The British Motor Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of historic British Cars; it boasts over 400 cars in its collection which span the classic, vintage and veteran eras.

The Museum opened in 1993 as the amalgamation of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust’s preserved car collection.

Situated in the small village of Gaydon, Warwickshire, just off junction 12 of the M40. The Museum building is a spectacular piece of architecture with an art deco design, whilst the Collections Centre building is a modern contrast. Together they stand proudly in a beautifully landscaped setting of 65 acres, which rolls out onto the Warwickshire countryside.

Nestled within the Warwickshire / Oxfordshire border, Upton houses a treasured art gallery showcasing the fine collections of Old Master and British pictures including Bosch, El Greco and Canaletto.

Lord Bearsted purposefully redesigned and extended the original honey coloured house to best display his cherished art and rare French and English Chelsea porcelain.

Lady Bearsted turned her attention to the gardens and commissioned one of the first professional female garden designers Kitty Lloyd-Jones to improve them for leisure and pleasure. The topography is distinctive with steep terraces parallel to the house tumbling down into the ice age valley. 

Highlights include the Wild Garden and Herbaceous Borders, Mirror Pool and South Lawn eclipsed by the magnificent Cedars.

Remodelled for recreation and relaxation, the house, collections and gardens are largely as they were in their heyday from the 1930s.

Overlooking the river Avon on the edge of Shakespeare’s Stratford, Charlecote Park has been part of this corner of rural Warwickshire for centuries. Still the Lucy family home after 900 years, you can explore the vision of the Victorian owners George Hammond Lucy and his wife, the formidable Mary Elizabeth, who extended their home and filled it with treasures from their European travels.

Linger in the rooms open to our visitors in the central portion of the house to discover more about the collection brought together by generations of the family whose tastes, lifestyle and varied fortunes are all reflected here

Today, the kitchen is brought to life in cooking and costume. Across the courtyard you can explore the laundry and brewhouse which once hummed with the activity of a busy working estate. Discover the stables which house the family’s carriage collection, each with its own story to tell.

Stroll through the gardens that Mary Elizabeth loved so dearly, from the formal parterre to the shady woodland garden with rare plants and borders full of colourful herbaceous planting.

This amazing Victorian garden was created by James Bateman for his collection of plants from around the world. A visit takes you on a global journey from Italy to the pyramids of Egypt, a Victorian vision of China and a re-creation of a Himalayan glen.

The garden features collections of rhododendrons, summer bedding displays, a stunning Dahlia Walk and the oldest surviving golden larch in Britain, brought from China in the 1850s.

The Geological Gallery shows how Bateman's interests went beyond botany. Opened in 1862 the unique hallway is a Victorian attempt to reconcile geology and theology.

Seeing the tumbling architecture of Little Moreton Hall for the first time, engineers in 1990 could not believe their eyes either. This timber-framed building, curled around with a scenic moat, has defied logic for over 500 years. Step back in time inside this higgledy-piggledy house and discover what everyday Tudor life tells us about the way we live today.

In the Knot garden you’ll find herbs and vegetables that the Tudors would have used for their cooking and medicines surrounding the Elizabethan style knot garden. Take a stroll around the moat to spot creatures great and small who call Little Moreton Hall their home.

A country retreat in the heart of Worcestershire. The house and garden, originally a stage-set for summer parties, offer a glimpse into life at the turn of the 18th century.

Don't miss the original wall-paintings by Sir James Thornhill. Full of drama and politics, they show the birth of Georgian society.

The original formal gardens, designed by George London, have been faithfully re-created and complement the relaxed later gardens, with orangery, orchards and walled garden. If you venture further afield, our walks leaflet will help you find George London’s visionary Semicircle in the parkland - the beginning of the landscape movement.

Dudmaston is something unexpected in the Shropshire countryside that is a much loved home for over 875 years. The unexpected galleries create a total contrast, with their formal, crisp lines. They were designed by the last owner, Rachel, Lady Labouchere, to house her and her husband’s differing modern and traditional collections of art for the visitor to peruse.

The gardens provide amazing vistas and tranquillity while the orchard is the perfect place to relax and for the children to let off steam. For more stunning views and getting up close to nature there is the Big Pool and Dingle woods, while the wider estate provides extensive walking routes for year round enjoyment.

Dudmaston Hall is the family home of Mr and Mrs Mark Hamilton-Russell.

The culmination of a lifetime of dreams: salvaged objects and exotic pieces come together in a Jacobean meets Edwardian style. Beautiful, homely, warm and welcoming. We can't put it better than a visitor in the 1920s did: A house to dream of, a garden to dream in.

The house was originally built in the 16th century, yet its interiors were extensively restored between the First and Second World Wars by Graham Baron Ash to create a fascinating 20th-century evocation of domestic Tudor architecture.

Packwood House contains a fine collection of 16th-century textiles and furniture, and the gardens have renowned herbaceous borders and a famous collection of yews.

Kedleston Hall is an extravagant temple to the arts designed by the architect Robert Adam. Commissioned in the 1750s by Nathaniel Curzon whose ancestors had resided at Kedleston since the 12th century. The house is framed by historic parkland and boasts opulent interiors intended to impress.

Designed for lavish entertaining, Kedleston Hall displays an extensive collection of paintings, sculpture and original furnishings, reflecting both the tastes of its creators and their fascination with the classical world of the Roman Empire.

From spring to autumn Kedleston’s formal garden offers a colourful interpretation of its original 18th century design. The expansive grounds with both long and short walks, feature sweeping vistas of Kedleston’s parkland and provide access to a rich array of wildlife.

Snowshill is a place like no other: a world away from ordinary and the unconventional home of the eccentric Charles Wade. In an idyllic Cotswolds setting he used architectural and theatrical techniques to dramatic effect and produced an experience like no other. Snowshill is a place filled with colour and intrigue, a delight to the senses. 

The garden is an extension of the manor set out in a series of rooms with far reaching views and unexpected delights including Wolf's Cove model village. 

The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world's largest military air show, held annually in July at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. The show typically attracts a total of 150,000 to 200,000 spectators over the weekend.

The theme for RIAT 2023 was SKYTANKER23, focusing on aircraft capable of performing air-to-air refuelling as 2023 was the 100th anniversary of the first air-to-air refuel.

Adverse weather conditions (strong winds and heavy rain) caused a number of cancellations over the three days this year but still... the event was well attended and still provided exhilarating flying displays over the duration.

See all the photos here.

Hidcote is an Arts and Crafts garden in the north Cotswolds, a stone’s throw from Stratford-upon-Avon. Created by the talented American horticulturist, Major Lawrence Johnston its colourful and intricately designed outdoor ‘rooms’ are always full of surprises. It’s a must-see if you’re on holiday in the Cotswolds.

Explore the maze of narrow paved pathways and discover secret gardens, magnificent vistas and plants that burst with colour. Many of the plants found growing in the garden were collected from Johnston’s many plant hunting trips to far away places. It’s the perfect place if you’re in need of gardening inspiration.

Meander through the intricate gardens and into the Wilderness. This secluded stretch of tall trees is just right for a picnic. Take a glimpse beyond the boundary and see the garden blend effortlessly into the countryside beyond.

Coughton Court is the home of the Throckmorton family who have lived at Coughton since 1409. John de Throckmorton, Under Treasurer of England to Henry VI, acquired Coughton in the early 15th Century through his marriage to Eleanor de Spiney. Their descendants have held it for 600 years and, although the National Trust has owned the house since 1946, the family still live here. The present resident, Mr Magnus Birch-Throckmorton, and his family enjoy occupancy of the house under a 300 year lease.

The origins of Coughton Court lie in pre-conquest times and there is evidence of a house on this site from the 14th Century. The present building was begun in the 15th Century and has since survived in a family who for much of that time were impoverished, persecuted or imprisoned for their adherence to the Catholic faith.

A spectacular Elizabethan house filled with rich furnishings and tapestries preserved by successive generations of the Devonshire family.

It was the formidable 'Bess of Hardwick' who first built the house and developed the surrounding estate in the late 1500s. Her descendants, the Dukes of Devonshire, treasured Hardwick, while lavishing much of their attention and money on nearby Chatsworth. Their success – intimately associated with empire over 400 years and across the globe – preserved Hardwick, and their interests elsewhere saved it from significant alteration.

In the 20th century, keenly aware of Hardwick’s great significance and unique appeal, the Devonshires ensured that this remarkable building was passed on to the nation with its Elizabethan splendour intact.

A picturesque and relaxing place to go for a countryside walk, Cromford Canal was once a buzzing hub of Derbyshire’s industry.

The northern stretch of the canal lies within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and is an attractive visitor destination, with five miles to explore along the towpath. Because of the rich diversity of wildlife, the canal is designated as a site of special scientific interest. Work is carried out each year to keep the water open for the plants and insects which live in it, and to manage the banks.

The canal is ideal for walkers of all ages and abilities, and with regular public transport stops along the northern stretch you don’t have to walk back to your starting point if you don’t want to.

Baddesley Clinton was the home of the Ferrers family for 500 years.

Much of the house you see today was built by Henry Ferrers, a lawyer, diarist and antiquarian, in the late 1500s.

The house was a sanctuary not only for the Ferrers family, but also for persecuted Catholics who were hidden from priest hunters in its secret hiding places during the 1590s.

Find out about the dramatic story of King Charles II hiding from Cromwell’s troops at Moseley Old Hall after he fled the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

See the bed on which the King slept and the priest hole in which he hid, and hear fascinating stories about what life was like in the 17th-century from the tour guides and costume interpreters.

The ownership of the Hall and an acre of land was transferred to the National Trust in 1962, and it was opened to the public in 1963. The Hall was nearly empty of furniture at the time; most of the furniture and pictures in the Hall have been subsequently lent or given to the Trust. In 1981 the roof and brickwork were repaired, and the bargeboards and finials were replaced. It is now fully restored, and furnished with donated period furniture. The original four-poster bed used by Charles stands in the King's room.

It is located at the northern terminus of the Cromford Canal, which opened in 1794 and ran 14.5 miles (23 km) from here to the Erewash Canal in Derbyshire.

The wharf stands on Mill Lane opposite Richard Arkwright's Cromford Mill, and surviving buildings include two warehouses - one of which is now a café - an office or counting house, and two cottages. The wharf was once totally enclosed by a stone perimeter wall, which included other buildings, but these buildings have not survived.

The canal towpath, which starts at the Wharf, can be followed to High Peak Junction (the start of the High Peak Trail), and as far as Whatstandwell and Ambergate. This 6 mile (10 km) section is listed as a Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and also forms part of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way.