Castlemorton Site Guide (Swinyard Hill)
Interactive Map - drag, zoom, and click on items for descriptions.
Red, no landing. Purple, no overflying.
GENERAL
Castlemorton is a rarely used site. It is recommended that you post on the Malvern Flyers or the Malvern Coaching Telegram group (or via the contact information on the Coaches page) to try to attract a coach, or at least other flyers.
GRID REF
Swinyard Hill SO762386
WIND DIRECTION
ENE-SE (70-130 degrees) Best:- E (90)
HEIGHT
265 metres (865 feet) Top to Bottom 350 feet
EXTENT OF SITE
About 500m long
GRADE OF FLYER
All grades of pilots.
HAZARDS
1. Beware of grazing animals on the common.
2. If the wind is further north than ENE the northern end of the site can be turbulent.
CAPACITY
6 soaring gliders
ACCESS
Via the minor road across Castlemorton Common which runs between the A438 (Ledbury to Tewkesbury road) and the B4208 (Malvern to Gloucester road).
PARKING
At the top of the common in the Malvern Hills Conservators pay & display car park.
TAKE OFF AREA
Carry up is along the diagonal path to the southern end of the ridge and then walk along the top peak to the North end. DO NOT carry directly up the face. There are a couple of areas that can be used to launch and these are each about big enough for one PG or HG at a time. They are recognisable because they are grassy areas to the east side of the path where there is far less bracken.
LANDING AREAS
On the large common land below the hill that slopes gently to the East. The best landing for Hang Gliders is the strip of common along side the road. Do not over fly the farm at the southern edge of the landing area. Influential farmer has complained !
SITE RULES
There is no explicit ban on flying the hills during the lambing season. However, pilots should avoid landing near any sheep during February and March.
Pinnacle Hill East, also known as Kettle Sings.
Interactive Map - drag, zoom, and click on items for descriptions.
Red, no landing. Purple, no overflying.
GRID REF
Pinnacle Hill (Kettle Sings): SO768421 (notam site ref 4.002)
WIND DIRECTION
ENE - ESE ( 60°- 120°) Best E
HEIGHT
357m ( 1173' ) 810' TTB
EXTENT OF SITE
3.5 miles to the south & 2.5 to the north. However, flying north of the Worcester Beacon is severely restricted. See map for details.
HAZARDS
Below the eastern side of the ridge are extensive built-up areas of roads, houses and trees, containing few emergency landing areas.
The Malverns are in an intense military low flying area. If flying midweek then pilots must notify Military Air Traffic, see the CANP section on the
Safety page.
The Malverns Hills are a "Spineback" ridge so beware of flying your glider in strong winds; getting blown back could be fatal. NEVER GO OVER THE BACK AT LESS THAN 500 ft ABOVE TAKEOFF, IN ANY WIND, DUE TO ROTOR.
Unless the wind is due east, you are strongly advised not to take off from or fly at the rear of bowls due to lee rotor from adjacent spurs.
Many of the paths are bridle-ways so pilot must be extra vigilant so as to not to spook horses.
CAPACITY
This is a large site with 6 miles of soarable ridge, capable of supporting many gliders on a good day.
ACCESS
Via the B4232 (Jubilee Drive) running North-South on the West side of the Malverns between the Wyche Cutting and British Camp. Take path (See map)
PARKING
The Malvern Hills Trust have asked us not to park on the verges. Please use Gardiner's Quarry Pay & Display. WR13 6DN. If this is full you can use the overflow car park opposite (see map).
Annual parking passes can be purchased. Parking fees go towards hill maintenance including tree clearance.
TAKE OFF AREAS
Near the top of the hills on either side of the saddle where the footpath reaches the top. Paragliders have priority to the north of the saddle and Hang-gliders have priority to the south.
LANDING AREAS
PG field (& HG at a pinch)
The field accessed via a track off Oaklands (road) off Green Lane.
Two paths exit the field from it's NE corner over a stile. One along the North edge leads back to take off (40 min walk) the other goes due North to Oaklands. It's worth noting that the field slopes away from the hill 20m and inspection before use is advised. Expect the wind direction to be across the field rather than on the hill. More often than not there will be stock in the field so please land clear of them. In over 20 years of use there have never been any attacks but treat cattle with respect and pack up near the exit.
There are many houses around this field. Please do not lose height or make your final approach over them as it may cause alarm to the residents.
IMPORTANT - Do not obstruct private entrance to Chestnut Hill, or park or congregate on grass/gravel area. Please see the map above and look at the detail to make sure you understand where this is and where to park. The house owner is upset that his driveway and verges have been used for parking, and we must not let this happen again. Please make sure you inform anyone coming to collect you to keep vehicles only on Oaklands Road, not the private driveway.
See attached images for reference - please stick to the areas marked in yellow.
Alternative PG Field
2020 Update - this field is now overgrown and not very suitable for landing. Please inspect before using.
[The old playing field to the east of Rothwell Road can be used but there are large trees that can cause rotor. To exit go west across Rothwell Rd down narrow lane to Oaklands.]
Hang gliding field
The HG landing field is to the South of the Three Counties Show Ground and is one of their carparks so when in use it CAN NOT BE USED. Occasionally the field is marked out with small metal poles that will probably not be visible from launch. This may be the situation the day or so before an event or afterwards. Please do not land in the field if this is the case. If you are in any doubt please check the field before ascending the hills. The area is composed of two main fields. If any part of these are in use for parking then no part can be used for landing.
When you collect you glider from the field you MUST use the main entrance at the east end of the field not the gate on the north end. This is a stipulation of our agreement we have with the Three Counties Showground. Obviously, please do not climb over the gates. It is easy to pass your equipment around the side of the gates over the low fence where there is a gap. This field is now easy to reach from Pinnacle hill launch on a high performance modern hang glider, but may be a problem on an intermediate or low performance wing. In this situation please use the landing field that is more frequently used by paraglider pilots.
