To many, the County of Worcestershire in England is synonymous with two things – bone china and a sauce popularised by Messrs Lea & Perrins.


The famous sauce

However, in 2007, with a large amount of water escaping from the River Severn in a very short time, it also became associated with spectacular flooding. A chance to hire and test drive a Morgan Plus4 for a weekend gave motoring enthusiast Robert Ashton the opportunity to find out first hand if this lovely area had recovered from the inundation.

I picked up the Morgan Plus4 (in British Racing Green) from the garage of Morgan dealers, repairers, hirers and complete enthusiasts Ben and Mike Duncan. Their picturesque garage in the little village of Hartlebury is the embodiment of everything that is quintessentially Morgan. You won’t find anyone better placed to give you an informed opinion of the merits (and shortcomings) of each model, past and present.


The Morgan Factory

Until recently I had viewed these hand-built cars as a bit of a relic. However, the Plus4 has a 2-litre Ford engine lifted from the latest Mondeo. That engine is more than capable when it is lugging over a ton of cupholders, crumple zones, cruise control, aircon, airbags and isofix, but if you consider that the Plus4 weighs about the same as a bag of sugar, the potential for excessive smiling is very high. After a quick familiarisation drive, Ben advised me that the only problem with these cars was that people would keep coming up to you wanting to talk about the car (and he was so right, plus they also wave at you).

First I headed for Upton Upon Severn, one of the towns hardest hit in the floods, as I had booked into the Tiltridge B&B (and Vineyard) just outside the town.

What a find! Uninterrupted views of classic English countryside through every window of my room. No houses, no noise, no light pollution, just the sound of birds during the day and a million stars at night. –It also has all the facilities – toiletries, fluffy towels and attention to detail of a 5* hotel, without the cloyingly obsequious staff, homogenised decor and general corporate nonsense. The breakfast is locally sourced or homemade (or both) and will keep you full for hours. At just £35 per person per night (based on two sharing) it’s simply without parallel, but with just three rooms on offer it’s advisable to book well in advance.


Upton on Severn

Another advantage of staying at Tiltridge is a chance to sample the produce of their ‘sideline’. It’s fair to say that ‘British’ wine is a bit of a laughing stock and this image has tainted the whole UK wine industry. This is like dismissing a Premier cru Bordeaux based on tasting a dodgy (plastic) bottle of vin de table from a French supermarket. Their ‘Elgar’ range of white wines is easily comparable to elegant Loire valley wines, and, at an average cost of £6.50 per bottle very good value: no wonder much of the stock is bought up by local restaurants.

After my hearty breakfast, the Morgan and I headed for the Malvern Hills. No matter what your mood, this car delights. The handling was fine tuned through expedient use of the steep, twisty A and B roads that criss-cross this beautiful nine-mile range of hills that divide the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. With its dramatic hills, forts, castles and priories dotted among a landscape of ancient woodland, rolling pastures and open commons it is hardly surprising that it is a recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Some 88 springs and fountains bubble up through the old rocks so pure you can drink the water.


The Malvern Hills

The Malverns offer some great driving roads, but they are public highways and therefore quite full at weekends. A little frustrated I headed back into Malvern to a recommended small restaurant, Pepper & Oz. The menu is well thought out and locally sourced (the meat is also organic). What is more, their approach to wine is original. Try one of their ‘wine flights’ and you will be able to have a different recommended wine with every course and still consume less than a single ‘large’ glass in many restaurants. A taxi to Tiltridge is about £15 if ‘55 wines available by the glass and 100+ by the bottle’ proves too much of a temptation.

The following day I ventured into Worcester city centre to see if the car could cope with city life, which it did with commendable aplomb. We bumbled around happily and the only shortcoming was the lack of storage space that stopped me from buying all the many items I wanted at the Royal Worcester porcelain shop.


Morgan's latest offering - the Aeromax

Sunday evening finally gave me the moment I had been waiting for, clear roads! Worcestershire has recovered from the floods and is back in business as a great county to visit. And those moments of pure driving pleasure have convinced me that one day I have to have a Morgan!

For even more information please visit:
www.visitworcestershire.org

Hartlebury Garage, Old Worcester Road, Hartlebury. 01299 250025, www.morgans4sale.co.uk

Tiltridge Vineyard, Upper Hook Road, Upton upon Severn. 01684 592906, www.tiltridge.com

Pepper & Oz, 23 Abbey Road, Malvern. 01684 562676 www.pepperandoz.co.uk

Royal Worcester Porcelain, Severn Street, Worcester
www.royalworcester.co.uk