Park Britannia Shvil Masua Loop

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Distance: 11.3kmTime: 3 hoursDifficulty: Moderate-Strenuous
Ascent: 279mTrailhead and Markers Gallery

Ever love a nature trail so much you find yourself heading back again and again?

The setting is Park Britannia: a beautiful woodland near Beit Shemesh, in the heart of the Judean Hills. This 40,000 dunam natural area is home to hiking trails, biking trails, picnic areas, and incredible historical sites. We’ve spent a lot of time hiking through Park Britannia, at Tel Azeka, Borot and Be’erot, the Einav Trail, Shvil HaElot, and others.  But not surprisingly, there are trails in the park that we still haven’t explored.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to head back to Park Britannia to hike a new nature trail: Shvil Masua.  This trail (officially a cycling trail), was about 11 kilometers long, and looked perfect for a winter adventure with our older kids.

Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
Great trail for a family hike.

And it was.  The Shvil Masua trail was absolutely beautiful – green and glorious.  We got to traverse woodland paths and open terrain.  The trail was quiet, with just a few cyclists crossing our path on the way.  And perhaps most importantly, there were super cool underground tunnels and caves to discover on the trail.

After we’d hiked it, we knew that we had to go back.  Our time had been limited that morning, and we hadn’t had a chance to explore underground as much as we would have liked.  So, a week or two later, the two of us headed back to the trail alone with our flashlights.

It was an awesomely beautiful adventure.

Here’s how we hiked this 11 kilometer trail, Shvil Masua in Park Britannia:

A Quiet Forest

Both times we hiked this trail, the weather was absolutely perfect: cool and partly cloudy.  Stepping out of the car, we were greeted by a thick pine forest and a paved path.  We followed the path until it transitioned into a dirt trail in the woods, enjoying the light breeze, the sound of birds chirping, and the smell of pine needles.

The nice thing about hiking along a cycling trail is that these trails tend to be very narrow, allowing you to feel fully embraced by nature.  From these tiny trails, you get an up close and personal look of the surrounding plants and flowers.  It didn’t take long for me to start my traditional search for fresh asparagus.  I tuned out the trees, the plants, and the cloud filled sky and focused in on the spiky asparagus plants that lined the path, looking for young shoots to break off and add to my collection.

After a little while, we passed by the place where we had eaten breakfast with the kids.  It was tempting to veer off the path and have our morning coffee in the same spot.

Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
Our first picnic spot.

A Different Choice

But it was colder that morning.  I knew that if we kept on searching, we would probably discover a sunny spot that was just as nice as our previous picnic area.  And soon, we found it, just off the path: a large, grassy area with a beautiful view out to the hills.

Our border collie ran ahead to scope out the scene.  Once we caught up, we spread out our checkered picnic blanket and got ready to enjoy hot coffee while experiencing the sights and sounds of nature.

Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
A spot in the sun.

Some people are under the mistaken impression that cold days aren’t for hiking.  That morning, on the newly sprouted grass, under the warm winter sun, we couldn’t imagine a better time of year for enjoying the magnificent scenery of the Judean Hills in Park Britannia.

A Long Hike

After breakfast, we reluctantly pulled ourselves away from the picnic blanket and got ready for a long walk through the wilderness.  We were going to follow the trail a bit further than we had with the kids, snaking along the entire path rather than cutting through in the middle.

And so, we walked.  We followed more forested pathways, and walked through some open areas as well.  After a while, we reached a part of the trail that was full of spiky sabra plants, and open pits.  It looked very similar to the terrain on the Borot and Be’erot trail that we were so familiar with already. (And perhaps the two trails intersect. I actually never bothered to check!)

Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
Gorgeous scenery.

We fell into the rhythm of hiking through a gorgeous place on a beautiful day, walking, talking, putting one foot in front of the other.  And picking off an asparagus or two while we traveled.

Going Underground

After a long while, we looped back towards the part of the trail where we had found awesome caves before.  None of these underground spaces were marked, so we had to consult our online map to relocate them.

And locate them we did.  First, we made our way into a massive bell cave, populated by an enormous extended family of bats.  They shrieked and fluttered when we shined our flashlights on the ceiling, and I felt kind of bad for disturbing their winter hibernation.  So we moved away and went to the side of the cave to explore a tunnel carved out of the rock.

Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
Fun in the dark.

Usually, I’m the first one to deep dive into tunnels.  But that morning, my husband was feeling more adventurous.  He inched in with his flashlight, and slithered through to the other side, calling back with reports on everything he saw.

Underground Columbarium

We explored many more mini-caves (an underground burial chamber, a storage area) while we were there.  But the next main event was the underground columbarium we discovered.

This incredible space was full of all sorts of geometric shapes, which were clearly once home to a large colony of doves.  Aside from the fact that it was beautiful and silent, we were simply blown away by the fact that antiquities like this lay unmarked and undiscovered at random points along nature trails in Israel.  It surprises us every single time.

Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
Look what we found!

Before we set out for the last few kilometers of the trail, I found the season’s first purple mandrakes, blossoming near the opening of a cave.

The Last Stretch

And that was that.  We came, we saw, we conquered.  We had covered many kilometers of beautiful trail, explored caves, and had a great morning adventure.  The last few kilometers took us up and down over more narrow pathways, through thick forests. 

It was magnificent all over again.  But we were in a hurry to finish up our hike and get back home.  We hurried along through the Park Britannia woodland until we reached our car.

Our re-hike that morning at Park Britannia’s Shvil Masua was just perfect.  This incredible trail close to home is a great way to soak up winter beauty and experience history on one short nature hike.

Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
A beautiful woodland at Park Britannia.

Hikers’ Notes:

Here’s what you need to know to hike Shvil Masua in Park Britannia:

  • This is an all season trail. That said, it's much better on cooler days in the fall, winter, and spring.
  • Suitable for dogs.
  • Bring a flashlight and adequate sun protection to hike this trail.
  • Wear good hiking shoes and bring plenty of water - there are no facilities on the trail.
  • Following the trail can be a bit difficult the way we hiked it, because the flow of traffic on the bike path heads in the opposite direction. I would recommend that you use the Google Earth file or Amud Anan (also useful for locating those caves), or simple hike this trail backwards.

Don’t forget to read my guide to the navigational features in this post before you hit the trail!

Trail map from Amud Anan.

Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
Other end of the trail.
Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
Purple mandrakes.
Park Britannia Shvil Masua Hike Trail
Just frolicking around.

Hiking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is each hiker’s responsibility to check it and navigate using a map and compass.

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