Frankwell Main Car Park, Shrewsbury
We used Frankwell as a simple Shrewsbury base after a day on the road. It is not scenic, but it was central, practical and surprisingly calm overnight.
West Midlands
The West Midlands is the most densely populated area in England outside London, and van travel here requires a different kind of planning to rural destinations. But the region has genuine interest, particularly around its industrial heritage – the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley is one of the best open-air museums in the country, and the canal network that threads through Birmingham and the Black Country is extraordinary in scale.
Birmingham itself has undergone significant change in recent years. The city centre has more to offer van travellers willing to navigate it – the Jewellery Quarter, Digbeth’s arts and food scene, and Brindleyplace along the canal all reward time. Finding appropriate overnight parking is the main challenge, and pre-planning is important.
Solihull, Coventry, and the rural south of the county around Meriden give the area a suburban fringe that can be useful as a base. Coventry Cathedral – rebuilt alongside the ruins of the original after wartime bombing – is one of the most significant pieces of 20th-century architecture in England.
Posts in this tag cover van travel in the West Midlands – urban stops, canal routes, and practical tips for navigating the region.