HEART OF ENGLAND TOUR

DAY 1 AND 2
The first two nights of your tour is spent in Nottingham. Its castle stands on a 130ft rock above the city, and is now the city museum and art gallery. There are fragments of the original Norman castle in the grounds. There are a number of heritage centres including the Brewhouse Yard Museum recreating 300 years of Nottingham life, and the Museum of costumes and textiles. Nottingham is a lively city with a large student population, and the county that surrounds it was the stamping ground of the famous Robin Hood, whose story is told at the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre. The writer D.H Lawrence also lived in Nottinghamshire, and his house is open as a museum.
Overnight : Nottingham area (2 nights)

DAY 3 AND 4
Travel south west and you will spend your next two nights in either Coventry, Stratford or Warwick. A new cathedral was built in 1962, next to the ruins of its medieval predecessor. Some Medieval buildings, such as St Mary's Guildhall, still remain, but it is mainly a modern city. There is a Museum of British Road Transport and a Toy museum, and new shopping developments have been added in recent years, along with an out-of-town cinema complex.
Stratford was the home town of William Shakespeare, and there are many places of interest to visit. Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Henley Street - now open to visitors, it was built in the early 16th century and has been fully restored. It is a typical middle class dwelling of the period, being half timbered with the spaces between the strong oak beams filled with wattle and daub. Other places of interest include Anne Hathaway's cottage, Hall's Croft, the home of Shakespeare's daughter and her husband Dr Hall - the Tudor residence contains Elizabethan and Jacobean furniture and a dispensary with apothecaries' jars, herbs and surgical instruments. The Teddy Bear Museum and the World of Shakespeare are not to be missed.
Warwick's majestic 14th century castle has massive walls, towers and turrets reflected in the River Avo. Inside you can see the Waxwork tableaux which depicts history, magnificent state rooms and dungeons with its grisly torture instruments. The finest buildings in Warwick are the timber-framed almshouses (1383) of Lord Leycester Hospital, precariously leaning over cobbled pavement, and 1720's Court House. Oken's House (1550) has a fascinating Doll Museum. Market Hall (1670) displays geology, history and natural history of Warwickshire. The superb 15th century Beaumont Chapel of St Mary's Church has monuments to Earls of Warwick and Leicester.
Overnight : Coventry / Stratford / Warwick area (2 nights)

DAY 5 AND 6
Your next destination will be the cathedral city of Worcester. The home of Royal Worcester porcelain and Worcester Sauce, the city was an important civil war centre, as is exhibited in the Commandery, Charles II's headquarters during the Battle of Worcester. Its impressive cathedral has an interesting crypt and cloisters and the Guildhall in the city centre is a spectacular building, built in 1722. Some of the original city walls still exist by the river Severn and on the City Walls Road, where the Fownes glove factory of old is now a luxury hotel. Listed buildings abound in medieval Friar Street and New Street, and over the river bridge the County Cricket ground is situated in peaceful surroundings. South of the city, Malvern Hills are easily accessible for walking and afford breathtaking views over Worcestershire.
Overnight : Worcester area (2 nights)

DAY 7
Next you will travel to Gloucester or Burford for your last night. The redbrick city of Gloucester stands out from the surrounding brick of the Cotswolds. It has a small but absorbing Medieval centre, and places to visit include the Beatrix Potter Museum, the National Waterways Museum and the cathedral.
Burford has an impressive church and a distinguished main street lined with shops and inns, sloping down to an ancient stone bridge. Nearby Cotswold Wildlife Park is one of England's foremost wild animal collections.
Overnight : Gloucester / Burford area (1 night)

DAY 8
End of tour - time to make your way home.