Knowle

Knowle's own accommodation is modest but characterful, with a handful of pubs offering rooms above the bar and small guesthouses tucked among the timber-framed buildings of the High Street. For a wider choice, Solihull town centre is only a few miles away and offers everything from budget chain hotels to smart four-star options, many geared towards business travellers visiting the NEC or Birmingham Airport, both close by. Dorridge, on Knowle's doorstep and served by its own railway station on the London Marylebone line, is another sensible base if you want easy rail access without staying in a city centre.

Further out, the surrounding Warwickshire countryside offers a run of country house hotels and coaching inns, many set in their own grounds and well suited to a relaxed weekend built around walks, National Trust properties and canal-side pubs. Warwick and Leamington Spa, both within easy reach, add a larger selection of hotels and boutique guesthouses if you want to combine a stay near Knowle with exploring more of the county. Whichever base you choose, it is worth booking early if your visit coincides with a major exhibition or event at the NEC, since demand across the whole area rises sharply and rooms in Solihull and Dorridge can sell out well in advance.

Knowle is compact, so most of its attractions can be covered on foot in a single day, but there is enough history and canal-side scenery here to fill a relaxed weekend.

• Knowle Parish Church (St John the Baptist, St Lawrence and St Anne) — A Grade I listed church founded after Walter Cook secured a papal faculty in 1396, with services held here from 1399. Built to serve the Guild of St Anne of Knowle, founded in 1412 as an early friendly society, its soaring perpendicular Gothic nave is one of the finest parish churches in the county.
• Knowle Guild House and Chester House — Timber-framed buildings dating from around 1400 and 1500, originally built for the guild and later used as craftsmen's workshops and dwellings. Chester House is now Grade II* listed and serves as Knowle's library.
• Knowle High Street — A run of independent shops, bakeries, antique dealers and pubs housed in black-and-white timbered buildings, with a genuine village-centre feel rather than a shopping precinct.
• Knowle Green — The traditional village green beside the High Street and church, a natural gathering point and a good spot to sit with a coffee and take in the surroundings.
• Knowle Locks, Grand Union Canal — A flight of locks on the Grand Union Canal where you can watch narrowboats working through, or follow the towpath for a walk or cycle ride into open countryside.
• Knowle Park — A stretch of open green space with a children's play area, useful for stretching your legs or letting kids burn off energy after a day of sightseeing.
• Baddesley Clinton — A short drive away, this moated medieval manor house cared for by the National Trust is one of the most atmospheric historic houses in the region, set among woodland and lakes.
• Packwood House — Another nearby National Trust property, known for its Tudor origins, later remodelling and famous yew garden said to represent the Sermon on the Mount.

The High Street is home to a good spread of independent cafes, bakeries and pubs, several occupying centuries-old timber-framed buildings. The Herbert's Bakery and Cafe is a long-standing local favourite for a coffee and pastry, while pubs such as The Bell and The Greswolde Arms serve classic pub food in traditional surroundings. For something more contemporary, Knowle's handful of independent restaurants offer everything from Italian to modern British dishes, and the village's proximity to Solihull means a much wider choice of dining is only a short drive away.

Wild camping is not legally permitted in England without the landowner's permission, and Knowle itself, being a compact village surrounded by farmland and private estates, has no informal camping spots to speak of. Anyone wanting to camp near Knowle needs a proper campsite or a landowner's consent, and fortunately the wider Warwickshire countryside around Solihull and the Forest of Arden has a reasonable spread of options, from small farm-based sites to larger family-friendly campsites with electric hook-ups and facilities blocks.

The terrain here is gentle, lowland Warwickshire countryside: rolling arable fields, hedgerows, pockets of ancient woodland and the flat towpath of the Grand Union Canal, which makes it comfortable ground for pitching a tent without the challenges of hillier camping regions further north or west. Sites near the canal are popular with boaters and towpath cyclists, while others sit closer to attractions such as Baddesley Clinton and Packwood House, useful if you want to combine camping with a day exploring National Trust grounds.

Late spring through to early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping in this part of Warwickshire, with April to September offering the mildest weather and the longest daylight for evenings around the tent. Midsummer brings warm, if changeable, conditions typical of the Midlands, while a shoulder-season visit in May or September can mean quieter sites and softer light for canal walks. If a traditional tent is not for you, several sites within reach of Knowle offer glamping options, from wooden pods and safari tents to shepherd's huts, giving a comfortable way to enjoy the Warwickshire countryside without the commitment of pitching your own canvas.