Holiday accommodation in Warwickshire: castles, Shakespeare and nature

Warwickshire combines an exceptional concentration of castles, manor houses and country estates with stories spanning more than 1,000 years of English history. Added to this are significant theatrical and literary connections, extensive parkland, waterways and routes through the countryside. Warwickshire therefore offers historical discoveries, nature observation and active excursions.

Culture and history

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle whose origins can be traced back to a wooden fort built by William the Conqueror in Norman times. Today, Warwick Castle offers jousting tournaments, birds of prey displays, a trebuchet and immersive medieval experiences alongside historic rooms and grounds. Kenilworth Castle stood at the centre of England’s political and historical developments for much of its 900-year history. The Elizabethan Garden at Kenilworth Castle was reconstructed using a detailed eyewitness account from 1575 and archaeological evidence.

Earlier periods are also represented: Lunt Roman Fort is a partially reconstructed cavalry fort from the 1st century AD. Visitors can explore the reconstructed timber gatehouse, granary and ramparts, view artefacts in the small museum and take part in hands-on activities. The British Motor Museum offers another way of accessing history. It houses the world’s largest collection of historic British cars, as well as an archive containing more than one million objects. Its collections tell the story of the British motor car and the associated industry over more than a century, while also providing an insight into everyday British life during that period.

In Stratford-upon-Avon stands Anne Hathaway's Cottage, a 500-year-old thatched timber-framed house where Anne Hathaway was born and grew up. At the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, visitors can explore the theatre and normally inaccessible areas; the history of the Royal Shakespeare Company stretches from the 19th century to the present day. A backstage experience also takes visitors into normally inaccessible areas and explains how live theatre is created. Warwickshire also offers Shakespeare’s birthplace and connections with George Eliot’s “Middlemarch”, as well as art, architecture and performances.

Nature and trails

Warwickshire’s landscape is criss-crossed by rivers and canals. The Warwickshire Country Parks Service comprises five country parks and three greenways covering a total area of more than 1,200 acres. They offer environmental education, fishing opportunities and playgrounds. Kingsbury Water Park covers 15 lakes across more than 600 acres of parkland. Paved paths, opportunities for bird and wildlife watching, and bicycle hire are among its facilities.

Leam Valley Local Nature Reserve contains wetlands, woodland and meadow habitats across 300 acres; the reserve also has a birdwatching hide. Several routes with different layouts are available for walks and cycle rides. Offchurch Greenway is a flat, paved footpath and cycleway offering views across South Warwickshire along its 1.5-mile route. The 3.5-mile Riverside Walk connects Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick and is completely flat.

From the Grand Union Canal, the towpath from Royal Leamington Spa is mostly flat and suitable for walking and cycling towards the 21 Hatton Locks and Warwick. Kenilworth Greenway is a short, traffic-free route for walking and cycling that runs from the outskirts of Kenilworth to Burton Green. For longer excursions, a 100-mile long-distance trail begins at Kingsbury Water Park and runs through Warwickshire to near Upper Quinton. A paved, five-mile route through the countryside around Stratford passes two cafés in railway carriages.

Getting there and exploring the region

Warwickshire is well connected by rail, road and bus, and has a growing infrastructure for cyclists and sustainable travel. Travelling by train takes you directly to the centres of Warwick, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Rugby or Kenilworth; these places are easy to explore on foot from the station. Alongside the historic sites and natural areas, this provides several urban starting points for exploring the region.

Warwickshire cuisine

From spring to autumn, independent producers and street-food vendors bring Warwickshire’s market towns to life at recurring food festivals. The monthly farmers’ markets offer a carefully selected range of produce and handmade goods. A two-day Warwickshire trail leads to distilleries, craft cider producers, farm butcheries, craft-focused cafés and farm shops.

Other places in Warwickshire

For further regional exploration, the directly linked place pages lead to individual locations in Warwickshire: Wroxall, Warwick, Studley, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shustoke, Shipston On Stour, Rugby, Polesworth, Nuneaton, Newbold On Stour, Nether Whitacre, Leamington Spa, Lea Marston, Kenilworth, Henley In Arden, Ettington, Claverdon, Bulkington, Bidford, Baginton, Atherstone, Alcester, Little Packington, Lighthorne, Haseley, Bubbenhall, Alderminster, Leek Wootton, Kingsbury, Brandon, Long Compton, Halford, Wishaw, Hatton, Coleshill, Ansty, Tanworth-In-Arden, Southam, Salford Priors, Oxhill, Earlswood, Curdworth, Lower Quinton, Long Itchington, Wormleighton, Marton, Kineton, Cawston, Aston Cantlow, Ratley, Lapworth, Sutton Coldfield, Sutton-under-Brailes, Fillongley, Great Alne, Wixford, Newton Regis, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Brinklow, Bedworth, Newbold on Avon.

For the higher-level travel overview: West Midlands.