Editorial policy

Our principles

Useful first. We publish a page only when it helps someone plan a visit. We don't write pages just because a keyword exists.
Sourced facts. Heights, dates, charges and facilities come from a named source, usually the organisation or business responsible.
Dated checks. Every walk, car park, hill and business shows when its details were last checked and where they came from.
No invented detail. If we don't know something, we leave it out or say so rather than guess.

What “Checked [date]” means

We show the date we last checked a record, and against what: the operator's own website (for car parks and businesses), a named published source (for walks and history), or our own visit. Where we have visited or walked something ourselves, the note says so.

How walk figures are worked out

Each walk says where its distance, climb and time come from:

Published: as published by a named source, for example the Ramblers or the Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership.
Measured: we route the walk along mapped footpaths (OpenStreetMap data, with elevation from satellite survey data) through the summits and places it visits, and measure the distance and total climb. Time is estimated at 4 km/h plus 1 minute for every 10 metres of climb, without stops. These routes also give the solid line on the walk's map.
Surveyed: recorded on the ground with GPS by us.

We only publish step-by-step directions for routes we have walked and checked. Until then we describe the route and link to the original published version where one exists. Difficulty grades are our own judgement for a reasonably fit adult walker in good conditions. We only describe a route as accessible when an official source describes it that way.

Changing information

Parking charges, opening times, bus routes and business details change. Records like these carry a last-checked date and a review date, and our build process flags anything overdue so we can recheck it. We never copy timetables: we link to the operator or journey planner instead.

Safety information

Safety notes are general guidance, not a guarantee. The weather page turns forecast data into plain-English notes using simple, published thresholds. It is a rough guide, not a safety assessment. Safety information is always free on this site: our paid walking packs never contain safety information you need and can't get here.

Commercial independence

The site is funded by clearly labelled commercial relationships, so that the planning information can stay free. Our rules:

Businesses cannot pay to change what we say about them, to appear in our editorial lists (“Our picks nearby”), or to change their position in them.
Payment never changes any route, difficulty grade, safety, accessibility or parking information.
Paid placements are always labelled Featured partner, Sponsored or Commercial partner, are shown in their own blocks, and use rel="sponsored" links.
Paid placements are limited in number on each page and location, and end automatically on their end date.
A paid placement is not a recommendation. It means the business has paid to be shown to visitors planning a trip nearby.

See our affiliate and advertising disclosure for how links and partnerships work, and working with us if you run a local business.

Our walking packs

We sell a small number of downloadable walking packs. They are built from the same checked information as the website, organised into ready-made plans, printable summaries and GPX files. They are dated, and every changing detail (like parking charges) links back to the live page. If a route changes, we update the pack.

Corrections

If something is wrong or out of date, please tell us. We correct factual errors as quickly as we can and update the checked date when we do.

Malvern Hills Guide is published by Simply Quote Comparison Ltd.

Last updated 15 Sept 2026.