Living in Malvern

[Elvini]

We're thinking of relocating to Malvern. Any MNers from the area? I wondered what it's like in the way of a community feel, schools and things to do. We like walking so the hills and scenery are what's attracting us to the area. Also DH would commute to Birmingham on the train, does anybody do this and find it ok?

Which residential areas are preferable and which not so much?

Thanks in advance.

I have never found the hills sinister myself. I never tire of seeing them, but each to his own.

Well thanks for the thoughts everyone. Currently in the car on our way back and I am quite excited. I really liked it there; it seems to be just what I was hoping. Some lovely little shops as well :)

DH was making positive comments and is saying he could see himself there but I feel he has some reservations. Fingers crossed I can persuade him.

We're going to go back on the train sans baby vini and spend a bit longer frequenting some of the pubs etc.

Thanks again - hearing your opinions gave us some good starting points.

I am v jel I love Malvern more than anywhere else in the U.K. For a while I lived near Hereford and my girls went to a really cute prep school I think at Colwall called The Downs they still say it was their favourite school. I'm stuck in Norfolk now which is nice but no lovely hills....

Elvini - best pub is the Nags Head.

We love Malvern (we live near Broadway, a good few miles east and south) and visit it regularly - wonderful library (much better than our local libraries!), interesting shops, that beautiful theatre which we often go to.

In the summer there's a free 'Bands in the Park' brass band concert in the nice park in front of the theatre, every week from 2.30-4.30 - people of all ages take picnics, the kids run about, it has a lovely family vibe.

Then as someone says there's that Waitrose which is big and has easy parking, and out of town a little bit a useful retail park with Morrisons, M&S etc.

I think it combines practical with pretty, quaint and modern, very well, and it has a very self-contained air nestled in those lovely hills as it is, which makes it unique.

Good luck OP with your decision and possible move.

Not a Malvern expert but I grew up in Hereford, left for uni and now 18yrs later I have just moved back with my young children. I love this part of the world, really is beautiful

I'm curious about the 'well off for restaurants & shops' comment. I am frequently in Malvern and haven't seen this side of it? Yes, there are cafes & a Waitrose but that's pretty much it.

The houses and surroundings are beautiful though. You get a lot for your money in Malvern. I much prefer it to Droitwich, which I agree just feels like a satellite town.

I like Malvern (can see hills in the distance from front windows) and, being a rural person, would love to live in Castlemorton Common.

Prefer Hereford but a bit of a trek to Birmingham.

Agree about Worcester, traffic has gone from poor to ridiculous. Took me over an hour to get home last week - about 15 miles from Worcester.

I wouldn't want to have to drive round Worcester to the motorway from Malvern everyday, but if you are going south, then cutting over to the M50 is fine - though you can't count on crossing the river at Upton in the winter if theres flooding.

I can see the Malverns from home (and on the same train line that goes there - you do need to remember that from London the train goes to Worcester then curves back to Malvern so the journey is slow, but cheap), and frequently go up British Camp with the dogs. Love the area, and the local food is amazing here. In the run up to christmas it seems all the farm shops are having special events with local producers

I don't think you can compare Malvern and Droitwich really. Bit apples and oranges IYKWIM.

Thats true Sparkling - you'd need to compare Droitwich to Evesham, and Malvern to Tewkesbury really

Elvini, if you came today you saw it on a very miserable, grey day. Try and come when it is sunny!

Yes rhubarb but to be honest we are lovers of the grey and miserable! But no, I see your point and we did keep saying "imagine how this must feel in the sunshine".

We've both said that the best thing about the place was how friendly most of the people were. My parents live in a town where everyone smiles and says hello but both me and DH never have! It was so lovely to have people say hello and come and talk to the baby etc. It also felt very safe for some reason. You are very lucky all you Malvern dwellers!

Really looking forward to going back.

Glad you liked it Elvini. Best restaurants: Terrace on the Hill; Cottage in the Woods; L'Amuse Bouche (Worcestershire fine dining restaurant of the year), the Inn at Welland, The Swan; Anupam of you like Indian, and the Thai restaurant at Colwall

Meant The Swan at Hanley not the Newland Swan - it's a gorgeous country gastro-pub overlooking the village green and duck pond

Shops... not spoilt for choice but Iapetus is amazing for home/gifts/art, my fave! Just along from there is a lovely quite cool stationery/card shop, and further along is the little tart shop with savoury and sweet tarts. Rhubarb and now Rhubarb home has just opened; the antiques shops on Belle Vue Terrace; Gordon Smiths was amazingly handy when we first moved in - curtain fabrics, haberdashery and kitchen/home stuff. We even found an amazing interior design shop hidden away on Bellevue terrace that sells Farrow and Ball paints, Fired Earth tiles and amazing fabrics from Osbourne and Little etc. For most other things, John Lewis delivers to Waitrose

Great French deli/boulangerie with fresh warm bread and croissants from Le Delice on Albert Park Road (Link Top), a great cheese shop in Barnards Green, several health food and organic groceries.

Agree with all those! We have lots of festivals too, Mappfest, Westfest and so on. Sunshine Festival, the Jazz festival and that funny one with the amazing Morris dance troops a few miles away in Upton...

Perhaps you should come back on Sat 26 Nov for the Christmas festival - beautiful at dusk when there are stalls and music around the grounds of the Priory, and a procession of lights from the children... www.christmasinmalvern.co.uk/

lots of car boot sales. Don't get me started on the amazing flea markets at the Three Counties show ground. Oh and the spring and autumn shows, the Three Counties shows.

Can you tell Love and me are old school buddies ha ha

Hello op. I commute from Bromsgrove to Worcester which is the same line as Birmingham to Malvern. The trains are generally reliable but do get crowded, especially in the evenings. Your dh won't have problems getting a seat in the morning but may struggle on the home journey. Trains run every hour in the week.

The flea market is just amazing! My house has a few weird and wonderful things from there.

As pp said the traffic in and around Worcester is awful - best avoided if you can manage it!

Thanks yoga, I've obviously not investigated!

I grew up between ledbury and Hereford. Love Malvern but prefer ledbury for general pubs and shops and typography. All in all Herefordshire and Worcestershire are lovely places to live.

Topography. Not some kind of calligraphy!

It was me who said about restaurants and shops - it is all relative I guess! I think the indian restaurants, the cafés and the pubs do nice good, many of them. And there seem to be interesting shops to me, such as antiques shops, charity shops, a deli, a book shop... But I suppose this is just the sort of stuff I like.