Market Towns
- Stratford-upon- Avon: Royal Shakespeare Theatres, Five Beautifully preserved Tudor homes associated with William Shakespeare and his family. The Shakespeare Countryside Museum. Holy Trinity Church, Stratford Antiques and Interior Centre.
- Royal Leamington Spa: Attractive Georgian & Victorian architecture with tree lined avenues and the magnificent Pump Rooms which house an art gallery and tearoom. Leamington has a high number of shops and resturants
- Kenilworth: The Castle was one of the greatest strongholds in England. Walk through Abbey Fields and see the castle ruins v Rugby:
Famous for it's school and the place that Rugby football originated, nearby is Ryton Organic Gardens with display gardens showing how garden organically and in harmony with nature.
Herefordshire Ledbury HOMETOWN of poet John Masefield, for whom the local high school is named, and home to theInternational Poetry Festival, Ledbury is situated on the edge of the Malvern Hills in eastern Herefordshire. Two of its most notable buildings are the 17th century Market Hall and the medieval St Michael's Church, with its detached spire rising 200 feet. On the way up Church Walk, stop by the Butchers Row House Folk Museum. Just outside Ledbury is the refurbished Eastnor Castle with an adventure playground for the young and tea rooms for the young at heart. For the latest news, sport and leisure information visit www.thisisledbury.co.uk Leominster LOCATED in north Herefordshire, Leominster is the market town at the heart of the Black and White Villages Trail. Both sides of the narrow medieval streets are lined with distinctive timber-framed Tudor buildings. Browse through the numerous antique shops on your way to Grange Court, the former Market Hall, where you might see a game of cricket on the Green. Don't miss the Priory Church, founded long before the Normans arrived, but with distinctive features added soon thereafter. Ross-on-Wye A VISIT to the market town of south Herefordshire, Ross-on-Wye, would not be complete without a stop at the sandstone Market House, which is now a Heritage Centre. Within walking distance are other very interesting sites, including the Plague Cross situated in the church yard and marking the mass grave of the sad victims of the bubonic outbreak 700 years ago. Nearby the Prospect overlooks the distinctive horseshoe bend in the River Wye opposite of which is an old oak which was a sapling in the time of Henry VIII. Just outside Ross, enjoy more spectacular views of the Wye from Symonds Yat and the explore the well-preserved 12th century Goodrich Castle. Hay-on-Wye STRADDLING a river and the English-Welsh border, in a picturesque setting surrounded by mountains, Hay-on-Wye is much more famous for shopping than for scenery. Visitors from all over the world descend upon this little town for one primary reason: books. Boasting more than 30 specialist and second-hand bookshops, this is the place to look for that hard-to-find title.
