Alcester

Alcester is an ancient Roman town in Warwickshire. Close to Stratford on Avon it has many archaeological sites around the town. With peaceful Tudor cottages and other equally historic buildings, Alcester used to be a walled Roman town. Around the middle of the 12th century it was known for its Benedictine Monastery. This is a very picturesque market town where the rivers Alne and Arrow meet. 

Some of the finest buildings in the town are around Butter Street and Malt Hill Lane near the church with its fine Old Rectory Georgian building. The town holds an annual Mop Fair in October which lasts for two days and where the town comes to life with amusements, stalls and a variety of fair entertainment. Every May the town plays host to The Alcester Forest of Arden Food Festival.

With Stratford on Avon so close by and with a wealth of beautiful countryside surrounding Alcester there is a lot to see and do. Ragley Hall is a well known local attraction set in 400 acres of parkland and a great place for families with its adventure playground, maze and woodland walks and picnic areas. Coughton Court, owned by the National Trust is just 2 miles north of Alcester with its beautiful house and grounds and Longbarn village is home to a number of of small businesses nestling in the countryside. 

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Rugby

Situated on the River Avon there has been a settlement here since the early Iron Age. Known as Tripontium in Roman times it is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Rocheberie but what really puts Rugby on the world map is that it is known as the birthplace of Rugby football.

Essentially a small market town until recent times the centre still has a mix of old and new buildings and you can see how rapid expansion in recent years has changed the town considerably. Most of the older buildings in the town are Victorian. With a population of 70,000 this is the second largest town in the county of Warwickshire.

The Rugby Cement works on the outskirts of the town is now part of the Cemex Company and is one of the largest cement works of its type in Europe. Residents near the large complex are used to waking up in the morning to find their cars covered in a fine layer of cement dust. Some would argue that this blights the landscape on what would otherwise have been a pleasant location to live.

Once in the town though you have wide pedestrian walkways and an abundance of places to eat from small cafes to all manner of world cuisine. There are also a fair number of good pubs in the vicinity. Tourism plays an ever important role in the economy of the town and a good deal of time and effort has been spent making the centre of town more appealing to visitors.

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Atherstone

Atherstone in Warwickshire dates back to Roman times. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as being held by Countess Godiva. This pretty little market town is famous for its felt hats. Today the town is home to several large companies who use its excellent road links for distribution purposes.

Nuneaton

Nuneaton is the largest town in Warwickshire and famous for its association with the 19th century author George Eliot whose statue stands proudly in the main street. The town is situated just 9 miles from Coventry and only 20 miles from Birmingham.

The River Anker runs through the town which gets its name from a 12th century Benedictine Nunnery of which parts of the building still survive. With close proximity to Coventry and Birmingham the town was bombed heavily during the Second World War due to having munitions factories nearby.

Nuneaton used be famous for its textile and manufacturing industries. Today the town services its larger neighbours but efforts have been made to introduce trade through the multi million pound Ropewalk Shopping Centre and improvements to the town centre which has a busy street market every Wednesday and Saturday.

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Leamington Spa

Leamington Spa used to be a village called Leamington Priors. Just like Bath and Cheltenham it owes its present day fame to its spa waters. At the turn of the 1800's salty spa water was rumoured to have magical properties and any town or village which had the benefit of this water could prosper as a result. Visitors flocked to Leamington and by 1814 the town had a pump room and baths and no shortage of people to make it popular.

Leamington Spa is a shoppers paradise. In addition to many branded good quality high street stores it is also home to many 'hard to find' unique and privately owned shops. Leamington Spa is within easy distance of Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon and Kenilworth and its famous castle. There is always a lot to see and do in Leamington Spa. There are also many students in the town, most of them from the nearby Warwick University. Once you have visited the Royal Pump Rooms you might take a stroll through Jephson Gardens with its boathouse and tea rooms.

Leamington Spa is home to the Peace Festival which takes place in the middle of the town. Over the course of a summer weekend there is free music, food stalls, fair trade stands and a variety of skilled artists and crafts experts. Everything is free and there is always something of interest to people of all ages.

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