We live about three miles from Malvern, and are very close to the Malvern Hills (see the photos). The Hills are officially designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They comprise a ridge running north-south. The walking is very popular, and can be as easy or arduous as you wish. Once the range was higher than the Himalayas are now, but the maximum height above the Severn Valley is now only a little over 400 metres. There are mountain springs throughout the hills, and you can fill up your water bottles. We have excellent views of the hills from our bedroom and driveway. Upper Welland is a small settlement, and one of the attractions when we bought the house was the peace and quiet. The Hills are within walking distance, and from the top of the ridge we can see into Herefordshire and Wales to the west, and the Cotswolds to the east. Malvern is a collection of villages and one town, separated by lots of green spaces. Great Malvern, the nearest town, was a major spa in the nineteenth centre. In the twentieth century it was of great importance in the development of radar. Although Malvern, the Hills and surrounding countryside are attractions enough in themselves, there are many small towns within half an hour or an hour's drive away which are well worth visiting. Nearby Upton has several music festivals every year (jazz, folk, and blues). Edward Elgar is buried just up the road, and his birthplace is now a museum about ten miles away.