In or near to Olton - where we are located - you will find a variety of restaurants and pubs including a Greek restaurant and an Irish pub and restaurant. There are also places of worship (including the Renewal Christian Centre Solihull), grocers, delis, doctors and chemists located within walking distance of the guest house.

The town centre of Solihull is a 5 minute journey by road (when traffic is good) or 12 minute journey by bus. There's always lots to do in Solihull - ranging from shopping to the arts, and from pubs and bars to sports or activities.

There is a wide variety of shopping in Solihull from high street favourites to independent boutiques selling designer fashion or accessories. Most shops are to be found throughout the town centre area and inside the Touchwood Shopping Centre.

Solihull has lots of pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants which range from the usual town centre chains such as Cafe Rouge, Slug & Lettuce and the Hogshead to places that are a little more special or unique. If you need recommendations of where to eat out or for good bars in the area during your stay then we would be pleased to help.

For active types there are numerous sports facilities on offer in the area such as an ice rink, several parks and green spaces ideal for jogging, and a large leisure centre & swimming pool.

Our Top 5 for Solihull:

• Solihull Arts Complex: The Arts Complex is a multi-purpose space with a theatre, gallery and bar where you can take in a range of theatre productions, concerts and art exhibitions.
• National Motorcycle Museum: The largest motorcycle museum in the world with a fine collection of over 650 bikes housed in 5 exhibition halls.
• Ice Skating Rink: A great fun way to get fit - or go along to the ice-disco to skate to music.
• Touchwood Centre: A modern shopping and entertainment centre in the middle of Solihull with high street and independent shops, a multi-screen cinema, bars and restaurants.
• Tudor Grange Leisure Centre: Swimming pool, tennis centre, athletics track, gym and lots of fitness classes. Set on the edge of the pretty Tudor Grange park which is ideal for jogging.

Birmingham is a thriving and culturally diverse city where something is always going on. You can expect world-class shopping, music concerts from classical to choral and from pop to jazz, art galleries, a great club and bar scene, sports, and lots of unexpected surprises to discover.

Our Top 5 for Birmingham:

• Jewellery Quarter Museum: Birmingham's jewellery quarter is home to over 400 jewellery businesses and is a proposed World Heritage Site. Whilst in the quarter you should visit the Jewellery Quarter Museum which gives a fascinating insight into the jewellers art with a tour of a working jewellery factory and live demonstrations.
• Birmingham Back to Backs: A visit to the Back to Backs will transport you back in time with a glimpse of the lives of ordinary working people.
• Bullring Shopping: Great for shopping with stores such as Selfridges, Debenhams, Reiss and Armani Exchange. Located next to Birmingham's world-famous rag market.
• Brindley Place: Soak up some cafe culture on the canal side! Brindley Place is home to a large selection of bars, restaurants, the Ikon Gallery and the National Sea Life Centre.
• Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery: Visit for the Egyptian Mummies and a great public collection (and the world's biggest) of Pre-Raphaelite art including work by Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel-Rosetti.

With so much to do in the area why not take an extra day to explore the West Midlands?

• Kenilworth Castle 12 miles

  Set in the pretty village of Kenilworth amongst rolling hills, Kenilworth Castle is one of Britain's finest castle ruins and is intimately linked with some of the most important names in English history, as well as being the setting for Sir Walter Scott's novel "Kenilworth. A Romance".

• Stratford-upon-Avon 24 miles

  The birthplace of William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon is a very popular tourist destination which receives around 3 million visitors a year from all over the world. Stratford is now the home of the excellent Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). There are plenty of shops and boutiques to browse, places to eat and drink, and parks to relax in when the culture becomes too much!

• Warwick 20 miles

  Warwick is a charming market town that is overlooked by a dramatic mediaeval castle that was built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The town itself has lots of restaurants, cafes and pubs, as well as theatres, shops and historic buildings.

• Baddesley Clinton 8.5 miles

  Just to the north of Warwick lies Baddesley Clinton - a historic moated manor house with three priest holes, Elizabethan interiors, beautiful gardens, lakeside walk and nature trail.

• Severn Valley Railway 21 miles

  Take a trip on a full-size steam train through the beautiful and largely unspoilt Severn Valley. One of the highlights of the trip is the crossing of the River Severn via the 200ft high Victoria Bridge which features in the film 'The 39 Steps'.

• Black Country Living Museum 13 miles

  An open-air urban heritage park where historic buildings from all over the Black Country have been moved and rebuilt to create a tribute to the people who once lived and worked in the heart of Industrial Britain. Electric trams and trolleybuses transport you into the village which features houses, shops (including a traditional pub, chippie and a sweet shop) and public buildings staffed by people in period costume.