Warwickshire

Warwickshire (pronounced "Worrick-sher" or "Worrick-sheer") is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It's in the very heart and centre of England, with many historical and cultural attractions.

Towns

• 1 Warwick – the county town and site of Warwick Castle, one of England's finest.
• 2 Atherstone
• 3 Bedworth
• 4 Henley-in-Arden
• 5 Kenilworth – a picturesque town and the site of the magnificently ruined Kenilworth Castle.
• 6 Leamington Spa – elegant spa town. Regency splendour of the Parade
• 7 Nuneaton
• 8 Rugby – birthplace of the sport
• 9 Stratford-upon-Avon – the town of Shakespeare's birth and one of the most visited places in Britain.
• 10 Wellesbourne – large village, known for its airfield and nearby manor house Charlecote Park.

Understand

Warwickshire began as a division of the kingdom of Mercia in the early eleventh century, and its name was first referenced in 1001, with "Warwick" meaning "dwellings by the weir". Coventry was particularly important during the Middle Ages due to its role in the textiles trade, and it dominated Warwickshire at the time. The county played a key role in the English Civil War. During the Industrial Revolution it became one of the most important industrial counties in England due to its containing Birmingham and Coventry.

• Visit Warwickshire website

Get in

1 Birmingham Airport (BHX ^IATA) has a wide range of flights from Europe and beyond. Limited flights from within Great Britain, eg Edinburgh and Aberdeen, as it's so central that the train is quicker.

Get around

St Giles Church in Chesterton near Warwick

Do

• Warwickshire Ring is a 106 mile canal circuit, comprising Coventry Canal, Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, Grand Union, and Oxford Canal.
• Cricket: in summer balls are thwacked into the nettles around dozens of village cricket grounds in this bucolic county, but Warwickshire County Cricket Club play at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Go next

• Staffordshire
• West Midlands (county)