Heart of England

Counties: West Midlands, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire.

Principal towns: Birmingham, Coventry, Worcester, Warwick, Lichfield, Shrewsbury, Stratford-Upon-Avon.

The Heart of England has a whole range of experiences to offer, the one notable exception being coastline! This is as far from the coast as you can get on this island.

In the south are the gently rolling Cotswolds, with picturesque limestone towns and villages nestling amongst them. Its unspoiled beauty has attracted the rich and famous and it is now home to a number of the royal family.

There is also a wide range of historically interesting places. Stratford-Upon-Avon, birth place of William Shakespeare and home to the Royal Shakespeare Company, is the most famous and frequently visited by foreign tourists, but there are plenty of others. The area has an abundance of grand country houses, many with lovely gardens, castles, cathedrals and old market towns with a wealth of architectural styles.

A leftover from the industrial revolution is the canal system that criss crosses the area, now used for leisure boating.

Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, has a good choice of theatres, concert halls, museums and sporting venues.