Stratford-Upon-Avon and Warwick Castle are two of the most popular tourist destinations in England. Their international appeal is largely based on their literary and historical connections. But these places would be pleasant to visit even without such connections. They are places that people like to return to. There are, at both, suprisingly large numbers of young people.

Adult visitors can also find it a thoughtful experience to visit these places. There is something about these places that contrasts with much that is deficient in the modern world.

Stratford-Upon-Avon is a charming town with some well preserved old buildings by the river Avon. Stratford has the feel of a seaside holiday town. There is sense that it is a carefree and untroubled place. A lot of people here actually are "on holiday". They all want to have a nice day, and everyone in the town wants to make it that way too. This picture shows Henley Street, where the Birthplace is. The street is pedestrianised, with nice street-side cafes. Many of these people are tourists.

Much of Shakespeare's thought is concerned with the lives and roles of Kings, either English monarchs, Kings of Woods, or rulers of mystic islands. Eight miles North East of Stratford is Warwick Castle where, still today, you can feel history and wonder about such things. This picture shows the first view you get of the town of Warwick, coming over the brow of the hill from Stratford. St Mary's Church Warwick is visible at the left, and the towers of Warwick Castle, shown by the arrow, can be seen at the right. This photo, taken through heavy Summer haze, doesn't do justice to the scene. In reality this is quite an impressive view.

From the ramparts of Warwick Castle you can survey much of Warwickshire. Visitors ought to bring a map to trace all the places you can see from up here. You can't actually see Stratford, as it lies behind some hills, though you can see the road from Stratford as it comes over Coplow hill.

Warwick Castle is owned and managed by The Tussauds Group, owners of the very popular Alton Towers amusement park, but the attractions at Warwick are not over-commercialised and are well within keeping of the spirit of the place. Some people like to spend their weekends taking part in the medieval festivals at Warwick, and at other castles. Although no-one would seriously propose this as a practical way of life today, this does prompt people to ask themselves about the values of modern living. For all the "progress" made since the Middle Ages, the ability of the world to satisfy our intellectual needs is little different to the world of Shakespeare's day, and maybe even less so.

In this idylic setting, carefree children feed the cygnets of swans who have made their home on this part of the river Avon. My Stratford page includes a simliar scene, of ducks on a pool, at the centre of Shakespeare's world, near Anne Hathaway's cottage. Why isn't the rest of the world like this.

Monumental stone architecture, whereever it is found in the world has a particular attraction, and the stone walls at Warwick and at Kenilworth are some of the best.

This hazy photo is looking North from Warwick Castle, and shows the spires of Coventry, and these days also the tower blocks of some tall appartments, and tall corporate offices. The atmosphere in Coventry is very different to Stratford. Its commercial and industrial culture deprives it of the holiday-like atmosphere that you find at Stratford.

A few miles South of Stratford are two of the most beautifully inspired, and carefully tended gardens in England - Hidcote Manor and Kiftsgate Court. In the wide range of Warwickshire experiences these show Warwickshire at its best.

Particularly impressive, and a view that I especially like, is this view across the Vale of Evesham from Kiftsgate Court. The view is from high up and you can see small villages down below. This is farming country and there is a sense of wholesomeness about that - we can't see the effects of industrialisation and modern business practices from up here. On a Summer's day this has the feeling of looking down upon a world in which all is well.
Along the road from Stratford to Birmingham, is the village of Sarehole, now engulfed by urban sprawl. This was the home of another local writer, J R Tolkien, author of The Lord of The Rings. The world of Tolkien's Middle Earth is that of Warwickhire. Sandyman's Mill in his story was the Mill at Sarehole, shown in this picture. Tolkien's Warwickshire roots and experiences show in his sympathy with and respect for the natural world.
Tolkien's home was in Gracewell Road, which is the road at the very top right in this picture. Although not of the same stature as Shakespeare, Tolkien's thoughts are nonetheless interesting. Like Shakespeare he is also a creator of language and is also interested in similar philosophical questions about the nature of Kingship.
	Tokien was a Hebrew scholar, with Catholic sympathies, so although some fundamental questions are similar to Shakespeare's interests, Tolkien has a more overtly religious and apocalyptic view, well expressed by the title of the final part of his Lord of The Rings, The Return of the King. More about Tolkien's life on my page An Illustrated Biography of J R R Tolkien.

Also featured on this site is Temple Balsall, home of the Knights Templar. I made this page originally because this is a quiet country spot, with a huge ancient church standing in what seems like a woodland glade. Its historical associations are very interesting too, because the mythology of the Knights Templar brings together some of the thoughts of Shakespeare and of Tolkien. There is more about some of those ideas in the Knights Templar links on that page.

The The Rollright Stones lie 20 miles South of Stratford. These monuments are over 4000 years old, and the people who built them seem to have had some similar beliefs to those found in the Middle East at that time, and which flowed down into early forms of the major traditional religions. References in Tolkien's "Fog on the Barrow-Downs" reflect some ideas about Rollright. He has there a sense of a line of ancient kings reaching back in continuity into the remote ancient past. There are also some unclear and unformed remarks about Rollright in Professor T A Shippey's book The Road to Middle Earth, which include references to "Magyk Natureel", and vague ideas about the identity of landscape and its people. People's individual reactions to visiting the Rollright Stones are very varied, but certainly there is nothing else like them in the area.

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