With surprisingly beautiful countryside to explore and historic, beautiful cities where you’ll find museums, art galleries and a wealth of other activities, the Midlands is surprisingly diverse when it comes to great things to do on your holiday. And with our great range of luxury holiday homes and cottages in the Midlands, you’ll always have somewhere fantastic to stay when you’re exploring this underrated part of the UK. Need some more ideas? We’ve put together the top things to do in the Midlands you can enjoy – the tricky bit is choosing which one to do first…
Peaky Blinders, a hit television series about Birmingham gangsters in 1919, was based on real life characters from the city’s colourful history. Peaky Tours take you around all the old haunts of the titular gang and bring Birmingham to vivid life in the process. One of the most celebrated historians that covers this era, Professor Carl Chinn, regales you with stories about the turn-of-the-century mobsters as you follow in their footsteps. The trip ends in a local pub, where there will be even more opportunity for discussing the antics of these scheming gangsters. You don’t have to have watched the series to enjoy this gripping, unusual exploration of Birmingham, but you’ll probably want to by the time you’ve finished the tour.
Book: Online Peaky Tours
Location: 188 High Street, Deritend, Birmingham, West Midlands,B12 0LD.
Get competitive with your friends at the ultimate adventure centre. Avalanche Adventure offers over a dozen different ways to have an exhilarating day outdoors. If you have a big group, team up against each other for the bullet-dodging excitement of paintballing or careen around a dirt track in racing buggies. For more mud-flecked driving, you can ford rivers and steer up hills in a Land Rover on their cross country course, or venture out into the countryside on a quad bike safari. Test out your marksmanship with archery and clay pigeon shooting or spin around the fields on a hovercraft. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also fly above their grounds on a glider flight or attempt to hover in a two-seater helicopter. Phew – we’re tired just talking about it!
Price: Activities starting from £24.00
Location: Welford Road, Sibbertoft, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 9UJ
Book: Online Avalanche Adventures
If you think that coffins wouldn’t make for an interesting day out, then prepare to stand corrected. The Newman Brothers, a brass and furniture making family, started making coffins at the end of the 19th century, and today, you can tour their factory where generations of the same family provided stock for the undertaking industry. Wander around the renovated interior to see the original tools and techniques used in making caskets, with much of the equipment dating back to the heyday of the business in the 1960s. The costumed guides take you into the world of funerals, with live demonstrations showing the craftsmanship behind this morbid art, and you can browse collections that trace the changing attitudes to death throughout the 20th century.
Price: Adult £6 child £4 and family tickets from £11
Location: 13-15 Fleet St, Birmingham B3 1JP
Book: Call 0121 233 4790 or email newmanbrothers@coffinworks.org
Cutting through the landscape of Dudley is a network of canals and tunnels that can only be accessed on the water. The Dudley Canal Trust seek to preserve the special history of these subterranean waterways with barge expeditions around the old trade routes. The trust offer barge trips of varying lengths, but to make the most of it, travel for a full six hours through the scenery of the Black Country. The guided tour will take you into the underground passages and down a series of canal locks to an old engine house – and you’ll also get a good eyeful of the area’s stirring scenery. Videos and reconstructions unveil the history of the area, while a music and light show in the Singing Cavern provides a little mid-trip revue.
Price: 6 hour tour £17.00
Location: 501 Birmingham New Road Dudley West Midlands DY1 4SB
Book: Online Dudley Canal Trust Trip
Aqua Sana spa is hidden in the heart of Sherwood’s storied woodland, and a trip here is a true escape from all the cares of the world. Their spa days are ideal ways to unwind. The luxury spa is set over to two levels and you can tailor the experience to suit your group’s needs. Some might want stress-relieving saunas and massages, while others might elect to have pedicures and facials. After a busy day of exploring, your friends will be particularly thankful for an evening spa session.
Price: Spa day’s starting from £69
Location: Aqua Sana Sherwood Forest Rufford Newark Notts NG22 9DN.
Book: Online Aqua Sana
Part of the appeal of visiting Toft Alpaca Farm is meeting the friendly-faced, llama-like creatures who potter around the fields. However, the real draw are their craft classes where, after exploring the fields, expert artisans talk you through using the alpaca wool, from the spinning process to a relaxing time spent knitting. Groups are welcome, and the private tuition is tailored to your abilities so you can learn a new skill or develop your existing abilities. At the end of the day you can leave with a kit that will prepare you for further knitting adventures.
Price: Starting from £50 for one on one tuition for up to two people
Location: Toft Manor, Toft Ln, Dunchurch, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 6NR
Book: Call 01788 810626
Witness the majesty of a distant eagle in flight and then inspect them up-close at Hagley’s Falconry Centre. Their one-day bird handling experiences start with a guided tour of the centre during which you’ll get to meet the feathered inhabitants, among them hawks, kites and owls. The guides then put on a display of the raptors in action, flying six of the birds in the arena for you to watch in awe. After seeing the professional in action, it’s time for you to give it a go. Don’t worry, you’ll be trained and given the necessary kit before you attempt to convince a mighty eagle to come and land on your outstretched arm.
Price: One day bird handling experience’s starting from £90
Location: Kidderminster Road South, Hagley, West Midlands, DY9 0JB
Book: Online The Falconry Centre
Don’t forget our concierge team is on hand to help with your booking – and if you’re short on time, just tell them exactly what you’re looking for in a property and they’ll find a few that’ll suit you down to the ground. We’ve also got loads more tips, info and travel inspiration for you to enjoy – have a browse of our tempting villas for large groups if you’ve got a lot of friends you want to go away with, or if you’re keeping it a bit more family oriented we’ve got the best family activities in the Midlands.
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