminster Revolutionaries site.)

Snigs End SO793291 & oldest Mormon chapel

There is a farm b&b (Kilmorie Smallholding) at Snigs End (Staunton/Corse), phone 01452 840224. Once you know what to look for, you can spot many Chartist cottages in and around Corse/Staunton – there’s a sign on the green outside the pub (Prince of Wales?) saying ‘Chartist Settlement since 1848’. Quote from The Chartist Land Company “81 plot Chartist estate laid out on 268 acres ….. The third National Chartist petition was taken to parliament in 1848 on a cart made at Snigs End & pulled by estate horses.”

News item from Sep. 2000: “The Chartist settlement of Snigs End is to become a conservation area in a bid to preserve a unique part of British social history. Key buildings of the settlement, just to the south of Staunton, have been conserved since 1976. Now, following a period of public consultation carried out this summer by the Forest of Dean District Council, conservation area status is to be extended to preserve for posterity the settlement’s original layout and distinctive cottages.” From Hereford Times.

Book: The Chartist Land Company by Alice Mary Hadfield – the story of the Chartist settlements of Heronsgate, Great Dodford, Minister Lovell, Snigs End and Lowbands. Chartism: A New History, by Malcolm Chase, Manchester University Press 2007.

Just to the east of Lowbands is Gadfield Elm, which has the oldest Mormon chapel in the world (SO784313, phone 01452 840576), built in 1836 (originally by the United Brethren). Open Weds, Fri, Sat, Sunday pm – toilets available when open, picnic area. Also see local BBC pages.

St. Margaret’s Church at Corse has an exhibition telling the local Chartist story, which we are told is worth a visit. (The church is at the end of a no-through lane.) The West of Severn Churches website has interesting info on other local churches too e.g. Staunton.

The Swan Community Hub licensed cafe at Staunton is run by a small group of volunteers (new 2022). Best to check opening times but at time of writing Wed/Thu/Fri 11-3 plus Fri/Sat evenings.

The Butchers Arms (previously The Greyhound) at Lime Street (Eldersfield, GL19 4NX, phone 01452 840381), east of Staunton for food and drink. Gone a bit upmarket but still worth a look.

St George’s Bakery, a little south at Corse, GL19 3BZ is a popular stop for refreshments.

Symonds Yat

Also see Ross-on-Wye info. Earth Heritage Trust has published a geology/landscape Trail Guide – driving/walking.

Goodrich Castle (an English Heritage property). Has its own Earth Heritage Trust Trail Guide too.

Wyedean Canoe and Adventure Centre Symonds Yat East, phone 01594 833238, email: wcc@wyedean.co.uk. Alternative: Symonds Yat Canoe Hire, Symonds Yat West.

Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo. Symonds Yat West.

Tewkesbury, Glos

Tewkesbury Abbey.

Battlefield Society.

Tewkesbury Museum.

Tewkesbury Garden Centre, on the A38 just north of where it is joined by the A438, has a Coffee Shop. Phone 01684 293103.

See Lower Lode, under Chaceley Stock above, for summer foot ferry.

Upton-on-Severn

The town is host to various festivals – see Events – and local landmark is ‘the pepperpot’ (pic), which houses the tourist information centre. Combined with nearby Hanley Castle, Upton is said to have featured as Market Snodsbury in many of P G Wodehouse’s novels.

There’s a stylised bike rack in the centre of town, between the Pepperpot and Star Inn (on way to river). Coffee Wolf (new summer 2024, recommended) has a metal ring to secure a bike and can also provide a lock if needed – initially open Sun/Mon/Tues, will open rest of week after staff recruited.

The Map Shop is worth a visit (15 High Street). It carries one of the largest inventories of maps and travel guides in the world with over 60,000 items in stock and is UK agent for many overseas survey authorities.

Tudor House Museum, founded by a couple of potters and featuring their work plus Staffordshire Blue collection. Local history created out of 3 cottages knocked together. Opposite the pepperpot, free entry.

The Pudding Shop and Kitchen Cafe, at 14d Backfields, WR8 0JH. Sweet and savoury hand-made steamed puddings, such as Spotted Dick, Sea Salted Caramel, eat in or takeaway. Tuesday to Friday only, except Upton festival weekends.

Clives Fruit Farm just outside Upton has a farm shop (with lots of locally sourced items) and light refreshments, as well as PYO and excellent own apple juice and cider. Open every day (Sunday/bank holidays 10 to 4), except Mondays New Year to Easter. Phone 01684 592664.

Vale of Evesham

Pershore (don’t be put off by the railway station of that name!), Evesham, Honeybourne …

Vale and Spa (Wychavon district) takes in Droitwich Spa, Pershore, Evesham and more. There is a Blossom Trail cycle route (see Cycling Around Malvern), with the train station as a recommended starting point.

Visit Pershore tourist info site.

Number 8 Community Arts Centre has a cafe which is a good place for a coffee, cake or ice cream. 8 High Street, Pershore.

Revills Farm Shop, Defford (west of Pershore). Locally sourced produce, tea room.

Evesham, Almonry Heritage Centre.

Visit Evesham official website.

The Fleece Inn at Bretforton holds a regular Asparagus Festival May/June (it is a National Trust property); the nearby The Round of Gras (Badsey) claims to be the only pub anywhere named after this locally grown delicacy.

Welland SO797403

Village just south of Malvern. Harvey’s at St James (church) tea room/coffee shop has closed, Nov. 2022.

Further Afield

Gloucestershire, Cotswolds Way

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway South east of Tewkesbury.

Snowshill Manor, a National Trust property just south of Broadway, has a number of very early bicycles on display.

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge (SO732044) – the original WWT reserve and still the HQ.

Butterflies of Gloucestershire Plenty of info on the subject.

Gloucestershire Portal from SoftData.