There is so much to see and explore in the English midlands that it is hard to believe that there was such a diverse range of industries in such a small area. Birmingham, now a major city, was once known as the ‘town of a thousand trades’. In the beautiful Severn Valley, iron-making revolutionised manufacturing, and its importance is recognised through its World Heritage Site status. The midlands was the beating heart of the industrial revolution, and its canals were the arteries of trade. The remains of this revolution are brought to life in the area’s museums and heritage sites, and this regional route guides you around some of the best of them.

You can step back in time at Blists Hill Victorian Town and the Black Country Living Museum, where costumed staff re-create the world of the late 1800s and early 1900s. You can cycle and walk around the region’s vast canal system. You can try your hand at making a pottery flower or a pen nib, watch glass blowers, jewellers and leather workers at work, even go down a mine. You can experience the industrial worker’s home and working life – good and bad – and take a trip on a train pulled by a steam locomotive.