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The Midlands & the Marches

If you're searching for quintessentially English countryside – green valleys, chocolate-box villages of wonky black-and-white timbered houses, woodlands steeped in legend such as Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest, and stately homes that look like the last lord of the manor just clip-clopped out of the stables – you'll find it here in the country's heart.

You'll also find the relics of centuries of industrial history, exemplified by the World Heritage–listed mills of Ironbridge and the Derwent Valley, and by today's dynamic cities, including Britain's second-largest, Birmingham: a canal-woven industrial crucible reinvented as a cultural and creative hub, with striking 21st-century architecture and vibrant nightlife. Beyond them are tumbling hills where the air is so clean you can taste it. Walkers and cyclists flock to these pristine areas, particularly the Peak District National Park and the Shropshire Hills in the Marches, along the English–Welsh border, to vanish into the vastness of the landscape.

Explore The Midlands & the Marches

  • Warwick Castle

    Founded in 1068 by William the Conqueror, stunningly preserved Warwick Castle is Warwick's main attraction.

  • Chatsworth House

    Known as the 'Palace of the Peak', this vast edifice 3 miles northeast of Bakewell has been occupied by the earls and dukes of Devonshire for centuries…

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    Lincoln Cathedral

    Towering over the city like a medieval skyscraper, Lincoln's magnificent cathedral is a breathtaking representation of divine power on earth. The great…

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    Lincoln Castle

    One of the first castles erected by the victorious William the Conqueror, in 1068, to keep his new kingdom in line, Lincoln Castle offers awesome views…

  • Coventry Cathedral

    The evocative ruins of St Michael's Cathedral, built around 1300 but destroyed by Nazi incendiary bombs in the Blitz, stand as a memorial to Coventry's…

  • Library of Birmingham

    Resembling a glittering stack of gift-wrapped presents, the Francine Houben–designed Library of Birmingham is an architectural triumph. The 2013-opened…

  • Coventry Transport Museum

    This stupendous museum has hundreds of vehicles, from horseless carriages to jet-powered, land-speed-record breakers. There's a brushed-stainless-steel…

  • Shakespeare's New Place

    When Shakespeare retired, he swapped the bright lights of London for a comfortable town house at New Place, where he died of unknown causes in April 1616…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout The Midlands & the Marches.

  • See

    Warwick Castle

    Founded in 1068 by William the Conqueror, stunningly preserved Warwick Castle is Warwick's main attraction.

  • See

    Chatsworth House

    Known as the 'Palace of the Peak', this vast edifice 3 miles northeast of Bakewell has been occupied by the earls and dukes of Devonshire for centuries…

  • See

    Lincoln Cathedral

    Towering over the city like a medieval skyscraper, Lincoln's magnificent cathedral is a breathtaking representation of divine power on earth. The great…

  • See

    Lincoln Castle

    One of the first castles erected by the victorious William the Conqueror, in 1068, to keep his new kingdom in line, Lincoln Castle offers awesome views…

  • See

    Coventry Cathedral

    The evocative ruins of St Michael's Cathedral, built around 1300 but destroyed by Nazi incendiary bombs in the Blitz, stand as a memorial to Coventry's…

  • See

    Library of Birmingham

    Resembling a glittering stack of gift-wrapped presents, the Francine Houben–designed Library of Birmingham is an architectural triumph. The 2013-opened…

  • See

    Coventry Transport Museum

    This stupendous museum has hundreds of vehicles, from horseless carriages to jet-powered, land-speed-record breakers. There's a brushed-stainless-steel…

  • See

    Shakespeare's New Place

    When Shakespeare retired, he swapped the bright lights of London for a comfortable town house at New Place, where he died of unknown causes in April 1616…

Guidebooks

Purchase our award-winning guidebooks

Get to the heart of The Midlands & the Marches with one of our in-depth, award-winning guidebooks, covering maps, itineraries, and expert guidance.