William Shakespeare's birthplace in picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon 
The Belfry golf course in Birmingham - home of the Ryder Cup
Cadbury World in Bournville - the West Midlands' chocolatiest attractionThe West Midlands is a dynamic and diverse holiday destination in the heart of the England. Criss-crossed by a network of heritage canals and featuring the spectacular great outdoors of the Shropshire Hills, the Worcestershire Malvern Hills, the borderland Herefordshire Marches plus the beautiful Cannock Forest and the National Forest in Staffordshire, never are you far away from great walking and outdoor activities in the West Midlands. The central position of the West Midlands at the heart of UK's transport network makes it one of Britain's most accessible areas by road and rail.
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Britain's second city Birmingham ranks with the best of European city breaks boasting world class art collections, best family museums and Europe's busiest conference and events centre, the NEC Birmingham. Great urban centres in the West Midlands with pioneering histories in industrial design and innovation including ceramics world capital Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Telford today offer cutting edge leisure facilities alongside award winning museums, World Heritage Sites and fantastic contemporary shopping centres. Famous cultural and ancient heritage centres in the West Midlands include Shakespeare's birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon and the magnificent medieval cathedral cities of Lichfield, Hereford and Worcester. Spectacular castles and abbeys in the West Midlands, alongside historic canals and rivers, ancient market towns and historic spa towns are all prominent themes in this great English heartland.
The West Midlands heartland of Birmingham and The Black Country contains arts and culture rich urban centres, top European conference centres and premier live music and entertainment arenas. With its rich industrial heritage and pioneering history in design, Birmingham and the Black Country today is a major centre for crafts, contemporary architecture and design in the UK. Britain's second city Birmingham is a UK city break dream for culture and arts lovers offering a plethora of family museums, world class art galleries and best UK shopping centres with cutting edge contemporary architecture. Attractions in Birmingham city centre include numerous walking tours, canal boat trips, award winning world cuisine restaurants, best UK conference centres and live entertainment centres.
Outstanding sports and leisure attractions in and around Birmingham include the famous Birmingham golf circuit which features home of the Ryder Cup, The Belfry. Beautiful Victorian city centre parks, canals and spectacular suburban parks offer a wealth of outdoor attractions. Great family attractions around Birmingham are the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley and Cadbury World in Bournville. Discover a host of craft centre attractions in the Black Country from glass museums in Stourbridge to Leather Museums in Walsall. Birmingham and the Black Country are centrally situated in the heart of England. Local, national and international transport links into Birmingham and the Black Country are superb including fast rail links from London. Birmingham International Airport is a gateway into the area, conveniently situated adjacent to Europe's busiest convention centre, the NEC Birmingham.
Literature, the arts and iconic heritage sites in Warwickshire and Coventry are strong themes in this central area of England. Warwickshire's Shakespeare Country centres around Shakespeare birthplace town Stratford-upon Avon whilst George Eliot Country in Warwickshire is around Nuneaton. Outstanding Warwickshire specialist shopping and award winning gastro pubs and restaurants can be found in Royal Leamington Spa, Stratford and Warwick. Warwickshire is also famous for its dramatic castles including outstanding family attraction Warwick Castle and the magnificent Kenilworth Castle. Rugby School in Warwickshire is the birthplace of the great game of Rugby Football. Coventry attractions include the iconic Coventry Cathedral ruins and a city centre boasting cutting edge family museums and art galleries alongside a great shopping scene.
Coventry and Warwickshire is a superb area for cultural short breaks, romantic getaways and luxury pamper breaks. First class business and conference facilities are also in Coventry and Warwick alongside numerous award winning art galleries and best theatres like the Royal Shakespeare Company theatres in Stratford. Warwickshire and Coventry are accessible via motorway arteries the M40 and M6. Warwickshire and Coventry stations also offer quick and direct rail links to Birmingham and London.
Rural Herefordshire contains spectacular countryside for walking holidays and is a major centre for local produce and markets in the West Midlands. Attractions in Herefordshire include family farm parks, a host of famous arts and book festivals and across the magnificent borderland countryside spectacular castles, abbeys and ancient churches. Norman Romanesque treasure Hereford Cathedral is home to the famous Mappa Mundi medieval map of the world. Luxury heritage hotels, beautiful country cottage retreats and farm B&Bs in Herefordshire make perfect walking holiday bases. Herefordshire is more accessible than you might think. Direct trains to Hereford are from Birmingham International (Airport) and London Paddington. The county is easily accessed off major motorways the M4, M5 and M50.
Shropshire is another of England's great borderland counties containing stunning medieval market towns and the beautiful walking territory of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty through which weaves the Shropshire Way trail. Specialist craft shopping in Shropshire alongside superb local produce markets and award winning restaurants attract many visitors to Shropshire's ancient towns and villages. One of Britain's World Heritage Sites, the Ironbridge Gorge south of Telford is also in Shropshire. Stay in great family caravan parks in the Shropshire Hills or luxury B&Bs in Ludlow, a beautiful heritage and local produce centre in South Shropshire. North Shropshire towns Shrewsbury and Telford have fast rail links to Birmingham and Shropshire is accessible off the M6 via the M54.
Staffordshire offers a wonderful mix of outdoor attractions, best family theme parks and historic cultural centres. Two of Britain's best theme parks, Alton Towers and Drayton Manor theme park are in Staffordshire alongside cutting edge leisure attractions like the Tamworth SnowDome and Stoke Ski Centre and Waterworld both in Stoke-on-Trent city centre. Historic cities in Staffordshire include beautiful medieval Lichfield with its spectacular cathedral. Visit the ceramics capital of the world Stoke-on-Trent with its many Potteries Museums and Factory Tours. Staffordshire canals run through many of the county's towns including famous brewery centre Burton-on-Trent, home to the National Brewery Centre.
Canal boat trips in Staffordshire along the Trent & Mersey Canal are not to be missed and great walking and outdoor activities in Staffordshire can be found in the forests and heaths of Cannock Chase and the National Forest. County town Stafford and the nearby canal town Stone are great local produce market centres in Staffordshire. Centrally situated in the heart of England, Staffordshire is accessible from the M6, M1, M42 and M54. Excellent mainline rail links also connect Staffordshire towns and cities to the rest of Britain.
The ancient county of Worcestershire in the West Midlands is a great area for walking holidays. In Worcestershire are the magnificent Malvern Hills, one of England's most popular walking holiday areas famous for its springs. Worcestershire ancient market towns include beautiful Evesham and Pershore and Worcestershire is one of Britain's richest areas for historic Victorian spa towns including Tenbury Wells, Great Malvern and Droitwich Spa. Luxury spa hotels in Great Malvern offer direct walking access into the Malverns. Worcestershire's only city Worcester on the banks of the Severn is home to the beautiful Worcester Cathedral, Worcester Racecourse and many museums and galleries including The Worcester Porcelain Museum. Worcestershire is bordered by Birmingham to the north and the Cotswolds to the south and is easily accessed via motorway corridors the M5 and M42.
William Shakespeare's birthplace image contributed by David Stowell. The Belfry golf course image contributed by Chris Power. Cadbury World image contributed by 'Benkid77'. All images are copyrighted but licensed for further reuse under the Creative Commons License.
