View from the end of step 5 looking east across the Worcester Basin. The Malvern Hills can be seen on the horizon on the far right of the picture the of right far the on horizon the on seen be can Hills Malvern The Basin. Worcester the across east looking 5 step of end the from View red sedimentary rocks can be seen along the trail. the along seen be can rocks sedimentary red sandstones, conglomerates and siltstones. These distinctly distinctly These siltstones. and conglomerates sandstones, of years. Eventually, after compaction, it would form form would it compaction, after Eventually, years. of sediment from this river would have built up over millions millions over up built have would river this from sediment braided river system (the ‘Budleighensis River’). The The River’). ‘Budleighensis (the system river braided seas. Criss-crossing the vast basin floor was a powerful powerful a was floor basin vast the Criss-crossing seas. environment to life in comparison to the Silurian tropical tropical Silurian the to comparison in life to environment Basin, was the dominating landscape of the area: A hostile hostile A area: the of landscape dominating the was Basin, seas were long gone. A vast rift valley, the Worcester Worcester the valley, rift vast A gone. long were seas the gate and onto a stile. Go over the stile and then over a a over then and stile the over Go stile. a onto and gate the semi-arid regions of 31˚ north of the equator. The tropical tropical The equator. the of north 31˚ of regions semi-arid right and follow the track downhill to a gate. Go through through Go gate. a to downhill track the follow and right small clearing on the right hand side of the lane. the of side hand right the on clearing small By Triassic times this area had drifted northwards into the the into northwards drifted had area this times Triassic By 130m. Just after White House Farm cross the stile on the the on stile the cross Farm House White after Just 130m. path exiting onto a lane. Turn right for about 120m to a a to 120m about for right Turn lane. a onto exiting path Triassic aged rocks (251 – 200 million years old) years million 200 – (251 rocks aged Triassic 3) Exit the field onto a lane, turn left and follow the lane for for lane the follow and left turn lane, a onto field the Exit 3) downhill and then veers to the right. Continue along the the along Continue right. the to veers then and downhill crossroads. Follow the path straight ahead that leads leads that ahead straight path the Follow crossroads. in some of the limestone rocks seen along the trail. the along seen rocks limestone the of some in the path to the left of an old Oak tree to a stile. a to tree Oak old an of left the to path the over page). Just over the brow of the hill there is a path path a is there hill the of brow the over Just page). over inhabited this environment can be found today, as fossils, fossils, as today, found be can environment this inhabited on your left. Go through the gate into a field, and follow follow and field, a into gate the through Go left. your on path up into Crews Hill Nature Reserve (refer to text box box text to (refer Reserve Nature Hill Crews into up path The wide variety of weird and wonderful creatures that that creatures wonderful and weird of variety wide The the gate, turn right for 20m along the lane to a metal gate gate metal a to lane the along 20m for right turn gate, the 6) Go over the stile, into the woodland and along the the along and woodland the into stile, the over Go 6) the Welsh Borders. The Silurian seas teemed with life. life. with teemed seas Silurian The Borders. Welsh the until you reach a gate located within a hedgerow. Through Through hedgerow. a within located gate a reach you until sea stretched westwards to the deeper ocean beyond beyond ocean deeper the to westwards stretched sea 2) Follow the path between the parallel wooden fences, fences, wooden parallel the between path the Follow 2) years old). A truly prehistoric view! prehistoric truly A old). years tropical sea. This shallow shallow This sea. tropical Malvern Hills (composed of Precambrian rocks 670 million million 670 rocks Precambrian of (composed Hills Malvern in the warm, shallow shallow warm, the in the Worcester Basin to the Clent and Lickey Hills. Hills. Lickey and Clent the to Basin Worcester the Silurian sea Silurian Jurassic rocks 199 million years old). To the south lie the the lie south the To old). years million 199 rocks Jurassic from sediments laid down down laid sediments from Artist’s reconstruction of a of reconstruction Artist’s here and step 2 turn around to admire the views out across across out views the admire to around turn 2 step and here Bredon Hill and the Cotswolds escarpment (composed of of (composed escarpment Cotswolds the and Hill Bredon siltstones were formed formed were siltstones rocks, a step spanning some 192 million years. Between Between years. million 192 some spanning step a rocks, rocks 251–200 million years old), and to the south-east lie lie south-east the to and old), years million 251–200 rocks sea. Later, limestones and and limestones Later, sea. over the boundary between the Triassic and Silurian aged aged Silurian and Triassic the between boundary the over the relatively flat Worcester Basin (underlain by Triassic Triassic by (underlain Basin Worcester flat relatively the sediment into the shallow shallow the into sediment During this gradual ascent from the lane you have crossed crossed have you lane the from ascent gradual this During rocks approximately 488 million years old). To the east lies lies east the To old). years million 488 approximately rocks flood events which washed washed which events flood years old) and the Lickey Hills (composed of Ordovician Ordovician of (composed Hills Lickey the and old) years have formed from flash- from formed have straight onto another gate. another onto straight (composed of Permian rocks approximately 299 million million 299 approximately rocks Permian of (composed Silurian age are thought to to thought are age Silurian opening obstructed by a wooden bar. Lift this up and head head and up this Lift bar. wooden a by obstructed opening On the horizon to the north-east lie the Clent Hills Hills Clent the lie north-east the to horizon the On The earliest rocks from the the from rocks earliest The gate. Go through the gate and continue on the path to an an to path the on continue and gate the through Go gate. This short climb is rewarded with commanding views: views: commanding with rewarded is climb short This ago). years million a wooden post. Follow the field boundary uphill to a a to uphill boundary field the Follow post. wooden a Ice Age (around 445 445 (around Age Ice on your left. Go through the gate and cross the field to to field the cross and gate the through Go left. your on on your right, uphill to the woodland. the to uphill right, your on the end of the Ordovician Ordovician the of end the cross roads, continue ahead until you reach a kissing gate gate kissing a reach you until ahead continue roads, cross woods. Here, turn left following the field boundary, now now boundary, field the following left turn Here, woods. tropical ocean, as sea levels rose with the melting of ice at at ice of melting the with rose levels sea as ocean, tropical around to the right for approximately 400m. Over the the Over 400m. approximately for right the to around the field to the fence line that runs up the hill towards the the towards hill the up runs that line fence the to field the was experiencing a transition from land to the margin of a a of margin the to land from transition a experiencing was 1) With your back to the church gate, follow the lane lane the follow gate, church the to back your With 1) boundary turns 90˚ to the right, continue straight across across straight continue right, the to 90˚ turns boundary equator. At the beginning of the Silurian times this area area this times Silurian the of beginning the At equator. field with the field boundary on your right. Where the field field the Where right. your on boundary field the with field During Silurian times this area lay about 30˚ south of the the of south 30˚ about lay area this times Silurian During on its return to Alfrick church. Alfrick to return its on 5) Cross the stile and bridge into a field. Walk across the the across Walk field. a into bridge and stile the Cross 5) Silurian aged rocks (444 – 416 million years old) years million 416 – (444 rocks aged Silurian From the reserve the trail passes back onto Triassic rocks rocks Triassic onto back passes trail the reserve the From and through the Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve. Reserve. Nature Papermill and Knapp the through and to the left, which may be partly obscured by vegetation. by obscured partly be may which left, the to rocks seen along the trail are sedimentary in nature. in sedimentary are trail the along seen rocks sedimentary rock types, all of Silurian age, on its way to to way its on age, Silurian of all types, rock sedimentary of the orchard.