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The Shakespeare's Way footpath goes to London but you need not stray from Stratford for pretty views and Cotswolds villages
To sample some of the finest countryside in Warwickshire, you can do little better than follow in the (probable) footsteps of Stratford-upon-Avon's favourite son. The little-heralded Shakespeare's Way long-distance footpath replicates as closely as possible a 146-mile (234km) route young Will might have tramped on his forays to and from the Globe theatre in London.
It's easy to see how the scenery near his birthplace might have inspired the poet. Striking out along the valley of the river Stour, the earliest section of the walk takes in sumptuous hills and vales and a range of Cotswolds villages, including Atherstone-on-Stour and Alderminster.
Once you've discovered life's but a walking shadow, rest the night at the 16th-century Old Manor House in Halford (01789 740264, oldmanor-halford.co.uk, doubles from £45pp) – just seven miles from Stratford – on whose Tudor timbers the Bard himself may well have gazed as he headed out to strut and fret his hour upon the stage.
• What to see: The Shakespeare's Way website (shakespearesway.org) lists companies offering self-guided walking holidays with luggage transfer along sections of the route
