|
|
|
The Heart of England is home to pretty thatched cottages, castles, market towns dotted with black and white timbered buildings and miles of quiet country lanes, footpaths and bridleways. It's the place to get away from it all! One of Britain's most romantic cities is Bath to the south of the region, with its Georgian crescents and famous Roman baths. Explore the shops and tearooms, the buildings of Queen Square, the Circus and the Royal Crescent and the Roman Baths Museum. Further north are the equally famous Cotswolds and some of the best walking country in England. There are 3,300 miles of footpaths including the 100-mile Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Bath, and the Gloucestershire Way, from Chepstow to Tewkesbury. The Cotswolds are one of England's most photographed areas with thatched cottages, honey-yellow buildings, village greens, duck ponds, age-old pubs, morris dancers and rolling limestone hills. Some of the region's pretty villages include Stanton, Broadway, Chipping Camden, Bourton-on-the-Water, the Slaughters, and Bibury. The Cotswold Water Park covers 30 square miles and is great for walking, birdwatching, water sports, cycling and horse riding.
Henry VIII's last wife Katherine Parr is buried at Sudeley Castle, nr Winchcombe. It was also the headquarters of Prince Rupert during civil war. The market town of Tewkesbury has a beautiful abbey and a host of black and white half-timbered buildings. Upton-upon-Severn is a pretty riverside market town with a great jazz festival each year in June. The Malvern Hills are simply magical! Views from the nine-mile stretch of hills are spectacular - you can see across seven counties on a good day! The Worcestershire Beacon is the highest peak at 425m above sea level. The range provides great family walking as well as cycling and horse riding on selected paths. Watch out for buzzards, sparrow hawks and kestrels often seen hovering above the bracken-clad slopes. The hills are said to have inspired the likes of composer Edward Elgar, playwright George Bernard Shaw, author CS Lewis and poets John Masefield, William Langland and Lord Byron. One visit and you can see why! Throughout the 18th century people flocked to Malvern to sample the town's famous healing water. Today the pretty spa town has more than 60 water features dotted about its streets. There's also the 11th century Malvern Priory, Elgar's burial place and Malvern Museum in the Abbey Gateway. To the north is the cathedral city of Worcester, birthplace of Edward Elgar and home of Royal Worcester china. North again is the beautiful Teme river valley with its woodlands, orchards, country pubs and churches. Trout fishing is popular in the river and look out for Witley Court, one of the area's most romantic ruins. Britain's second city Birmingham has great Victorian shopping arcades, the renowned Jewellery Quarter and world-class arts and entertainment venues. The city is also the capital of Britain's waterways, a legacy of its industrial past. From the trendy Brindleyplace hire a barge and explore the pretty canals of Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Worcestershire. You'll love the riverfront houses, gardens and pubs along the way! Warwickshire
is home to one of Britain's best preserved castles - Warwick Castle.
Set in 60 acres of landscaped grounds, the medieval castle has a ghost
tower, torture chamber and dungeon. There's also Coventry Cathedral,
a unique symbol of peace and reconciliation, and of course Stratford-upon-Avon.
There are five beautifully preserved Tudor houses to visit, each with
a connection to the Shakespeare family.
The 27,000-acre Forest of Dean is nestled between the Rivers Wye and Severn near the border with Wales and has some breathtaking views over the Wye Valley. Some of the best views - from the River Wye to the mountains of Mid Wales - are from Symonds Yat Rock. There are loads of walking and cycling tracks to explore or visit Caldicot Castle at Chepstow. The Wye Valley is great for water sports including canoeing and kayaking and salmon fishing. The Wye Valley Walk runs 52 miles along the leafy banks of the River Wye - look out for kingfishers and swans along the way. The Market House at Newent dates from the 17th century and from nearby May Hill you can enjoy views of Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds and the Malvern Hills. The ancient market town of Ledbury has a black and white market place and pretty, narrow cobbled streets.
Shropshire has the idyllic rural landscapes of wooded Wenlock Edge, Long Mynd and Clun Forest. From the summit of the 1335-foot high Wrekin, in the heart of the Shropshire hills, panoramic views can be enjoyed. The area has 3,500 miles of rights of way and long distance walking routes include Offa's Dyke, the Shropshire Way and the Severn Way. The 72-mile Jack Mytton Way is especially for cyclists and there's also a vast network of bridleways. Ludlow has a fantastic 13th century manor house, Stokesay Castle, and the dramatic ruins of Clun Castle are also nearby. The market town of Bridgnorth has a high town and a low town, connected by England's oldest, steepest funicular railway. Ironbridge is named after the world's first iron bridge, a symbol of the achievements of the industrial revolution. Shrewsbury has 660 listed buildings and is said to be 1,100 years old. Take a trip on the River Severn or visit the town's castle or ancient abbey. To the north is Oswestry and the ancient earthworks of Offa's Dyke and Oswestry Hillfort. The beautiful meres of Ellesmere, right on the Welsh border, are havens for wildlife.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
