We spent our son's autumn half-term break from school in the Heart of England. Situated, as its name suggests, in the thick of England, this region is a great place to go for a short break. It comprises a number of different counties and from theme parks to world class Shakespeare, there really is something for everyone.
The region is individual, and the real bonus is that it is at the hub of Britain's road network, so exploring (if you have a car) is made very easy.
There is beautiful countryside to explore, rolling fields, winding canals, thriving cities and quaint villages.
We took in a bit of all of this, but our highlights were as follows:
* A visit to Cadbury World in Bournville, a suburb of Birmingham. This is full of fun for all ages. Half a million chocolate lovers visit each year, discovering the history of chocolate, finding out more about Cadbury and how they make their chocolate and seeing how it is made. It really is chocolate heaven.
* Drayton Manor Park in Staffordshire, where we visited the brand new Thomas the Tank Engine land. This is more for quite young children - our son adored it, with rides and attractions based on the famous childrens story. The rest of the park is 280 acres and does have white knuckle rides for older thrill seekers.
* A day in Stratford Upon Avon - the birthplace of Shakespeare, where you can find museums, sites, events, festivals, attractions and tours all celebrating the world's most renowned and influential playwright of all time. As well as all that however, Stratford is an exceptionally pretty and scenic place to visit.
* Sudbury Hall in Utoexeter - another great place to visit. This is a National Trust property, and has beautiful gardens, an interesting old hall and a wonderful, brand new Museum of Childhood which has fascinating and fun hands-on exhibits.