Musical Destinations
With fine musical o erings at either end, a cycle ride between these two cathedral cities makes a great way to explore the area, says Rob Ainsley
Rob Ainsley cycles between Worcester and Hereford
MAMIL? Strava? Such cycling concepts are nothing new. Perhaps Elgar was more of a Middle Aged Man In Tweed, rather than Lycra, when he enthusiastically took up biking in 1900, but he explored the lanes round Worcester and Malvern so comprehensively that his Ordnance Survey maps, showing his routes logged in red, look every inch like the modern online cyclist’s ‘Strava heat map’.
So, we’ll ride from Worcester to Hereford, cities he knew and worked in, through the countryside that inspired him – starting outside the Cathedral, by his statue, near his father’s music shop. (It’s now a branch of H&M, so you may not find the Bolero you expected.)
Worcester boasts more orchestras than its size would suggest. Worcester Symphony Orchestra – set up by Elgar in 1905 – mixes amateurs and professionals, performing to a ‘strong and loyal audience in the West Midlands’, says its chairman Vincent Kirk. Worcester Philharmonic, meanwhile, is a ‘very friendly community orchestra’, according to its head of PR (and cellos) Janet Geerling. ‘This area is bursting with music, and of a very high standard, as well as nurturing less accomplished players,’ she says. The semi-pro Chandos Orchestra, and the fully pro English String Orchestra are also based in the city.
Let’s cycle. We follow the Severn, amid one of England’s loveliest city centres, and head on quiet lanes to the Elgar museum at Broadheath. It’s full of memorabilia, music (staging occasional recitals), and even his model of bicycle, resembling an upright modern ‘Dutch town bike’.
We can picnic by the River Teme at Knightwick, Elgar’s ‘secret spot’, then enjoy more high-hedged lanes without white
lines to Malvern and its spectacular ridge. If you hear someone eerily whistling the Cello Concerto up on the many mountainand gravel-bike trails, Elgar said, it could be him. We ride past his house from the early 1900s, Craeg Lea (his base for many a ride) and his grave nearby at St Wulstan’s.
Then it’s more back-roads – the sort Elgar plied while mentally composing his First Symphony, or orchestrating Dream of Gerontius – through beautiful halftimbered Ledbury and across to Hereford. If Worcester is grand, civic and somewhat industrial, Hereford is more intimate, rural and artisan. Musically, things are just as lively, though. Hereford Symphony Orchestra began in 1958 and has a busy programme of orchestral core repertoire, as well as new commissions and children’s concerts. The HSO’S Helen Hammond – breaking off from baking a lemon drizzle cake – enthusiastically lists to me some of the city’s other musical goodies: the Courtyard Centre, chamber groups, choral societies… ‘There’s always something going on, and ours is a very happy orchestra – lots of us have been there many decades!’
The choral tradition here is ‘amazing, for such a sparsely populated area,’ says Geraint Bowen, director of music at Hereford Cathedral. Evensong there is a daily, free marvel. ‘The acoustic at Hereford is wonderful for unaccompanied choral music,’ says Bowen. ‘On a cold dry winter’s evening there’s something very special about its crystalline quality at an unaccompanied Friday Evensong.’
Part of that choral tradition is the annual Three Choirs Festival: it’s been going for more than 300 years, rotating between the mighty cathedrals of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford (after 2020’s write-off, 2021 is Worcester’s turn). Alexis Paterson, chief executive of the festival, says it’s the sheer scale of the event that makes it special:
‘It’s a wonderful melting pot of volunteer and professional musicians, making huge, life-affirming music, with a real sense of family and community.’
But there’s relaxed intimacy too. One image Paterson cherishes is that of concertgoers in Worcester crossing the Severn by ferry to get to the Cathedral, right there on the riverbank, and perhaps enjoying a local brew afterwards in one of the city’s waterside pubs. (Elgar himself would undoubtedly have approved.)
The festival works hard to bring in new audiences: they hold open rehearsals and give free tickets to first-timers. The approach helps maintain the balance between tradition and progress: new commissions are a regular feature of the area’s orchestras, pro and am.
We finish our 47-mile day ride at Hereford Cathedral. (Like Mrs Elgar, you might prefer to drive our route; like Edward, we like to cycle it.) In this city, things are laid-back – literally. There’s another Elgar statue here, but he’s more relaxed: leaning back against his trusty Sunbeam bike after another lifeenhancing, music-inspiring ride. And, like us, ready for some sustainable, locally sourced refreshment…
Further information:
Three Choirs Festival: www.3choirs.org
To see our cycle route: bit.ly/3ikfrte
‘Hereford’s choral tradition is amazing for such a sparsely populated area’