The Malvern Hills without a car

Short answer: take the train to Great Malvern for the Worcestershire Beacon, or to Colwall on the far side of the hills. Walk over the ridge between the two and catch the train home. Direct trains run from Birmingham, Worcester, Hereford and London Paddington.

The stations

The railway tunnels under the hills, so there are stations on both sides:

• Great Malvern: at the foot of the town, with a steady climb up through the streets to St Ann’s Well and the Beacon.
• Malvern Link: the next stop north, handy for North Hill.
• Colwall: on the western, Herefordshire side. Paths climb from the village to the ridge.
• Ledbury: further south-west, for long walks via Eastnor to the southern hills.

Station-to-station walks

The classic car-free walk goes from Colwall over the hills to Great Malvern or Malvern Link. The Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership publishes it at 5.5 km.

Buses

The 675 runs between Great Malvern and Ledbury via the Wyche Cutting and Colwall, with some journeys via West Malvern. That makes it useful for linear walks. It runs Monday to Saturday. The 44/X44 links Worcester with Great Malvern.

See buses and trains for more. Always check live times before a linear walk, especially on Sundays.

Staying without a car

Stay within a kilometre of a station and you can walk onto the hills from your door. We list the places to stay near Great Malvern, Colwall and Malvern Link stations, and the licensed taxi firms for anything the trains don’t reach, on each station page.

A car-free weekend

Our car-free weekend itinerary links the two stations: Colwall to Great Malvern over the ridge on day one, and the Worcestershire Beacon from Great Malvern station on day two, with lunch stops on the way. Or build your own in the trip planner, which only suggests walks you can reach from a station.