landmark
Morgan Motor Company
The last family-owned British car maker in Malvern, offering factory tours where hand-crafted sports cars are built.
7 km · about 10 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Kempsey
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Kempsey
Kempsey works well as a base: 10 minutes from Worcester, 28km from Sudeley Castle.
Kempsey is in England, United Kingdom, with about 2,600 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Worcester, about 6 km away.
Kempsey is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is bounded by the River Severn on the west, and the A38 main road runs through it and is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Worcester. The parish population was 4,358 in 2021.
The village has a long history.Read more
Its name is derived from the Saxon "Kemys' Eye", or the island of Kemys. Kemys was a Saxon chief, whose island lay between marshes and the River Severn. One of the roads in Kempsey, Lyf's Lane, is named after another Saxon chief. The village was recorded in the 11th century Domesday Book as having a value of £7.
The local Anglican church of St Mary was built between the 12th century and 15th centuries, and the 15th-century tower is 82 feet (25 m) tall.
The composer Sir Edward Elgar lived in the village from 1923 to 1927, during which time he was made Master of the King's Music.
The village has several pubs including one named after Bishop Walter de Cantilupe.
Where to Stay in Kempsey
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Kempsey?
Within an hour or so of Kempsey: Morgan Motor Company (7 km), Tewkesbury Abbey (17 km), Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb (19 km), Prescott Speed Hill Climb (23 km).
Are there any good drives near Kempsey?
The nearest famous roads are A466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth), Gospel Pass and Elan Valley Mountain Road (Rhayader to Aberystwyth).
Where is Kempsey?
Kempsey is in England, United Kingdom, about 6 km from Worcester.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 2,609
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 52.1394, -2.2175
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Kempsey
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cathedral
Tewkesbury Abbey
A Norman abbey church with the tallest surviving Romanesque tower in the world, saved from dissolution by the townspeople.
17 km · about 20 min drive
racetrack
Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb
The world's oldest motorsport venue still using its original course, running since 1905. A 1,000-yard blast up a wooded Worcestershire hillside, steeped in Edwardian racing heritage.
19 km · about 20 min drive
racetrack
Prescott Speed Hill Climb
Famous Cotswolds hill climb owned by the Bugatti Owners' Club since 1937, twisting up through the grounds of Prescott House. Home of the celebrated La Vie en Bleu vintage festival.
23 km · about 25 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Cleeve Hill
The highest point of the Cotswolds at 330 m, an open common above Cheltenham with views to the Malverns and Wales.
27 km · about 30 min drive
castle
Sudeley Castle
A Tudor castle near Winchcombe, the only private home where a queen of England, Katherine Parr, lies buried.
28 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Broadway Tower
A folly castle crowning the Cotswold escarpment at 1,024 feet, with views across 16 counties from the second-highest point.
29 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Snowshill
A timeless hilltop hamlet famed for its lavender fields and the eccentric manor of collector Charles Wade.
29 km · about 35 min drive
Driving roads near Kempsey
- 27 kmCleeve HillThe highest point of the Cotswolds at 330 m, an open common above Cheltenham with views to the Malverns and Wales.
- 44 kmSymonds Yat RockA famous viewpoint 504 feet above the River Wye, where peregrine falcons nest and the river performs a dramatic horseshoe bend.
- 58 kmDevil's PulpitA narrow limestone pinnacle perched above the Wye Valley near Tintern Abbey, offering a dizzying view down through the forest canopy.
- 58 kmA466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth)A wooded riverside road through a designated AONB past Tintern Abbey, gentle and beautiful rather than challenging.
- 60 kmSkirrid Fawr (Ysgyryd Fawr)A landslipped 486m ridge above Abergavenny whose split profile gave rise to the legend it cracked at the Crucifixion.
- 63 kmGospel PassThe highest road pass in Wales at 549m, a narrow single-track lane over the Black Mountains between Hay-on-Wye and Llanthony, with vast views across the Wye Valley from beneath Hay Bluff.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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