The Meadow

The 'stairway to heaven' is the name earned by Hatton Locks’ flight of 21 locks (five minutes’ drive). And it is pretty heavenly, to be fair, especially if you’re partial to a peaceful towpath walk, or boating, canoeing or fishing on the water. Of course, Stratford-upon-Avon (35 minutes) is a boating haven too. There are rowing boats, punts and canoes for hire here, quite the way to look over the town where Shakespeare once lived. His childhood home is one of a long reel of Shakespeare-related sites around the town, which also includes Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and his grave. In Warwick, there’s more than just historical sights too. The Warwick town walk will take you on a wander past parks and gardens (these are picnic havens in themselves, so you may want to get together a good spread), as well as some proper nice places to eat and drink and the way to more walking and cycling trails. Cycling and walking are the real deal in the Cotswolds (45 minutes) too. Whether it’s handsome villages or countryside slopes, you'll have a neat choice of trails, including the Cotswolds Way.