Stays near Brandon and Brandon Marsh

Brandon is a small village in the Borough of Rugby, sharing a parish with nearby Bretford. It sits on the A428 about five miles east of Coventry and six miles west of Rugby, with the River Avon just to the east.

A railway viaduct of 1837, built for the original London and Birmingham Railway, separates Brandon from the larger village of Wolston, although the two practically form one place. Brandon and Wolston station closed in 1960.

To the west is Brandon Marsh, a nature reserve of 228 acres known for its wildlife and especially its pond life; Sir David Attenborough opened its visitor centre in 1998. Brandon Wood, a community woodland, lies beyond it.

Just north of the village is Brandon Stadium, also called Coventry Stadium, once home to speedway, greyhound and stock car racing and to the Coventry Bees speedway team. A grassy mound south of the village marks Brandon Castle, built by the de Verdon family in the twelfth century and pulled down in 1265 by baronial troops from Kenilworth.

Stoke Lodge and Stoke House are about 4 miles by road from Brandon, Sullivan Heights about 5 miles and Humber Hub about 6 miles. For a weekend at Brandon Marsh, any of the four houses gives a family its own kitchen and garden space.