UK - West Midlands
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city that has been unfairly dismissed for so long that it has developed the good sense not to care. Mention it to somebody who has not been for years and they will often mutter something about concrete, traffic or the Bullring, as though they have made a great cultural observation.
The truth is that Birmingham is one of the most energetic, friendly and enjoyable cities in the country ......
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National Arboretum
If you are expecting another grand National Trust house surrounded by immaculately clipped lawns, you can forget it. The National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas in Staffordshire is something altogether different — 150 acres of woodland, gardens and open spaces containing more than 400 memorials
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Stratford Upon Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is one of those English towns that seems almost designed for visitors. Half-timbered buildings, the River Avon, pretty streets, historic pubs, pleasant parks and, lurking around virtually every corner, William Shakespeare.
You can't really escape him. Nor, to be fair, should you.
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Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is one of those places that manages to make you feel about ten years old again. Towers, battlements, enormous walls, dungeons, medieval characters wandering around, birds of prey and enough flags flying to start a small war — it has the lot.
And, despite the rather commercial approach, it is still a magnificent place to visit.
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