On Your Doorstep:
Bidford is a walk away over the fields, and you can do your weekly shop there at the supermarket plus buy bread and cakes from the independent bakery. There are some good pubs - the Frog is the current favourite -and several restaurants, including the Bridge, and take-aways (Indian, Chinese and fish & chips). There's also a post office, baker's, butcher's, paper shop, Lloyds Bank (open daily), florist's, hairdresser's and chemist.
Nearby Welford not only boasts a great gastropub, the Bell, but also marks one end of the Stratford Greenway, a former railway line, now laid out for cyclists and walkers. It is a most enjoyable way of getting to Stratford, particularly as there is a converted railway carriage where you can sit down to tea and cakes and hire a bike. Of interest to open-air types are Bidford Gliding Club, literally round the corner, Welford Golf Course 10 minutes' drive away, Stratford Race Course and fishing a stroll away for members of Birmingham Anglers Association.
Stratford-upon-Avon:
Stratford, home of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RSC) is a pleasant 15-minute drive away - or you can take a signposted walk there from Marlcliff. The main RSC theatre is being dramatically rebuilt and extended, and will be opening, together with the Swan (a theatre in the round), in 2010. At present, the Courtyard - an award-winning building - is going it alone. Reviews this year are generally very good. We recommend The Winter’s Tale. There are also a poetry festival, literary festival, the summer season of the Orchestra of the Swan and, of course, grand celebrations round Shakespeare's birthday on 23 April. There is a lovely South Indian restaurant, the Coconut Lagoon in Sheep Street, and the theatre goers' pub, the Mucky Duck, opposite the Swan Theatre, is always fun. Foodies will like the farmers' market on the first and third Saturday of the month.
Within Easy Access:
Cheltenham, rightly known as the cultural centre for the region, hosts not just the Everyman Theatre, but the nationally known literature festival plus jazz, science and food and drink festivals. Montpellier, the Regency part of Cheltenham, is great for independent shops, cafés and bars. That aside, Winchcombe, Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water are lovely towns, all built in traditional style in honey-coloured Cotswold stone and all just a short drive away. Just a stone's throw from Broadway is Snowshill Manor, a very English, wildly eccentric estate with wonderful gardens. The area is not all heritage, though. Birmingham is only 45 minutes away and offers not just the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), but Birmingham Rep, a revamped canalside area with restaurants, bars and shop and the wonderful Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Shoppers should make for the new Selfridges and the Mailbox. If you have a sweet tooth, Cadbury World in Bournville is a must.
Other Activities:
Bidford Gliding Club. Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Learn more about this vacation rental at the owner's website:
