Stratford-upon-Avon has the write stuff

Life goes at a different pace in Shakespeare country.

Fittingly for the birthplace of William Shakespeare, there is much ado about Stratford-upon-Avon.

Olde English-style cottages and warm beer might spring to mind when thinking about the town in England’s deepest heartlands.

But there’s far more than meets the eye to this jewel in Warwickshire.

The trip here was a compromise agreement reached with my soon-to-be teenage son.

We’d visit a very modern nearby computer games fayre in Coventry if he’d accompany his old man around a whistle-stop weekend tour of Shakespeare’s old haunts.

It was a deal reached after lengthy and at times heated negotiations and put down in writing.

Indeed, the sizeable tome could run Shakespeare’s greatest hits close for sheer size.

We needn’t have worried about our coalition of old and new working though.

We based ourselves in Kenilworth a leafy town 20 minutes’ drive from Stratford-upon-Avon and in the heart of Shakespeare Country.

We started the day off at the town’s Saxon castle, much of which lies in ruins.

At around £15 for an adult and a child it’s a bit pricey.

Local rumour has it that when Queen Elizabeth I visited here in 1575, the 19-day party that ensued had the castle’s owner Robert Dudley tearing out his hair in exasperation and almost left him bankrupt.

A few years later, local lad William Shakespeare a boy of just 11 at the time of her Maj’s trip used the lavish festivities as a backdrop in his play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The castle puts on various events like knights’ tournaments during the summer to keep the kids entertained as you soak up the rich history.

It was soon time for me to fulfil my side of the bargain.

The UK’s biggest gaming festival, Insomnia, takes place three times a year in nearby Coventry Football Club’s Ricoh Arena.

The day we went, 15,000 people flocked to this computer games Mecca.

It prides itself on being a “place for gamers of all backgrounds to congregate, socialise, discover new things and ultimately just play”.

As far as I could see that just involved a lot of teenagers sitting in front of the same computer games they played at home.

Like a raft of other disinterested parents I was largely unmoved.

But that was before spying some old computer consoles from my youth that you could play.

I was soon swept up in the moment playing old Sega and Nintendo games while lecturing spectators about what an important cultural icon Sonic the Hedegehog was.

Somewhat embarrassed, it was my son’s suggestion to leave prematurely.

Still that left an excuse to visit the city’s famed cathedral late in the afternoon.

Built in the shadows of the city’s university, St Michael’s Church was constructed between the late 14th Century and early 15th Century.

On November 14, 1940, the German Luftwaffe almost completely destroyed it.

Only the tower, spire and the outer wall survived the bombing blitz.

But today the old is melted together with the new.

The old ruins are built alongside a design by Basil Spence who was later knighted for the building, which was completed in 1962.

Taken as a whole it’s an awe-inspiring piece of architecture.

The next day we devoted fully to the Bard.

Last year, Stratford-upon-Avon celebrated the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth.

Be it Thespians Indian takeaway or the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on the banks of the River Avon, it’s a town still trading hard on their claim to fame.

We opted for one of the daily walking tours organised by Stratford Town Walk, who give an entertaining daily guided walking tour of the town with insights into the Bard.

The half-timber house he was born in is seen as a shrine for many.

It shows just how close his family were in those days not only did they all share a bedroom but his dad used one of the home’s windows to sell his wares to passers-by.

We spent a long day in the town but you could easily stretch it over two or even three to fully immerse yourself.

And with the 400th anniversary of his death next year, it might well coincide with a return visit for me.

To see or not to see, that is the question.

You can get to Stratford-upon-Avon via train (nationalrail.co.uk). Changing stations is required from Scotland. More direct routes are available to Coventry. Train prices start around £100 for a single standard ticket.

A standard double room in the Holiday Inn in Kenilsworth costs around £81 per night.

Bus tours of Stratford-upon-Avon cost £13.50 for an adult (£11.50 for concessions).