#OfftheBeatenTrack is our travel blog feature which showcases the less popular tourist destinations, perfect for those of you travelling throughout the UK looking for adventure and history.
This time, we’re bringing you directly to the centre of the country – the exact centre. Located in the East Midlands, Fenny Drayton sits on the geographical centre point of the country.
Let’s grab some train tickets and explore this quaint area of the country!
Town/city: Fenny Drayton
Population: 1,373 (all of Whitherley civil parish and village)
By train:
Atherstone is the nearest train station to the centre of England. The Grade II Listed station, first opened in 1847, now sees about 141,500 passengers pass through each year.
Things to do:
The Bosworth Battlefield Experience is located nearby in Sutton Cheney. Learn about the historic battle and catch some incredible British historical reenactments at this English heritage site.
Popular tourist spots:
While you’re here, you better check out the memorial which marks the very middle of the country – especially because it is made of a railway sleeper! Erected in 2002, the memorial is located on the Lindley Hall Farm.
Twycross Zoo was once home to the famous PG tips chimps, but still hosts a great variety of monkeys, chimps and orangutans!
Drayton Manner Theme Park is also close by – get some thrills after your geography lesson in the middle of the country!
Notable locations nearby:
Travel just 15 miles north to Great Britain’s furthest point from the sea, Coton in the Elms. Located 70 miles from any coast, this civil parish’s know history dates back to AD932. Stop by their 17th century pub, the Queen’s Head Inn, if you’re passing through.
Tamworth is also infamously known for two escaped pigs, Butch and Sundance, who escaped one of the (many) farms in the area in the 1990s and spent an entire week on the run!
Stop by for a farm visit and a putter around this quaint city.
Ready to explore the centre of England? Book cheap train tickets from NationalRail.com and set off on your next off-the-beaten-track adventure!
