Tucked between the Cotswolds and the Malvern Hills, Worcestershire is one of those counties that does not demand attention but rewards anyone who stops to look. It is a land of rolling fields, grand country houses, tidy market towns and orchards that seem determined to produce as much fruit as possible.
The rivers meander, the hills rise gently, and life carries on at a pace that suggests there is absolutely no need to hurry. Worcestershire is England in a particularly comfortable mood.
Cathedrals, cloisters and some very old bells
Worcester, the county town, wears its history with quiet confidence. The cathedral rises above the Severn with its tall spire, Norman crypt and medieval cloisters that have seen plenty of history drift by. It is also home to one of the world’s oldest sets of church bells still in regular use, rung with suitable enthusiasm for weddings, festivals and people who just enjoy a good bit of bell ringing.
Nearby you will find the modest grave of King John, who signed Magna Carta and now rests peacefully beneath the cathedral’s vaulted roof, along with Prince Arthur, the older brother of Henry VIII, who might have changed English history entirely if he had lived a bit longer.
Hills, spa towns and views that go on forever
To the west rise the Malvern Hills, a line of gentle but impressively scenic ridges that offer views stretching across several counties. The hills have long been famous for their natural springs and health-giving waters, which turned Great Malvern into a popular spa town during Victorian times.
The water is still bottled and sold today, though most modern visitors seem more inclined towards walking boots and flasks of tea than extended health cures.
Rivers, locks and England’s watery highways
The River Severn winds its way through Worcestershire, providing fine riverside walks, old stone bridges and occasional enthusiastic canoeists. Barges and narrowboats still glide through the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, linking the county into England’s network of slow and scenic waterways.
The locks at Diglis offer a chance to watch the complicated but strangely soothing process of boats rising and falling between river and canal, often accompanied by helpful advice from passers-by who have never actually worked a lock in their lives.
Country houses, gardens and slightly extravagant follies
Worcestershire is well supplied with grand houses and carefully manicured gardens. Witley Court, once one of the country’s finest country houses, now stands as a rather magnificent ruin, complete with restored fountains that still put on an impressive show.
Croome Court, designed by Capability Brown, offers sweeping parkland, grand interiors and a chance to admire just how much effort once went into building a proper country estate.
Elgar, asparagus and the slightly surprising sauce
The county is also the birthplace of composer Sir Edward Elgar, whose music continues to swell through concert halls and sporting events alike. You can visit his birthplace museum just outside Worcester, where rolling countryside no doubt inspired a few of his more stirring melodies.
Worcestershire’s fertile fields produce excellent fruit, hops and, rather famously, asparagus, which is celebrated each spring with great enthusiasm in the Vale of Evesham. And of course, there is Worcestershire Sauce – that peculiar but delicious concoction invented in Worcester itself and now found in kitchens across the world, often by people who are never quite sure what is actually in it.
Where England feels pleasingly well-arranged
Worcestershire does not go in for drama. Instead, it offers green fields, old churches, handsome hills and a river that never seems in much of a rush. It is a county that feels permanently well-arranged, as though someone carefully organised the countryside, tidied the hedgerows, and then left it all to settle into a very comfortable rhythm.
Ten very good reasons to visit Worcestershire
Worcestershire is one of those counties people think they know because of a bottle on the condiment shelf. But step away from the sauce and you’ll find a place that’s equal parts medieval market town, rolling hills, and riverbank rambles. Here are ten reasons you’ll want to linger longer.
1. The Malvern Hills
They rise like the spine of a very lazy dragon, rolling green humps with views that stretch across half of England on a clear day. Writers, walkers and wistful types have been drawn here for centuries, and it’s not hard to see why. Take a flask, take a map, and prepare for scenery that makes you sigh.
2. Worcester Cathedral
Worcester’s skyline is dominated by this towering medieval masterpiece. Inside you’ll find centuries of history, including the tomb of King John (yes, the Magna Carta one). It’s the sort of building that makes you feel simultaneously tiny and terribly important.
3. A river that runs through it
The Severn glides through Worcester and beyond, carrying rowing boats, swans and the occasional intrepid paddleboarder. Riverside pubs and lazy towpath walks make it the county’s unofficial living room.
4. Tewkesbury’s half-timbered charms
Technically straddling the Gloucestershire border, but claimed with pride by Worcestershire, Tewkesbury is a jumble of medieval buildings and narrow alleys. The abbey is magnificent, the alley names are eccentric, and the whole place looks as if it’s been built for a historical drama.
5. Pershore plums
A town that has its own fruit festival deserves a place on anyone’s list. Pershore celebrates plums with gusto every summer, proving that not all produce needs to be exotic to be worthy of a parade.
6. Elgar’s echo
Edward Elgar, the composer of “Land of Hope and Glory”, was born just outside Worcester. His presence still lingers in music festivals, statues, and the landscape itself, which feels oddly symphonic if you give it half a chance.
7. Bewdley and the Severn Valley Railway
Bewdley is as pretty a riverside town as you could wish for, complete with Georgian houses and an old-timey air. From here you can hop on a steam train along the Severn Valley Railway, which smells gloriously of coal smoke and nostalgia.
8. Broadway Tower
Perched high on a Cotswold escarpment, this folly looks like something dreamed up by a whimsical duke after a long lunch. You can climb it for sweeping views over sixteen counties (on a clear day, or with a particularly generous imagination). Deer graze nearby, and the place has just enough eccentricity to feel very Worcestershire indeed.
9. A county full of villages
Tenbury Wells, Broadway (technically the Cotswolds but within Worcestershire’s grasp), and countless others dot the map. They’re all honey stone, crooked lanes and a pub with flowers exploding from the hanging baskets.
10. Yes, the sauce
You can’t escape it, nor would you want to. Worcestershire Sauce is the county’s most famous export: tangy, mysterious, and nearly impossible to make at home. No one really knows what’s in it, and perhaps it’s best left that way.
