Worcestershire – what to see
A beautiful county in South West England, Worcestershire covers the area of Vale and Spa. Vale & Spa incorporates the charming towns of Broadway, Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Pershore. It is an area of sheer diversity. A picturesque part of the world it has a wide range of accommodation, shopping, attractions and a plethora of festival and events.
Technically part of the West Midlands, Worcestershire bridges the gritty heartland of the Black Country and the green and pleasant borderlands between England and Wales. Its landscape is the epitome of Englishness and is surprisingly sparsely populated.
Rich agricultural fields and meadows provide an enticing spectacle from some of the county’s many high points and beacons. The Malvern Hills are here and are a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty criss-crossed with footpaths and cycleways.
Where to stay in Worcestershire
There are many enticing places you can stay and enjoy all this rural beauty. You could tarry a while in the attractive town of Worcester itself, with its ancient cathedral and use it as a starting point for your trip. In the countryside beyond you will find a wide choice of accommodation to suit every pocket. From hotels and B&Bs, cosy country cottages to glamping sites, there is something for everyone.
The Old Banking Hall
One place we were lucky enough to visit for lunch was the Old Banking hall at the Angel Inn Hotel in Pershore. This is a charming upscale hotel and restaurant recently restored from a former high street bank. It has been transformed into a high-end space that is as proud of its Georgian history as its contemporary facilities. They often hold parties and concerts for the townsfolk down by the river Avon which the property faces on to. The fireworks display at the Banking Hall in November, is a town highlight. We enjoyed a delicious lunch there with mini roast pork burgers Parmesan fries and asparagus wrapped in parma ham.
There is plenty to do in these parts, so here are just three of the best Worcestershire attractions in addition to its famous Asparagus festival of course!l
The Wood Norton Hotel
We stayed here on our trip to the area and it is a grand and imposing venue. Perfect for weddings events or just a fabulous weekend break.
The hotel has a very historic past too. It was built by exiled French royalty, the Duc D’Orleans in 1897. After fleeing the French revolution, the family lived there until 1912. It is awash with beautiful decorative French interiors, carved wood panels, and furnishings all adorned with the fleur de lis pattern. Subsequently it became the head office for the BBC during the second world war when they wanted to relocate away from the urban centre of London. They created an emergency broadcasting centre which became one of the largest in Europe.
After the war Wood Norton became the BBC’s engineering training centre. A number of early Dr Who episodes were actually filmed in and around the house!
Upon our arrival. we were first greeted by Bear the 19 year old Wood Norton cat. He’s very friendly until he decides to give you a small bite..
Wood Norton is in an ideal location to explore the Cotswolds, Starford, Cheltenham and the Malvern Hills. It’s grounds are impressive with sweeping views out over the countryside.
The Real Flower Petal Confetti Co.
One unusual thing to do in Worcestershire is to visit the gorgeous flower fields of the Real Flower Petal Confetti Co, when they are in bloom. The Hudson family have farmed the area around Wick village in Worcestershire for over 250 years. The owner Charles Hudson was looking for ways to diversify and stumbled upon the idea of flower petal confetti. So many churches ban the use of confetti within the grounds as it makes such a mess.
Charles arrived home one day with some flowers for his wife. Some petals fell from the bouquet which reminded him of the confetti and then the idea came to him. It was a real eureka moment, and from that, the Real Flower Petal Confetti Co was born. A biodegradable totally natural, organic, beautiful alternative to paper confetti!
Charles experimented with many flowers and developed his own special drying process. Most of the flowers used now are of a quintessential English variety. The tall, elegant, blue or white delphinium. As well as delphiniums, other flower varieties such as cornflowers, roses, hydrangeas and lavender have now been added. This gives more choice to the customer. Different combinations of petals make up the mixed bags of flower petal confetti, which purchasers can choose online. Find out how to grow your own delphiniums here!
Visit the Flower Fields
The flower fields are in full bloom at the end of June. They have become a real visitor attraction in the Pershore area and people come from far and wide to see them and walk through them. It is a basic human need for us to connect with nature, and everyone loves to walk through the huge colourful flower fields.
You can visit the Flower Fields yourself while they are in bloom. The fields are open to the public at the end of June only for ten days or so. It is a photographer’s dream and there’s even a pop up Confetti Cafe! There will also be a classical music concert in the flower fields you can sign up to in high summer, which sounds incredibly romantic!
Deer Park Wines
Deer Park Wines is a young boutique English winery, which is already producing award winning white wines. Don’t miss this as it is a delightful Worcestershire visit! English wine is becoming much more popular now, and vineyards are springing up all across England. English wine is also increasingly recognised as a premium wine-producing region with more than 450 wineries and around 3.25m bottles produced a year!
Deer Park Wines is a beautiful vineyard in Eckington and we visit there for a glorious evening of wine tasting. The vineyards are in a gorgeous Cotswold Countryside setting in 1400 acres of land. The park has its own herds of red and fallow deer which roam freely. Deer are kept separate from the vineyards by a tricky turnstile gate to prevent them snacking on the precious vines. The red deer are all known by name and headed up by resident stag, Dave. Dave grows a magnificent pair of antlers every year. Dave’s most recent pair were on display at our wine tasting event. Even the chandelier in the main hall is made of deer antlers from the park!
Tour the vineyards of Worcestershire
We had a fun and informative wine tour with Mark, the owner. We learn about how he got started making wine (a bet he claims) Mark explains how vines are trained to only grow to picking height and how he selects the different grape varieties. The blending of the wines is a bit more of a secretive process, but his wife is always keen to help with the tasting part!
The hall has a beautiful dining room with a bar and gorgeous views out over the countryside. This is an ideal venue for weddings and corporate events.
We tried some of the wines produced at the estate including Deer Park Special reserve and their very first red wine! All organic, they are all really good. Alongside our wine we had a delicious selection of local cheeses too.
We experience a grape to glass Vineyard Tour with three wines and a glass of classic Cuvee Sparkling wine. Prices start at £35 with food and cheese a little extra.
Harvesting the grapes
Volunteers and locals descend to help to pick the grape harvest in the autumn. Everyone comes along, mucks in and are paid in wine and cheese! You can’t say fairer than that.
Droitwich salt
Churchfields farm is a great Worcestershire day out with fun for all the family. It is also the only producer of the unique Droitwich salt today. Only the waters of the Dead Sea are as concentrated.
Sourced from the one of the oldest and purest brine springs in the world, Will Kerton is now making a high quality product for sale to the public at his Salt works on the farm. Churchfields Farm is proud to be part of a product revival with such local and national importance. Celebrated for its great purity, the salt comes to the farm as brine in large containers. It evaporates when the Salt works shed is heated, into its final crystalline form.
The springs have existed naturally beneath Droitwich spa for millions of years. It was an internationally valuable resource in Roman, Anglo saxon and Norman Times and King John granted the town a Royal Charter in 1215 based on the importance of its brine. This made Droitwich Spa one of the most prosperous of medieval towns. This prosperity lasted right through to the twentieth century. Salt was important for both seasoning food and for its preservative properties.
One of the reasons the Romans settled here for so long, was that they paid their soldiers in salt – hence the word ‘salary.’
Find out more about Droitwich salt
Worth its weight in Worcestershire salt!
Will’s gourmet salt is now in high demand and has won numerous food festival awards for excellence. There are several to choose from. Sea Truffle, Beech smoked and Charcoal are all quite delicious.
Churchfields was formerly a dairy farm and as there is little profit today in milk, they decided to use it to make their own ice cream and fudge instead! The farm is always busy with families visiting and there are regular events to keep everyone amused.
Will and Gillian Kerton also raise some Hereford beef cattle on the farm. Their own restaurant serves this delicious meat. Churchfields even grow a maize maze every year with different theme. Their coronation year maze is yet to be revealed! This is a real cradle to grave concern. Will is thinking of setting up a nursery, and they already host weddings and even funerals here too.
This is a lovely part of the world and I am very glad I was able to make its acquaintance with a view to returning again to see the flower fields or maybe even pick a few grapes…
The Pershore plum festival is another great local summer festival
Check out the Worcestershire weather in real time here