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Car Hire Birmingham
All you need to know about hiring a car in Birmingham
What do Cadbury, Ozzy Osbourne and The Hobbit all have in common? Answer: Birmingham! The UK city with one of the most divisive accents, it’s famous for everything from mouthwatering chocolate to iconic music and great works of literature. In fact, the surrounding countryside is said to have inspired both Tolkien’s great works – The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. From the shire to spaghetti junction, Birmingham’s motorway intersection is one of the busiest and most tricky to navigate. But don’t worry – while you’re hiring a car in Birmingham, you can find plenty of ways to relax (Bullring, anyone?).
A snapshot of Birmingham
Birmingham rubs shoulders with the Black Country and Shropshire Hills. It’s also got an impressive network of canals called the Birmingham Canal Navigations. Formerly a market town, it grew during the industrial revolution and was once referred to as the world’s first manufacturing town – a place of skilled trade and innovation. In fact, the steam engine was invented here. Birmingham gets its name from an Anglo-Saxon tribe called the Beormingas, and at one time was home to a huge network of Roman-built roads. Handy for those hiring a car in Birmingham!
Navigating the city of Birmingham
In recent years, Birmingham has seen lots of regeneration with its library and areas like Brindleyplace canalside development and The Mailbox, home to BBC Birmingham Studios (plus Harvey Nichols). The spaghetti junction opened in the 70s to join up the M1, M5 and M6 and get drivers to the heart of the city more quickly and easily. Nowadays, the city balances its large amount of traffic with its Clean Air Zone credentials (meaning higher-polluting cars pay a toll and even being charged for accessing the ring road). It’s worth finding out whether this affects you and your hire car in Birmingham before you travel.
Retail therapy
For shopping, look no further than the Bullring and Grand Central. A huge mall, it features a Selfridges (just like the capital). Plus, there are six nearby arcades to get your teeth into – with stunning architecture to soak up as well. And, if boutiques and independents are more your thing, take a trip down Birmingham New Street. Most famous of all is Birmingham’s jewelry quarter – home to over 700 jewellers and retailers, and responsible for producing over 40% of the UK’s jewellery.
Sports and where to find them
Birmingham is a city with a lot of sporting pastimes – great news for those hiring a car and looking for fun things to do. Aston Villa is its most famous Premier League football team, while it’s also known for the Moseley Rugby Club and Bournville Cricket Club. More recently, the city has founded a series of American football and baseball teams, and it’s also renowned for Bournville Hockey Club (although this one goes back to 1885 and is actually the second-oldest hockey club in the country).
Arts and culture in Birmingham
If the arts are your thing, you’re in good company. Hire a car in Birmingham, and you could see Birmingham’s Symphony Orchestra or Royal Ballet. There’s also the Orchestra of the Swan and Royal Ballet Sinfonia, plus the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group for more modern tastes. Each year, the city hosts a jazz festival, and it once was on-par with Liverpool in terms of its music scene (ELO, Judas Priest and The Moody Blues all hailing from the city). Plus, the Birmingham Surrealists are a famous movement among art-lovers – definitely something to explore when you visit the city by car.
Local radio in the city
If you’re hiring a car in Birmingham, tune into BBC Radio WM for sports; Radio 1 for news and pop; Absolute Radio 105.2 for a mix or Hits Radio Birmingham for throwback oldies. There’s also South Birmingham Digital Radio and BRMB for a mix of music. When you travel, check out updates before you leave or find a station while you’re on the go for real-time news.
Get in touch
To hire a car in Birmingham or a location nearby, get in touch with the Nationwide Hire team. You can find out even more about the city on visitbirmingham.com