Malvern Hills Trust Car Parks to Re-Open Weds 13th May

[Hereford Voice]

Car parks around the Hills and Commons will be open from Wednesday (13th May) in response to recent Government coronavirus advice.

Following the announcement of the Government on Sunday 10th May, which allows people to travel to exercise, the Malvern Hills Trust will be reopening its car parks.Duncan Bridges, CEO of the Malvern Hills Trust said “

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We have made the decision to reopen our car parks around the Hills and Commons as we are expecting to see an increased number of visitors to the Malvern Hills following the announcement.

We appreciate that some local people have concerns relating to the re-opening of the car parks but the alternative of visitors parking on the verges and along roadsides next to properties puts more people at risk as well as causing damage our local green spaces.

Over the recent Bank Holiday, we saw increased numbers of visitors to the Hills, despite the lockdown, which resulted in vehicles being parked on verges and on the open commons.

The Trust are urging people to keep their travel to a minimum, stay local where they can, and avoid crowding in ‘honey pot’ locations such as British Camp. 

Mr Bridges added

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We are asking the public not to rush to visit the Hills, as we do not want to see a repeat of the Bank Holiday crowds

The organisation is also encouraging people to take the necessary precautions such as washing their hands, to stay safe and to keep up to date with the latest Government advice relating to access in the countryside.

“It is important that those who choose to exercise here follow the social distancing guidelines for their own safety, the safety of their family and the safety of the wider community.”

The car parks have been closed since the 27th March in response to the Government’s lockdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Further information regarding the reopening of car parks, visiting the Hills and car park passes can be found on the Trust’s website 

STAY SAFE

Please do your bit to keep people safe and healthy and to stop the spread of the virus.  We’ve provided some further information on how you can keep yourself and others safe when exercising on the Malvern Hills and Commons in line with official Government advice.

Walking

• Explore some of the lesser known paths and avoid the more popular areas to minimise contact with others. As a walker you have a right of access over land under our care so you have lots of opportunities to find your own space. 
• Stay at least 2 metres away from others. Please be generous with space when passing people on paths. 
• Be polite and considerate to others. If you’re more mobile and able to, please step aside to allow cyclists or wheelchair users through where space is limited, to make sure everyone is at a safe distance from each other
• If walking with your dog please keep it under effective control and do not let your pet run up to other visitors. Please keep your dog on a lead near livestock as there are lambs around the countryside and it is important that you keep the sheep safe.  
• Look out for ground-nesting bird signs and keep yourself and your dog to the paths in these areas to avoid disturbing these vulnerable birds.

Cycling

• Use a bell or call out in plenty of time to alert other visitors to your approach.
• Stay at least 2 metres away from others to keep yourself and other safe.
• Be polite and considerate to others. You may need to stop and dismount or wait when passing other visitors in order to maintain a safe distance.
• Please keep your speed down and consider your abilities so you don't take risks that might cause you to require assistance from an already overstretched NHS.
• The byelaws still apply so please keep to bridleways and permissive paths (map)

Running

• Explore some of the lesser known paths and avoid the more popular areas to minimise contact with others.
• As you're more likely to be breathing hard and sweating, please take extra care to keep your distance.
• Be polite and considerate to others. You may need to slow down or stop to keep your distance to allow others the time to move aside to maintain a safe distance of 2 metres.

Please follow these tips to keep yourself and the local community safe during this difficult time.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The trust have put together some answers to questions about accessing the Malvern Hills which you can read here. They are expecting a number of enquiries at the office so please bear with them at this time.  

[Bill Thomas]

As long as people are sensible and listen to the government advice I don't see a problem. We may even wonder over in the next week or so for a few hours exercise.