THE MIDLANDS/CENTRAL ENGLAND
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The Midlands is a diverse, largely rural region, stretching from Herefordshire in the west to Lincolnshire in the east, and from Northamptonshire in the south to North Yorkshire in the north.
The West Midlands is famous for the quintessentially English countryside of its rural shire counties and for being the home of the Industrial revolution. The East Midlands is known for its market town heritage and the Yorkshire area boasts stunning national parks.
There are over 15 million people living in the region. Birmingham (with just under a million inhabitants), Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, Hull, Selby, York, Leeds and Sheffield are all notable cities.
Lifestyle
The Midlands encompasses areas of natural beauty as diverse as the Cotswolds, the Wye Valley, Sherwood Forest, the Peak District and Yorkshire Moors.
The provide the perfect backdrop for the walking, cycling and riding that are so popular across the region. Hereforshire in particular is known for its walking festival.
There are also many sporting venues - the Grand Prix motor racing circuits at Silverstone and Donington; the Test Match venue at Trent Bridge,the York race course, football stadia at Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and Leicester and the National Ice Centre in Nottingham.
The Rutland Water Sailing Club, with over 3000 acres of water and three permanent racing courses, is a national centre for sailing. Lincolnshire is blessed with clean sandy beaches and offers a variety of watersports - Skegness and Ingoldmells make it into the UK's top five holiday resorts.
Birmingham, known as 'the city of a thousand trades', is the region's biggest city. It is fast gaining a reputation as a major shopping destination thanks to the newly completed Bullring, Europe's biggest enclosed city centre complex. As well as the futuristic Selfridges building, the city has seen new hotels, concert halls, visitor attractions, shopping complexes and restaurants spring up as part of a big regeneration programme.
There is also plenty of family fun to be had at Staffordshire's theme parks, Alton Towers and Drayton Manor.