Holiday Cottages In Worcestershire

Worcestershire has around 500 self-catering cottages on selfcatering.co.uk, from hillside boltholes under the Malverns to orchard retreats in the Vale of Evesham. The county pairs dramatic hills and slow river valleys with cathedral cities and Cotswold-edge villages, and more than 250 of those cottages take dogs while over 100 have a hot tub.

Best areas and towns in Worcestershire

Worcestershire's cottages spread along two main bands: the Malvern Hills in the west and the Vale of Evesham in the south-east, with the River Severn linking the cathedral city to a string of riverside towns. The best-known bases gather around Malvern and on the Cotswold edge near Broadway.

• Broadway: a showpiece Cotswold village of honey-stone houses, often called the jewel of the Cotswolds, on the county's south-eastern edge
• Worcester: the cathedral city on the Severn, the county town, with Georgian streets, the racecourse and the porcelain heritage
• Malvern and Great Malvern: a Victorian spa town and its historic core, set on the steep eastern flank of the hills
• Little Malvern, Welland and Eastham: small villages and parishes ringing the Malvern range, handy for the ridge walks
• Evesham and Bretforton: a market town in a great loop of the Avon and its neighbour in the fruit-growing Vale of Evesham
• Bewdley: a handsome Georgian riverside town on the Severn at the edge of the Wyre Forest
• Upton upon Severn: a small riverside town below the Malverns, known for its festivals and its quayside
• Tenbury Wells and Clifton upon Teme: a small spa town and a hilltop village in the quiet Teme valley to the north-west
• Little Witley and Hartlebury: rural villages in the lanes between Worcester and the Severn
• Eckington: a village near the county's southern border by the Avon, close to Bredon Hill

Droitwich Spa and the lanes around it make a central base, with cottages on the fringes for anyone wanting easy reach of both the hills and the vale.

Worcestershire countryside, the Malvern Hills and the Vale of Evesham

Worcestershire is shaped by hills, orchards and rivers. The Malvern Hills rise abruptly from the plain on the western side, a sharp granite ridge running for some nine miles with the Worcestershire Beacon at its summit and long views over the Severn Vale and into Wales, designated a National Landscape and threaded with springs and ridge paths. South and east lies the Vale of Evesham, the warm, sheltered fruit-and-vegetable garden of the Midlands, famous for its plum and apple blossom in spring and the market gardens along the River Avon. The River Severn runs north to south through the county, with the Wyre Forest on its western bank near Bewdley and the isolated whaleback of Bredon Hill standing out above the vale in the south. It is gentle, productive country, best explored on foot along the Malvern ridge or by the rivers.

Things to do in Worcestershire

Worcester Cathedral stands over the Severn, the burial place of King John and a landmark above the county cricket and racecourse. Families head west to the lions and rhinos of West Midlands Safari Park at Bewdley, or to the farm animals and play barns of All Things Wild near Evesham. The National Trust looks after the Queen Anne house and gardens at Hanbury Hall near Droitwich and the Capability Brown landscape at Croome, while English Heritage keeps the spectacular ruined mansion and fountains of Witley Court to the north-west. Closer to the city, Worcester Woods Country Park offers easy woodland and meadow walks, and on the Cotswold edge Broadway Tower crowns the hills above the village with one of the best views in the county.

When to visit Worcestershire

Spring is special in the Vale of Evesham, when the plum and apple orchards come into blossom and the blossom trail draws visitors along the Avon. Late spring and summer suit the Malvern ridge walks and the river festivals at Upton and Bewdley, with the Three Counties Show at Malvern a June highlight. Autumn brings the apple and fruit harvest in the vale and colour to the Wyre Forest. Winter is quiet and good value, the season for hill walks under clear skies and an evening hot tub. Out of season many owners drop their prices.

Dog-friendly and hot-tub cottages in Worcestershire

More than 200 of the cottages in Worcestershire take dogs, and more than 100 have a hot tub. Browse the places that take dogs or places with a hot tub to narrow your search.

Getting to Worcestershire

Worcestershire sits in the heart of England, around two hours from London by road. The M5 runs north to south past Worcester and Droitwich, the M42 skirts the county to the north-east, and the A44 carries on east to Evesham and Broadway. Trains reach Worcester, Malvern, Evesham and Kidderminster, with services from London Paddington and London Marylebone in around two to two and a half hours. Birmingham Airport is the nearest, about forty-five minutes away by car.

Useful links

• Visit Worcestershire
• Malvern Hills National Landscape
• Worcestershire County Council

Worcestershire is a county in the West Midlands region of England, taking in the lower valleys of the rivers Severn, Avon and Teme. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the west, Shropshire and Staffordshire to the north, the West Midlands metropolitan county and Warwickshire to the east, and Gloucestershire to the south. It is a predominantly rural county, long known for its fruit and hops, with a varied landscape of hills, orchards and river plains.

The dominant feature is the Malvern Hills, a sharp ridge of ancient rock that rises straight from the plain on the western side and runs for some nine miles, topped by the Worcestershire Beacon and protected as a National Landscape. To the south and east lies the Vale of Evesham, a warm and sheltered basin along the River Avon that is one of the chief market-gardening districts in the country, famous for its spring blossom. The River Severn flows north to south through the centre, passing the Wyre Forest near Bewdley, and the isolated mass of Bredon Hill stands above the vale in the south.

The cathedral city of Worcester is the county town, set on the Severn, with the spa town of Malvern, the riverside town of Bewdley, the market town of Evesham and Droitwich Spa among the principal settlements. Worcester gave its name to a famous sauce and to fine porcelain, and the county has long links with the composer Edward Elgar, who was born near Malvern and drew on its hills. Farming, food production and tourism remain central to its character.