The cool air is peppered with the scent of Horse Chestnut, stewing apples and a hint of wood smoke. The country pubs are readying their hearths for roaring fires. The great trees lining the thoroughfares turn a kaleidoscope of burnt oranges, ochres and umbers. It can only be the coming of autumn in The Malverns.
Across our landscape at this time of year there is a flurry of excitement and buzz around the change of season – not least due to the incredible display of beauty our countryside puts on. As an area deeply connected to its plentiful produce the harvest season has a certain magic in The Malverns. Apples and pears are harvested, juiced, fermented and turned into pies, yellow wheat is chopped and dried and hops are hung.
Autumn brings harvest festivals like the Malvern Autumn Show and Applefest in Tenbury Wells as well as an incredible selection of cultural festivals like The Great Malvern Festival of Stories for Children and Autumn in Malvern.
Cultural festivalsYou can take a walk through the changing landscape, stop of for that most warming of meals the Sunday Roast and end your evening with a night at the theatre. But don’t take our word for it, book a cosy Autumn Escape to The Malverns and experience this abundant season for yourself. Read on for the best of Autumnal activities…
Thank you to Angie Latham for supplying the incredible image above of the Malvern Hills in Autumn.
Beautiful Autumn Walks
There is nothing better than a crisp autumn walk. Get prepared for all weather, slip a flask of something hot into your rucksack and step into our incredible landscape. Whether you want a quick stroll, crunchy leaves underfoot and hot chocolate in hand, or would rather stride out for miles and return with fresh rosy cheeks The Malverns can provide. Lucky for you we have collated the best walks on which to enjoy the full flush of autumn…
Foraging Walks
If you want to get really hands on with the harvest season why not try foraging. Food and Foraging offers guided foraging walks, yoga and foraging retreats, forest bathing and pizza making with foraged ingredients. Foraging classes are also held at the Eastnor Castle Deer Park, comprising of a 2.5 hour walk around the grounds, seasonal refreshments, and a tasty foraged food lunch. The wild mushrooms are particularly tasty in Autumn.
Roast & Rambles
We don’t know about you, but we think the best thing about a countryside walk (apart from the glorious views of course) is resting your feet with a warm, hearty meal at the end. So many of our brilliant pubs are conveniently situated along some of the best walking routes in the country, and coincidentally many of them make a mean roast potato. We’ve put together our pick of the pubs with the most mouth-watering roasts to revive you after a long journey.
See Tenbury Applefest
A highlight of the harvest season is Tenbury Wells Applefest. A favourite of Queen Victoria, who described Tenbury as “my little town on the Orchard”, apples are central to the local culture of the town. This love of for all things pomaceous (that is, relating to apples) culminates in the annual Applefest including a display of 250 types of apple, apple juice and cider stalls, local traders with food drink and craft stalls, entertainment from musicians and Morris dancers and much more. This year children’s activities include face painting, alpacas, falconry, and an apple trail. Plenty of food is on offer, not all of it apple based, such as crepes, roast pork and pizza as well as tea, coffee cakes and, of course, a cider bar.
The event will take place in Tenbury Wells on Saturday 7 October, at the Burgage Recreational Area.
Visit a Pumpkin Patch
Not a fan of darker evenings and cooler mornings? That’s nothing a few brightly coloured gourds can’t fix! Whether you need them for carving come October 31, want to use them to decorate your house, or just want to take some traditionally autumnal selfies, head to one of our pick-your-own pumpkin patches. Clive’s Fruit Farm offers PYO pumpkins as well as ready picked ones from its lovely farm shop. Warm up afterwards in their onsite café serving home made, locally sourced dishes and an excellent full English. The Great Worcester Maize Maze also offers PYO Pumpkins with no booking required and no entry fee (opening in October)
Stock Up The Larder With Local Produce
With farmers harvesting the top of their crops, this is the best time of year to head to one of The Malverns farmers markets. Set on an organic farm, The Fold in Bransford is holding a Vintage Fayre on 24 September as well as their usual covered artisan market on 1 October (takes place on the first Sunday of each month). They sell fresh produce from their organic farm in the onsite Veg Shed. Hellens Produce Market, next happening on 7 Oct, consistently offers a range of products like, bakery items, pies, cheeses, cider, ice-cream, flowers and samosas. The regular Great Malvern Farmers Market continues through the Autumn and Winter.
Sunsets and Sunrises with the WOW Factor
There are a few upsides to the nights and mornings drawing in, one of the most beautiful is the opportunity to experience some of the most sublime sunsets that nature has to offer. The quickest way to get an eyeful of sunset from the hills is to nip up the very steep Happy Valley (take the road straight uphill at The Unicorn Pub in Great Malvern). For a less steep route head to the Wyche Cutting, about a 40 minute stride from Great Malvern. This point is an ancient cutting across the hills, through which the low western sun peeks. A great way to take in the whole sunset experience is to walk along the ridge of the hills towards Midsummer Hill. The multicolour sky will be in direct view the whole way. Alternatively, head to one of Upton upon Severn’s riverside establishments, like The Boathouse, to see the sun set over the banks of the River Severn and behind the Malvern Hills.
Autumn Evenings
Speaking of sunsets, there’s still plenty to do after the sun has disappeared. Who wants to spend the longer, darker evenings at home? Head out and experience the popular pubs, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues in The Malverns. Unwined in Tenbury Wells provides a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere to settle in with a glass of something warming and plenty of tapas options to nibble throughout the evening. Just down the road the new Mr Thom’s Café & Grill offers great quality dinners, friendly service and even better deserts. Stay in Tenbury for evening entertainment at The Regal who have a varied programme of movies, theatre, comedy and live music.
In Upton upon Severn, Pundits Fusion Bangladeshi restaurant comes highly rated and is somewhat of a local hero, get a few dishes to share and you won’t be disappointed. Then, head across to Mojitos to sample their extensive collection of rums or one of the 7 variations of their namesake cocktail.
The Malvern Theatres has a huge range of shows on this Autumn including comedy from fantastic comics Sarah Millican and rising star Adam Rowe. In November the creepy, cosy classic And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie comes to the Festival Theatre. For more intrigue, illusion and horror see Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black coming to Malvern from the West End. Extend your evening after the show with drinks & cocktails at Bar Limon, The Malvern Lounge, Weavers or The Water Cure.
