St Ann’s Well, Malvern
I went to St Ann’s Well Cafe today, hidden just below the top of the start of the Malvern Hills. I’ve been there once before, and went back today on a bit of a ramble, in one of my best attempts yet to de-stress across a single weekend.
Basically only telling you about the cafe because I think it’s so wonderful. If you’re ever in that part of the midlands, you should take the (fairly steep) hike to make it up there. They serve *great* food, and by way of water they simply give you a glass and redirect you to the natural spring in the entranceway (fairly unhygienic, but I’m honestly not fussed by that, and easily overcome by the novelty of it all!)
The place initially arose around this spring, and came to middling-fame for the waters’ supposed curative properties. Now it’s just a great place to ramble to, and from, with tiered gardens and seating, and the genuine feeling you’ve left the bustle behind, and found something a bit special. I got a little romantically carried away – blossoms were snowing around us from the wild dandelions of the surrounding hills, I was drinking water that spewed from a natural spring and into a huge marble bowl, sat 200 miles away from London. The cafe wasn’t even on foursquare until I went and spoiled that (still not mayor though – somebody local will presumably get that priviledge).
The cafe is under threat of losing its license though, and so should you know of it, or simply be the petition type, do please sign up at their petition.
On the train back to the big smoke now, but cured of enough stress to actually relish the busy-ness that inevitably creeps in at every corner of London’s angular life. Bit of a weird blog post I suppose. But it’ll come in useful on that one day you accidentally step off the train in Malvern and need to find something interesting to do with the two hours til the next train…