Malwor three

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Walked from Worcester to Malvern. Mostly very enjoyable but a few overgrown sections and a few steps and stiles.

The first task leaving Worcester is to get to the river, past the Cathedral and down a few steps. The riverside path is popular with both walkers and joggers. Note that the bridge over Diglis Basin is currently closed and securely fenced off on safety grounds, but the walk around the basin only adds a couple of minutes. We soon reach the footbridge over the Severn and follow the cycle route to Bromwich Road, where we turn south, then cross by the roundabout. Regina Close offers a brief break from the pavement of the old road, but there is currently no alternative to following the road over the Teme.

We then cross the Worcester bypass on a high footbridge before crossing Malvern Road (there are central refuges) and a field to pass through Powick churchyard, then continue alongsie arable fields on a good track. The path right through the fields was largely swamped by oil-seed rape plants which had grown over the cut strip, so this part was hard work. From here onwards the field paths are quite good, with some very pleasant wooded sections. Beyond Broadfields farm the path splits without a clear waymark, so it would be easy to go astray here. Our route starts left of the stream, and eventually crosses it and follows the west bank along field edges and through little woods to Jennet Tree Lane. This section was a little overgrown and is not well used.

We cross the road then turn sharp right in front of a house, following a path between fences to join the bridlepath south, then the path right in front of Woodsfield Farm, which joins the farm road. Beyond another house we turn left on a well marked path, which was diverted around the edge of one field by a temporary cattle fence. We eventually turn right towards Madresfield, on a walled path through the gardens of the Hall. A few steps along a pavement take us to another field path, and a little further on it did look potentially muddy (bone dry at the moment). We cross North End Lane then turn south before heading west to cross the busy Townsend Way. A charming path through a green strip takes us on to more residential streets, then more fields take us under the railway to begin the ascent into the centre of Malvern, where the meeting point is by the Elgar statue in a small green space accessed up steps.

The GPX plot is mostly good, though when zoomed in close there are a couple of short doublebacks (one by the Malvern Cube and another east of Townsend Way), which made me wonder if it had been plotted using snap to path without zooming in.

Safe, direct and very easy to follow, this is a Slow Way I would have given 4 stars to, but on reflection realised the main issue (crossing a field of rapeseed plants) was seasonal. There are a couple of tricky road crossings but they only require patience. Overall this is a very enjoyable walk with a lot of woodland and a surprising amount of bridges. Either destination would be a good place to finish. Special mention to the Old Library (pub) which is within eyesight of the meeting place in Malvern.

Did this walk in September 2025 and it was a pleasant walk although we did Worcester to Malvern. We did the riverside walk at diglis as it is quite nice and there are information boards on the battle of Worcester. The old bridge at Powick is closed until 2026 so we had to loop back on to the main road bridge but there are footpaths. Some paths near Madresfield were a bit covered in cow slurry but it was passable as the weather had been so dry.

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