Stratford-Upon-Avon And Warwick Castle

This little village located 91 miles northwest of London is Shakespeare country, plain and simple. You might feel as if you have entered a Renaissance festival when you visit, for everything in the town centers, in some way, on the Bard and his family. The main attraction is the Royal Shakespeare Company and their productions, which take place at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Other sites include Shakespeare's birthplace, Hall's Croft (home of Shakespeare's daughter, Susannah) and New Place, which stands on the site of an earlier house originally owned by the playwright himself. Also in the town is Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare was baptized and is buried. Near the town are several other properties associated with Shakespeare including Anne Hathaway's Cottage, where Shakespeare's wife lived before they married, and Mary Arden's House, the (supposed) former home of his mother (it is actually the one next door, a dogged researcher revealed in 2000).

 

The close-by village of Warwick is home to the magnificent Warwick Castle. Legend has it that Ethelfleda, the daughter of King Alfred, built the castle’s first fortifications in 914, though the current structure dates primarily from the mid-14^th century. The tour includes the grand staterooms and the Great Hall, and less savory parts like the dungeon, armory, and torture chamber.