Regions of this Area
Over 2,000 years of civilization in an area famed for its natural beauty and heritage. Shropshire, in the west of the region, is where England meets Wales. Home of Brother Cadfael and Ironbridge with beautiful medieval towns and "black and white" Tudor architecture.
The cathedral city of Worcester lies in the midst of unspoiled rolling countryside and the Malvern Hills. The Heart has much to boast about - it includes the region of Shakespeare and Cotswolds with their sweet stone cottages and neat little villages unchanged by time.
The towns in this area have with names that conjure innocent tales of country lane life: Burton on The Water (excellent for the beer), Twigworth, Wotton Under Edge, Upton upon Severn, Stanford in the Vale....and more. All framed by the bigger towns of Cheltenham, Swindon, Stratford, Gloucester and more.
It is the "Romantic Road" that leads you through the Gloucestershire, Cotswold villages, Shakespeare Country, historic Warwick, with its famous medieval castle, Kenilworth and Royal Leamington Spa.
The Black Country, named for the foundaries that no doubt laid a blackish color on the sky and earth during the 1800's but gives way to the hills of the region. Birmingham offers a gateway to the region with its international airport. The Black Country highlights Britain's industrial heritage, with The Potteries, in Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, is the birthplace of English ceramics: Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Spode, Minton, Portmeirion, Moorcroft or Ansley, and more.
These wonderful little canals with classic English long boats traverse the region. The surrounding hills of the Peak District offer a walker's paradise, stately homes and Bakewell Puddings.
