Hostels in West Midlands

West Midlands, England, is comprised of a county covering seven metropolitan districts -- the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton; and the towns of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, and Walsall. (For clarity, it can in other contexts also refer to a region in the UK that spans a number of counties -- namely Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire).

The area is considered to be the spiritual home of the British automotive industry, and you can find here the head offices of well-known car- and engine-makers both past and present, including Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, Dunlop Tyres, BMW, Rolls Royce, and MG Rover.

Birmingham (England's second-most populous city) is the largest city in this area. There are relatively few West Midlands, England hostels in this area, although Birmingham has many guest houses and hotels that offer relatively cheap accommodation. Student accommodation is also numerous in this area, as it is home to multiple universities. A few of these act as a sort of West Midlands, England hostel for non-students outside of term time, with rooms available for a low weekly rate -- you should always confirm with your West Midlands, England hostel that it is indeed a hostel and not student accommodation (some places have the word "hostel" in their names, but are student accommodations rather than traditional West Midlands, England hostels).

West Midlands is also home to Black Country cities and towns such as Dudley and Walsall. Some "luxury" room-share West Midlands, England hostels can be found in the Black Country through other room-sharing sites, though only a handful would take shorter-term tenants. This area is known nationally for the least-desirable accent in the UK -- the Black Country/"Yam Yam" accent can be difficult to decipher for new initiates, but the humour is second to none in this region. The area also has a rich industrial heritage -- you can still see many of the canals, factories, and warehouses that were the building blocks of the Industrial Revolution. A visit to the Black Country Museum as well as the Birmingham Back to Backs is a must for those interested in the area's industrial past.

Toward the east are the independent boroughs of Solihull (a pretty town with a pedestrianised shopping centre and lovely parks), and Coventry (famous for its extensive destruction during World War II and the annual Godiva parade, which was undertaken by Lady Godiva to persuade her husband to free the people of the city from tolls and has been held since the seventeenth century). These areas are well travelled by commuters and business travelers, as they are very convenient for access between the Midlands and the main artery road (the M6) to the north or south of the UK. Shared-room West Midlands, England hostels are close to nonexistent in this area, but you will find a plethora of other accommodations to suit any budget.

Handwritten by local expert for West Midlands hostels Steph