Malvern Hills AONB

The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit of the hills affords a panorama of the Severn Valley with the hills of Herefordshire and the Welsh mountains, parts of thirteen counties, the Bristol Channel, and the cathedrals of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford.

They are known for their spring water – initially made famous by the region's many holy wells, and later through the development of the 19th-century spa town of Great Malvern, a process which culminated in the production of the modern bottled drinking water.[1]

The Malvern Hills have been designated as a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest and as National Character Area 103 by Natural England[2][3] and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by the Countryside Agency (now Natural England).[4] The SSSI notification has 26 units of assessment which cover grassland, woodland and geological sites.[5] The site (The Malvern Hills SSSI (Chase End Hill)) is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).[6]

Management of the hills is the responsibility of the Malvern Hills Trust.[7]

Simon Jenkins rates the view of the Wye Valley and across the Severn Vale to the Cotswolds as one of the top ten in England.[8]

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