Worcestershire is a county of generally rolling hills, save for the flat and fruity Vale of Evesham in the east and the prominent spine of the Malverns in the west. Nearly all of the land is worked in some way; arable farming predominates (oilseed rape, cereals and potatoes), but there are concentrated areas of specific land use such as market gardening and plum growing.

In Herefordshire the land is hillier, abutting in the west with the Black Mountains ridge that defines the border with Wales. Crops are important here but there are more green fields (for grazing, silage or hay), because this is livestock country with plenty of cattle and even more sheep. Also, you cannot walk far in this county without seeing an apple orchard.

One of the AA County Walks series, this guide explores some of the best of these counties countryside. It includes 50 themed walks of between 2 and 10 miles, each with fascinating background reading. There are clear, easy-to-follow route descriptions and full colour detailed sketch maps for every walk. Each walk chapter is prefaced by a practical information panel and then a section with interesting information on what to look out for during the walk. Details of places to eat and drink are provided, including guidance for dog owners on where to walk and dog-friendly establishments.

The walk locations include: Broadway; Cleeve Hill; Tardebigge; Badsey; Hanbury Hall; Clent Hills; Bredon Hill; Huddington Court; Droitwich Spa; Worcester; Kingsford; Upton upon Severn; Ombersley; Stourport on Severn; Great Witley; Abberley; Powick Bridge; Wyre Forest; Martley; Ravenshill; Suckley Hills; The Malverns; Mamble; Ashperton; Frome Valley; Woolhope; Tenbury Wells; Hereford; Coppet Hill; Ross-on-Wye; Aymestry; Downton on the Rock; Kilpeck; Orcop Hill; Abbey Dore; Hergest Ridge; Harley's Mountain; Lime Brook Valley; Weobley; Black Hill; Clifford; Golden Valley; Merbach Hill; Olchon Valley.

This volume in Cicerone's popular 'County Series' explores the length and breadth of a county rich in scenic pleasures. Over 40 routes to suit walkers of all abilities are included. Enjoy the all embracing views from the Clent and Lickey Hills, the incomparable Malverns and the heights of Bredon. Explore the rivers and canals where heron, kingfisher and wild fowl add to the pleasures of a gentle stroll, or go deep in hidden, almost secret, valleys. From the slopes above the Teme Valley watch buzzards soar, or go quietly through woodland hoping for a glimpse of deer.

The author includes background histories of many of the towns and villages and some of the people who once lived there. A useful information section includes places of interest, picnic sites, country parks and travel contact details.

Some of the walk locations are: Kinver Edge; Clent Hills; Waseley Hills and Chadwich Manor Estate; Lickey Hills; Wyre Forest; The Stour Valley - Cookley and Wolverley; Jacobs Ladder and the Habberley Valley; Eymore Wood and the Severn; The Tardebigge Flight; Chaddesley Woods; Abbots Morton and Inkberrow; Feckenham, Wylde Moor and Burial Lane; Hanbury Park and Droitwich Canal; Doverdale and Westwood Park; Holt Fleet - The Severn; Pudfoot Hill; Ankerdine Hill; Shelsley Walsh; Worcester; Worcestershire Beacon; Midsummer Hill and Herefordshire Beacon; Kempsey Common and Pirton; Upton upon Severn; Severn Stoke and Croome Park; Bredon Hill; Ashton-under-Hill; Longley Green and Old Storridge; Shrawley; Suckley Hills; Abberley Hills; Vale of Evesham.

If you are looking for a walk of between 3 and 6 miles in the superb countryside of Worcestershire topped off by some good pub food, this is the book for you. Its handy size fits neatly into a pocket and it includes all the details you need. Contents include an introduction to each walk, details of distance and terrain, how to get to the start, recommended pub, food served and telephone number, numbered route directions, matching numbered route maps and details of places of interest nearby. There are also photographs to illustrate the pubs and some scenic views to be enjoyed.

The 15 walk locations are: Shatterford; Waseley Hills; Stourport-on-Severn; Tenbury Wells; Doverdale; Clifton upon Teme; Feckenham; Collett's Green; Suckley; Harvington; Pershore; Worcestershire Beacon (Malvern Hills); British Camp (Malvern Hills); Broadway Tower; Ashton under Hill.

The thirty walks in this all-colour guide combine some of the most beautiful scenery in Worcestershire with the opportunity to enjoy a meal and a drink in a good local pub. Most of the strolls are under 4 miles in length and are suitable for families and all age groups. There is information about how to get to the start, where to park and places of interest to visit nearby. In addition there are photographs of the pubs and sights along the way, and maps with numbering to match the text for greater clarity.

The book offers a wealth of local places to explore: There is Upper Arley, with its Severn Valley Railway station and Harbour Inn, famous for its television appearances in 'Oh Dr Beeching'. 'Goodnight Mr Tom' and 'The 39 Steps'; Tenbury Wells, surrounded by hop fields and orchards, Inkberrow, home to the timber-framed Old Bull pub, the model for the pub in 'The Archers' radio serial; and Pershore, well known for its plums and Norman Abbey. To this must be added Collett's Green on the river Teme, close to the site of the Battle of Worcester in1651, Evesham's 110ft Bell Tower and Ashton Under Hill, a 'walker's paradise' on the edge of the Cotswolds.

The walk locations are: Clent; Upper Arley; Rednal; Bewdley; Chaddesley Corbett; Hopwood; Mamble; Stourport-on-Severn; Stoke Pound; Tenbury Wells; Great Witley; Ombersley; Stoke Works; Clifton Upon Teme; Grimley; Lower Broadheath; Inkberrow; Knightwick; Worcester; Collett's Green; Stonehall; West Malvern; Pershore; Evesham; Bretforton; British Camp (Malvern Hills); Upton Upon Severn; Ashton Under Hill; Castlemorton Common; Broadway.

Walking books which match an exhilarating ramble with a nearby pub serving good food and drink have become one of the most popular forms of footpath guides. But this one is a little different as the routes are longer at 7 to 11 miles, and a little more adventurous and challenging, leaving those who complete them with a real sense of achievement.

The 20 circular routes in this volume offer a wealth of places to see and explore including Worcester's Civil War battlefield; the picturesque Cotswold village of Broadway; reservoirs teeming with birds and other wildlife at Arley and Bittel; nature reserves at Windmill Hill in the Vale of Evesham and Long Meadow near Inkberrow; and the Malvern Hills and Wyre Forest. Other walks visit the 36 locks on the Worcester to Birmingham canal between Stoke Pound and Tardebigge; Shrawley Woods which supplied oak for the repair of the Houses of Parliament after the Second World War; the Severn Valley steam railway near Bewdley; and the Arrow Valley Country Park in Redditch. There is also the chance to discover a listed pub, a 300 year old inn and a thatched postbox.

Each walk description includes details on how to get to the start, where to park and where to stop for refreshments. The sketch maps have numbers which correspond with the numbered paragraphs in the text and there is information on the area's history, flora and fauna.

The 20 walk locations are: Castlemorton Common; Upton upon Severn; Broadway; Middle Littleton; Pershore; Croome; Northern Malvern Hills; Knightwick; Worcester; Inkberrow; Hanbury; Redditch; Bromsgrove; Shrawley Woods; Abberley Hill; Stourport; Chaddesley Corbett; Lickey Hills; Wolverley; Bewdley

If you enjoy both walking and visiting country pubs, this book should appeal. All the inns are in Worcestershire and surrounded by excellent walking country. Each walk begins and ends at a particular pub. They vary in length from 3 to 7 miles and the route is described in detail with its own accompanying sketch map.

There are walks along country lanes and through delightful river valleys, with easy going ascents around Bredon and the lovely Malvern Hills for magnificient panoramic views. The routes include a stroll beside the Birmingham and Worcester Canal and along stretches of the Worcestershire Way and the Wychavon Way.

All 30 pubs have their own individual characters and details given include opening times, speciality menus and their range of ales. An experienced rambler, Richard Shurey writes on the countryside for magazines and newspapers. He is the author of several popular books of walks.

Step into Worcestershire's past with this Discovery Walks Guide. These 30 circular walks are evenly spaced across the varied terrain of the county, giving you an excellent introduction to Worcestershire's landscape. Each route visits a heritage site, market town or village, so you'll learn all about the area's rich historical heritage too. Some of the treats in store are as follows:

A walk along Icknield Street, the famous Roman road. Strolls in woodlands once owned by a brush making company, or in Wyre Forest, once a royal hunting ground. Visits to stately homes, including 18th century Hanbury Hall and the magnificent Elizabethan Harvington Hall. An exploration of the city of Worcester and of Stourport-on-severn, the only town in England to have been built because of a canal. Riverside and canal walks, including a visit to Tardebigge Locks, the longest flight of canal locks in the country. Ancient churches, abbeys and Iron Age hillforts; Elgar's birthplace (and his grave) and the pre-Raphaelite heritage of Broadway.

Brian Conduit is a native of Birmingham.

ISBN 1-85058-706-X

Worcestershire is justly famous for its pretty villages. Within them or close by lies a rich heritage of old abbeys, manor houses, half-timbered cottages, parish churches, rivers, byways, tracks and footpaths. And one of the best ways to explore this glorious and varied landscape is on foot.

The twenty routes in this book introduce the walker to some of the most picturesque villages in the county. Black and white timbered cottages rub shoulders with those built of warm, honey-coloured Cotswold stone, as at Wickhamford, Elmley Castle and Childswickham. Each careful walk instruction also includes details of how to get to the start, where to park and what food and drink is available locally. There is also a brief history of the village on which the walk is based and a seperate section about other places of interest to visit nearby. The walks vary in length from 2.5 to 7 miles and there is information about what can be seen en route.

The Birmingham and Worcester Canal features in two walks, one based on the village of Hopwood and the other on Tardebigge. At Astley, the walk passes near to Astley Hall, once the home of Stanley Baldwin; while at Severn Stoke the route goes through the beautiful landscape created by 'Capability' Brown at Croome Court, now the property of the National Trust.

Water always adds interest to a walk and Worcestershire is fortunate in having so many inland waterways to explore. There are the rivers Stour, Teme, Avon and Severn, as well as the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal and the Droitwich Canal. These, added to the many brooks, lakes and reservoirs, provide miles of waterside pathways to discover.

The twenty circular walks in this book are all between 2.5 and 5.5 miles in length and can be easily undertaken by everyone including the not-so-young and the not-so-fit. Each walk is carefully described and other information such as how to get to the start, where to park, and where to go for refreshments is given. All the walks are based on a good local pub. For greater clarity, the route descriptions are divided into numbered paragraphs, which correspond with the numbers on the accompanying sketch maps. There is also information about places of interest to visit nearby such as the Severn Valley Railway; Cadbury World, a mecca for chocoholics; Upper Broadheath where Sir Edward Elgar, the composer, was born and Ragley Hall, famous for its heronry.

Here is a superb selection of 25 walks, suitable for all the family. They explore the deeply rewarding landscape of Worcestershire. Centred on towns and villages, the walks explore scenery as diverse as the Malvern Hills, the glorious Wyre Forest and the rivers Severn and Avon, all with the promise of a traditional cream tea to follow. The tea shops, which all come with a personal recommendation from the author, are situated in a wide variety of locations such as stately homes, garden centres, idyllic cottages, old stations and even mineral wells.

Each walk includes background notes on local history, architecture, wildlife and other features of interest which all add an extra dimension to a country walk. Accurate sketch maps and detailed directions, combined with information on car parking and other facilities, all help to ensure many pleasurable days of walking.

The walk locations are: Beckford and Bredon Hill; Bewdley and Dowles Brook; Bewdley and Ribbesford Woods; Broadway Tower; Chaddesley Corbett woodland; Evesham Abbey and riverside; Great Malvern; Hanbury and Piper's Hill; Holt Heath and Ombersley; Kyre Park and Hanley Child; Lickey Hills and Bittell Reservoir; Madresfield and the Old Hills; Malvern railway and Pinnacle Hill; Mamble and Bayton; Overbury, Bredon Hill and Kemmerton; Pershore and Tyddesley Wood; Spetchley Park; St Ann's Well and Worcestershire Beacon; Tenbury Wells; Upper Arley and Trimpley Reservoir; Upton upon Severn and the Hams; Upton upon Severn and Earls Croome; Waseley and Beacon Hill; Worcester City; Wyre Forest.

This guide contains sixteen walks which explore both banks of the Severn and the depths of the forest. There are sunny oak woods, dark pines, waterside walks and strolls over high open fields. The walks are linked so you can make your day longer or shorter and all begin at one of eight starting points. Additional information helps you find out about the rocks, the trees, plants and creatures, charcoal burning, waterworks and railways. The detailed sketch maps and route instructions should enable you to navigate without difficulty.

The ancient Wyre Forest was part of the Wildwood that once dominated central England. Today there is one large tract of woodland covering some 6,000 acres and there are miles of scattered coverts and small plantations that were once linked to it. Outside the woods and forests deep, dense dingles fringe all the main streams.

The walk starting points are: Bewdley; Callow Hill; Buttonoak; Upper Arley; Kinlet; Alveley (Severn Valley Country Park); Hampton Loade. There are 16 routes described and many have options to combine sections to create numerous possibilities.

The Malvern Hills and their surroundings provide magnificent opportunites for rambling, and in this book of twenty walks Roy Woodcock explores many of their superb features. They cover the entire range of hills and the neighbouring commons, together with some of the delightful countryside nearby.

For the energetic there are walks up to and along the main ridge where stunning new views emerge every few minutes. but in addition th those routes using steep paths there are many fairly gentle walks that explore the wooded slopes around the lower parts of the hills, and also go west around the historic town of Ledbury and east to the fine riverside area of Upton upon Severn.

The distances range from 2 miles to 8 miles, plus a 'leg stretcher' of between 10 and 16 miles (depending upon starting point) that takes in the full length of the ridge and ascends all the Malvern peaks. Sketch maps accompany the route descriptions and the guide is illustrated with drawings and black and white photographs.

If you enjoy both walking and visiting country pubs this book should appeal. The 20 circular routes vary in length between just over 1 mile and 7 miles and each is described in detail. There is also information about how to get to the start and where to park, photographs of the pubs and sights along the way, and maps with numbering to match the text.

The walks include Ivy Scar Rocks, the largest natural rocky outcrop on the hills; the church where Sir Edward Elgar and his wife are buried; the Red Earl's Dyke, thought to have been created in the 13th century by the Earl of Gloucester; St Ann's Well where the famous spring flows into the Dolphin spout and bowl; and magnificent views of the Welsh hills and the Cotswolds from Worcestershire Beacon, the highest point on the Malverns. Other routes take you to the Three Counties Showground, well know for its annual agricultural show; to some of the former quarries including Tank Quarry in the north and Gullet Quarry in the south; to the splendid old church of St James in Cradley; and to the Mount Pleasant Hotel in Great Malvern, an early Georgian building once used as a hotel for the water cure.

The full walk locations are: Collett's Green; Callow End; Newland; Malvern; West Malvern; Stifford's Bridge; Mathon; Great Malvern; Barnard's Green; Malvern Wells; Wyche; Upper Colwall; Hanley Swan; Hanley Castle; Newbridge Green; Wynds Point; Chance's Pitch; Wellington Heath; Castlemorton; Birtsmorton.

Ashton Under Hill, at the eastern foot of Bredon Hill, is one of a necklace of attractive villages surrounding the Hill, like jewels in the English countryside. All of the 10 circular walks in this guide start from Ashton Under Hill and, with one exception, explore the slopes and 961ft summit of Bredon Hill, from which there are magnificent views over the Severn Vale. The walks, from 2 to 10 miles, visit several other of the Bredon Hill villages including Elmley Castle, Grafton, Conderton, Overbury and Dumbleton. There is also a visit to Ashton Wood and the ruined tower known as Parsons Folly, built on the edge of the ramparts which formed the Iron Age hill fort known as Kemerton Camp. From here there are lovely views of the Avon winding its way around the Hill through meadowland and out onto the Servern plain.

The counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire provide many fine opportunities for walking, and in this book Des Wright has put together 20 rambles that explore some of the counties' most attractive areas. Ranging in distance from 2.5 to 8.5 miles, they are all circular and readily accessible by car and, with one exception, by public transport. Some can be combined to give rather longer excursions. The walking is easy, mostly on the flat and with a few climbs.

These walks give you beautiful views and will take you through woodlands, along field paths and into attractive villages. You will find peaceful churches, encounter meandering streams and rivers, and follow towpaths of tranquil canals; and for refreshment there is always an inn or tea shop en route or at the end of your walk. Each walk description is accompanied by a sketch map and practical information about the route, terrain and facilities.

The walk locations are: Pepper Wood; Wast Hills and the tunnel; Chaddesley Corbett; Wythall; Earlswood, wood and lakes; Barston and Temple Balsall; Packwood House; Baddesley Clinton; Alvechurch and Rowney Green; Tanworth-in-Arden; Avoncroft Museum and Tardebigge; Henley-in-Arden and Preston Bagot; Hanbury Hall; Studley; Wootton Wawen; Feckenham; Astwood Bank and Feckenham; Coughton Court; Aston Cantlow; Wilmcote and Mary Arden's house.

Following the success of his earlier book 'Country Walks in Warwickshire and Worcestershire', Des Wright has now compiled another collection of walks in these two attractive counties. As before, all the walks are circular and are readily accessible by car and by public transport. The walking is mostly easy, mainly on the flat, with just a few modest climbs.

Distances of the main walks vary from 4.5 to 11.5 miles, but most include a shorter option with distances ranging between 1.5 and 8 miles. The descriptive texts are accompanied by sketch maps, and contain much relevant historical and natural history detail. Locations include: Meriden, Knowle and Barston, Belbroughton, Barnt Green, Hockley Heath, Alvechurch and Rowney Green, Bromsgrove, Beoley and Hob Hill, Gorcott Hill and Ullenhall, Budbrooke, Henley-in-Arden, Abberley and Great Witley, Ombersley, Wootten Wawen, Inkberrow, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cleeve Prior and the Litteltons.

The author's love of the countryside is abundantly evident in these pages. You can share his enthusiasm as you come upon charming villages, attractive woodlands and gentle streams, and admire the fine views that continually unfold.

This third collection of walks explores further some of the attractive countryside in these two West Midlands counties. As in the author's two earlier books, the walking is not difficult, mostly on the flat and with no strenuous climbs. The walks are all circular and can be reached easily by car and, with one exception, by public transport. Distance range between 2 and 9.5 miles, with one rather more strenuous walk of 14 miles.

Locations include: Clent and Walton Hills; Temple Balsall and Balsall Common; Alvechurch; Beoley; Temeside; Piper's Hill; Preston Bagot and Lowensford; Claverdon; Dormston; Wootton Wawen; Southam; Stock Green, Huddington and Himbleton; Feckenham; Alcester; Weethley; Harvington and the Lench villages; Pershore and Bredon Hill. There are twenty one main walks altogether.