the Cambrian mountains, where may be distinguished the Peaks of the Berwyns, the Vans of Brecon, Talgarth Beacon, the Sugar Loaf near Abergavenny, the Skyrrid Vawr, and the steeps of the Blorenge; still further southward, the Great Doward on the Wye, the heights of the Forest of Dean, and May Hill, appear in view: while beyond a shining expanse of the Severn estuary, the dim hills of Mendip bound the extensive scene. In the northern horizon the Abberley range stands prominent, beyond which the Stieperstones, Clee Hills, and Caer Caradoc, stand as silent craggy sentinels, and the dome of the Wrekin is very conspicuous. To the north-east the hills of Staffordshire, half concealed in the smoke of Bilston and Dudley, combine with the Clent Hills and the Licky to form an undulating outline that joins the high grounds beyond the plain of Worcestershire, the isolated mound of Bardon Hill, in Leicestershire, being the farthest point visible in this direction.

"The reflections to which such scenes as these give rise, the scope which they afford to the exercise of the imagination, and the pleasurable sensations which must necessarily attend them, cannot fail materially to contribute to that exhilaration of mind and flow of spirits which are so essential to health and happiness.

"It is not the distant views merely, or the far-spread valley below, which attract the attention and delight of those who wander amidst these

lovely scenes: the precipitous sides of the adjoining hills—the deep ravines which intersect them—the masses of naked rock-the flocks quietly grazing on the short herbage-the bright flowers of the golden gorse, the purple bells of the stately foxglove, the tall mullein, with its grey flannel-like leaves, are all objects assuredly calculated to excite our admiration and delight, and to lead the mind in grateful homage from nature up to nature's God!'"

FOLEY TERRACE,

which was made at the expense of Edward Foley, Esq., is opposite the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, and being easy of ascent, generally dry, and shaded by the foliage of birch and chestnuttrees, is much frequented. From the upper part of this road a walk leads up the hill near Castle House to St. Ann's Well, presenting the town and surrounding scenery in a very picturesque point of view. It was made at the suggestion of Miss Spencer Stanhope, in the autumn of 1837.

DANVER'S WALK

was made at the expense of the Hon. Mr. Danver; the entrance to it is from a path near St. Ann's Well, called Nob's Delight, from which a walk descends in a zigzag direction towards Foley Terrace. About the centre of it, in a recess of the

*

rock, is a sheltered seat, commanding a view of part of the town, and in the distance, of the City of Worcester, with its grey Cathedral and the elegant spire of St. Andrew's Church, and a great extent of country.

THE WALK TO THE SUGAR-LOAF HILL.

For this beautiful walk the visitors of Malvern are indebted to that great benefactor of the place, the late Charles Morris, Esq., of London, by whose desire it was undertaken, and under whose personal superintendence and expense it was completed.

The Sugar-Loaf is notched off, as it were, by a small ravine from its neighbour the Worcestershire Beacon. At the foot of the Sugar-Loaf is the

WINDING VALLEY,

which separates the Worcestershire Beacon from the North Hill. The ascent of this valley is direct and steep, and rough with many fragments of rock, which the winter rains and frost detach from the masses above. The rocks on the northern side of this winding glen—buttresses, as it were, to the great North Hill—are the most precipitous of the whole Malvern range, and are only scaled with difficulty.

* See a panoramic sketch of objects seen from the Worcestershire Beacon, published at the Library.

They are stained with various lichens, and tufted with graceful ferns. It is here, and here alone, that the rare but dwarf Sedum album is found. At the foot of the Winding Valley is a path to the right, called Lady Mary Talbot's Walk, leading round by the

IVYSCAR ROCK,

in whose massy front fancy may detect a resemblance to the walls of some mouldering castle, to which idea its thick mantle of ivy lends support, and the whole mass is luxuriantly clothed with ferns and various wild plants. From this spot there is a delightful view of the town, the Church, and the Worcestershire Beacon. By taking the pathway above, called Lady Lambert's Walk, the top of the North Hill is reached, whence the view is extremely beautiful, and amply repays the fatigue of the ascent. The point of the Worcestershire Beacon is the only break in the circle of the distant horizon.

From the top of the North Hill, Lord Grenville's Walk leads round the Table Hill to the Sugar-Loaf and Beacon.

From the summit of the Worcestershire Beacon, along the ridge of the hill, a delightful walk may be taken to Malvern Wells and the Camp

Hill.

After leaving the Beacon, the first object of attraction is

THE WYCH,*

a deep artificial cut made through the solid rock, formerly traversed by a narrow road inaccessible to carriages, but now occupied by the new turnpike road to Ledbury. This excellent road was commenced in 1836; it branches off from the main road a little way beyond the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel at Great Malvern, and by a very gradual ascent attains the summit of the hill at the Wych, whence the view of the fertile vale of Worcester to the east, and the undulating hills of Hereford and Wales to the west, is beautiful in the extreme.

Descending on the Herefordshire side, and passing through the village of Colwall, where there is an extremely interesting old church, with several brasses in an excellent state of preservation,† the new road again enters the old one, about two miles on this side of the town of Ledbury, shortening the distance between that place and Great Malvern nearly two miles. The bare stony masses displayed on each side of the Wych afford excellent opportunities for the gratification of the taste of those disposed to geological inquiries; they are composed chiefly of syenite in various aggregation, or hornblende, greenstone, and mica; while

* From the Saxon wic, a winding bank.

† Vicar, the Rev. F. Custance.

For a geological account of the hills, see "The Geology of the Malvern Hills," by Edwin Lees, Esq.