Black Hill walk, Malvern Hills, Worcestershire.

 At this time of year, especially after such a long cold winter, it is all the more delightful to feel the tender caress of the soft sun on your skin. Enjoying the gentle warmth of this spring day I walked from Black Hill, northward along the ridge path on the western side of the hill.

Looking north along ridge

Looking south towards British Camp

Panoramic shot looking north

Catkins

 White clouds slowly slipped across the pale blue sky. Birds sang and as I stood in awe I watched a majestic kestrel hover in the sky above me.

Catkins illuminated by sunlight

Willow herb flames

Bluebell plants

 As I neared Gardiners Quarry I turned round and took a lower path through the dappled shade of the wood. Catkins like halos seemed to somehow become illuminated by the sunlight. Young willow herb plants peaked from the grass, red as tiny flames, whilst luxuriant green blue bell leaves greedily absorb the sunlight on the light dappled floor, preparing for their display of fine filigreed blooms.

View from the wood looking south

British Camp, Malvern Hills

Steps near summit

Not a rabbit

Friendly dog

 British Camp hill, reservoir and paths are my favourite areas to walk in the Malvern Hills. The views are all staggeringly beautiful, and there is so much variety. So many different paths to chose between and everyone offers you something different.

Unfortunately someone hacked this entry and wiped it out, so I am re-entering the few pictures I hadn't already deleted from the day. Quite annoying.

The "not a rabbit" it actually a mis-shapen heather. It looks so much like a rabbit that I spent about five minutes creeping up on it to try and get a picture. Finally I realised the reason it hadn't moved was not because of my incredible stealth, but because it wasn't an animal. I did feel daft.

However if you are in Malvern and only have one day to walk, visit British Camp. For more pictures look at my other blogs, as many of them are of the hill, reservoir and woods at British Camp.

Tulips, just to cheer you up.

British Camp, foggy day photos part two

My sleepy owl socks

Steps up to British Camp Hill summit

 It snowed again last night, and I can't get my car out of the drive. Have decided not to go anywhere that my sleepy owl socks don't provide adequate protective footwear. 

Luckily I have some rather lovely pictures from British Camp on Wednesday that I haven't shared with you. 

I am not great at taking pictures of wildlife, as the picture of the rook or crow shows. That bird and it's mate flew over my head repeatedly for about eight minutes and that is the best picture I managed to take.

I thought my luck had changed as I stealthily crept up on a rabbit I had noticed, only to realise it was actually a marvellously rabbit shaped gorse plant.

Not a rabbit

Crow or Rook ?

Pathway in ditch

View in wood

British Camp, Malvern Hills

My friend and I

Looking north west along the hill ridge

Today I went for a walk along the lower path on the west side of British Camp hill. We were playing with the panoramic feature on my phone. The west path follows a very gentle gradient towards the top of the hill. We then went down the steeper eastern side of the hill. Today was the first really warm day, and windless too. The walk could not have been more idyllic.

Looking West towards Colwall

Looking east towards the reservoir

Colwall visible in distance

Looking west up hill

British Camp, Malvern, Sunday stroll

Snowdrops near gate entrance

View of reservoir from brow of hill

View across top of hill

Path down hill towards wood

In the wood

Tree detail

View across reservoir

Another view across reservoir

View from carpark

A beautiful, if rather cloudy day. Lot's of people had, like me, decided it was the ideal time for a stroll. I went up the middle path and then came back along the lowest path. took so many pictures. Here are some of them.

British Camp, Malvern Hills

Photo 1

Photo2

Yesterday was very foggy, which doesn't really show up on my camera. To try and show you how foggy I stood on the common at Link Top in Malvern. One of these pictures shows the hills behind the common, but which one?

Today it was beautiful, clear skies and sunshine. The views from British Camp were spectacular. British Camp is so named as various armies have had forts there and have dug moats and ridges in to the hillside. The views are spectacular across both the Severn valley flood plain in Worcestershire and the rolling hills of Herefordshire.

View looking north from British Camp

View looking west from British Camp

View looking north of earthworks on top pf British Camp

View looking east

Panoramic view looking east

Tree detail

Yellow lichen growing on trees

Icy walk along hill ridge, Malvern Hills

 Firstly the picture of the fence from yesterday. Must have tried to download too many pictures. The next picture is of the sun setting last night, and as you can see the trees were still frosty.

 Today is just as chilly and I walked from Gardiners Quarry up to the top of the Malvern Hills, and then walked along the ridge. This view looks out towards the west side of the hill. I particularly like how the frost clings to the rowan trees.

Looking south from the top of Gardiners Quarry area

 The next picture is looking North along the ridge of the hill. The sky was quite overcast but for a moment it cleared allowing me to capture the treetop detail.

Looking west towards British Camp

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