Bus

The cheapest way to travel is by bus, and National Express serves the region from London's Victoria Coach Station. You can reach Birmingham in less than three hours; Hereford and Shrewsbury take between four and five hours. National Express also operates services from London's Heathrow (2¾ hours) and Gatwick (4 hours) airports to Birmingham.

Stagecoach Midlands serves local routes throughout the Stratford and Birmingham areas. Megabus, a budget service booked online, runs buses from Victoria Station in London to Birmingham (3½ hours). A number of different companies run local services between Birmingham, Hereford, Ludlow, and other parts of the Midlands. Traveline is an excellent resource for planning local travel.

Contacts

Megabus. 0141/352–4444; 0900/160–0900; uk.megabus.com.

National Express. 0871/781–8181; www.nationalexpress.com.

Stagecoach. www.stagecoachbus.com.

Traveline. 0114/221--1282; www.traveline.info.