Butlers Marston

The area has changed remarkably little since the 17th century, when poet Michael Drayton wrote about its quiet beauty and agricultural richness, and it remains wonderfully sparsely populated today. The Vale takes its name from the striking Red Horse of Tysoe, a mysterious hill figure carved into red clay that has been part of the landscape since at least 1607. If history interests you, you'll find connections to the English Civil War—the Battle of Edgehill took place on the fringes in 1642—and you can still walk along the Roman Fosse Way as it cuts through the countryside, connecting ancient routes to the present day. It's the kind of place where you really get a sense of how rural England has endured through centuries of change, with the land itself telling the story of those who've lived here before.