Worcestershire and Worcester tourism, things to do West Midlands

Martley and Environs (Map)

This is the heart of rural England and you will find all that you might expect: beautiful countryside with charming villages and half timbered homes, ancient churches and their equally ancient yew trees, rural crafts, historical sites, wonderful walks.

The jewel in the crown is the scenic valley of the RIVER TEME, a substantial tributary of the longest river in Great Britain, the River Severn. The Teme rises in Wales and tumbles down through lonely countryside with small villages. The main town on its route is Ludlow, England's finest example of a mediaeval town, complete with castle, ancient street layout, and these days some very good restaurants, drawing their success partly from excellent local produce.

The river is hidden in a deep valley near Martley, finally breaking through a line of hills before crossing the flat flood plain of the Severn, to its confluence.

In MARTLEY, we have a NORMAN CHURCH, with unique frescoes and the oldest set of SIX BELLS in the country. We are custodians of over 40 miles of PARISH FOOTPATHS (the house is situated on a loop of the WORCESTERSHIRE WAY and on the GEOPARK WAY). All our paths are clearly marked and are in regular use by locals and visitors alike.

England's greatest composer, ELGAR, was born nearby. He loved to walk and cycle in the surrounding countryside and in the glorious valley of the River Teme. Today, you can retrace his steps and seek the inspiration he found here.

Martley is at the centre of the 17th European Geo-Park (ABBERLEY AND MALVERN HILLS GEOPARK). If you are a rock-hopper or even mildly interested in geology then this important designation is not lightly given and means that there is loads to investigate, explore and see right on our doorstep. We can help with this and you will find much of interest on the main GeoPark web site.

Martley has a wide selection of societies and interest groups. View a small selection maintained here or visit Martley web site. For tourist attractions in the surrounding area, see my TOURIST MAP, below.

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Tourism Map

The map below, has links to over 30 local tourist attractions. Martley is at the centre of the distance circles. Click on a blue hexagon to go to a picture and brief description of the attraction. From there you may click on the associated hyper-link to visit the web site of the attraction. Attractions are tabulated in order of distance from the centre of Martley. click the map link or the back button on your browser to return to the map.

west midlands tourism

	Check out the MARTLEY site for all things Martley--education, history, medical, buses etc etc. -->Back to Map		MARTLEY has over 40 miles of footpaths and bridleways. This site provides free guides for you to download, maps and news.
1m	Enjoy fishing and want to spoil yourself (or your loved one)? Why not try The COBB HOUSE? They offer everything for the fisherman, in a magnificent and unique setting. -->Back to Map	2m	Interested in a sheepdog? The WORKING SHEEPDOG Website: Border Collie Training - Information - Pictures & DVDs Andy is your man.
2.5m	SHELSLEY WALSH HILLCLIMB is the oldest Motorsport venue in the World that is still held on it's original course. It is set (in our opinion) in one of the loveliest locations in the world! -->Back to Map	3m	CLIFTON-ON-TEME overlooks the Teme valley in one of the most beautiful parts of Worcestershire and has much to commend it to the visitor.
4m	The RED MARLEY HILLCLIMB is a unique off-road event for classic motorcycles built before 1970. -->Back to Map	4m	An early Jacobean manor house, WITLEY COURT was converted in the 19th century into a vast Italianate mansion with porticoes by John Nash. The spectacular ruins of this once great house are surrounded by magnificent landscaped gardens (English Heritage).
4m	GREAT WITLEY PARISH CHURCH is recognised as Britain's finest baroque church. It is not a museum but an active live church to the glory of God. -->Back to Map	5m	Does anyone need an introduction to Elgar, England's finest composer? Born some 4 miles from Martley, do visit his BIRTHPLACE.
6 m	A striking example of medieval architecture (mid 1300's), LEIGH COURT BARN is the largest cruck structure in the UK. Once part of Leigh Court Manor, the barn has 10 bays and two porches (English Heritage). -->Back to Map	7m	LOWER BROCKHAMPTON, a lovely half timbered moated manor house with a very rare timber framed gate house (National Trust).
7m	Worcestershire COUNTY CRICKET CLUB, surely one of the most beautiful grounds in the country. -->Back to Map	8m	HUNTINGDON HALL along with The Swan Theatre are two of the country's premier intimate live music and drama venues.
8m	WORCESTER CITY, home of the Civil War Centre, Royal Worcester Porcelain and University College. -->Back to Map	8m	The COMMANDERY occupies centre stage in Worcester's remembrance of the English Civil War
8m	ROYAL WORCESTER PORCELAIN--spend fascinating time here, touring the porcelain museum. -->Back to Map	8m	STOURPORT-ON-SEVERN is a fascinating inland port, much of the port area little changed from the eighteenth century. If you like boats, canals and rivers, this is the place to visit--timeless.
9m	BROMYARD Folk Festival is back in 2004 on 10th, 11th and 12th September with over 170 hours of entertainment featuring traditional music, song and dance. -->Back to Map	9m	WORCESTER RUGBY - home of the National Division One rugby side and the Sixways Conference Centre.
10 m	The West Midlands SAFARI PARK--a drive through experience of al the world's animals and a fun fair too! -->Back to Map	10m	The Droitwich Canals Trust, leading the way to restore this fascinating piece of canal history and provide a new canal ring via Worcester. PICTURES
11m	Hidden from the road, and largely untitleered in the last century, SPETCHLEY GARDENS, a lovely 30 acre Victorian paradise, has been created by successive generations of the Berkeley family. It boasts an enviable collection of plant treasures from every corner of the globe. -->Back to Map	15m	The SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY is a full-size standard-gauge line running regular steam-hauled passenger trains Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, a distance of 16 miles.
15m	HARVINGTON HALL is a moated medieval and Elizabethan manor-house. Many of the rooms still have their original Elizabethan wall-paintings and the Hall contains the finest series of priest-holes anywhere in the country. -->Back to Map	15m	The MALVERN HILLS, a magnificent range, seven miles end to end, loved by Elgar, famous throughout the land.
15m	HANBURY HALL, completed in 1701, this homely William & Mary-style house is famed for its beautiful painted ceilings and staircase, and has other fascinating features including an orangery, ice house, pavilions and working mushroom house. -->Back to Map	15m	AVO-NCROFT-the Midlands home for old buildings--beautifully and exactly restored.
18m	EASTNOR, a castle set in remote countryside and Ledbury, a film set town as well--see both, they're 3 miles apart. -->Back to Map	23m	LUDLOW--containing the finest row of buildings in the country, some of the best restaurants, oh yes and a great castle!
24m	HEREFORD and Herefordshire, home of cider and Hereford Cattle, border county, rural, beautiful. -->Back to Map	30m	STRATFORD-ON AVON
33m	WARWICK and Warwick Castle--best preserved in the country -->Back to Map