Bickenhill offers several different reasons to stay: the National Motorcycle Museum and its extensive collection, the NEC, which is a specific walking distance from Birmingham International station, and historic buildings in the village. There are also destinations and routes within the parish. When choosing accommodation, it helps to first decide what your trip will focus on: motorcycle history, the NEC or a route connecting several places. That way, you can tailor your hotel search to what you want to experience in Bickenhill.
Motorcycle history at the National Motorcycle Museum
The National Motorcycle Museum in Bickenhill has a collection of more than 1,000 British motorcycles from 171 different marques. The collection spans from the earliest pioneer motorcycle, dating from 1898, to the latest British superbikes of this century. So the focus is not on just one marque or era: the collection covers a wide variety of British manufacturers and also reaches into 21st-century motorcycle history. If you are interested in British motorcycles, you can make a visit to the museum the main focus of your trip.
Private guided “Highlights” tours are available only by prior booking. If you would like to include one of these tours in your visit, book it in advance.
The NEC and its local connections
The NEC opened in 1976 in the parish of Bickenhill. It is a five-minute walk from Birmingham International station to the NEC. This gives you a specific way to plan your journey between the station and your destination when visiting the NEC. The opening date provides historical context; the walking time answers a question about getting there. iFLY Birmingham is located at the NEC, while Resorts World is in the parish of Bickenhill.
Glebe Farm and the history of the village
Glebe Farm is on St. Peter’s Lane in Bickenhill. The timber-framed house dates from the 16th or 17th century and offers a different historical focus from the museum: here, the focus is on a single building, while the museum has a collection of motorcycles from many marques and eras. If you want to look beyond the NEC or the museum to understand Bickenhill, you can also explore the village’s historic buildings.
Routes between Bickenhill and the surrounding area
The Green Man Trail connects Marston Green, Bickenhill, Hampton in Arden, Barston, Knowle and Solihull town centre. Its regional route therefore covers several places. A separate route is a section of Wildlife Ways Route C in Bickenhill along Damson Parkway: this has been completed, and the footpath was widened as part of the work. These two details answer different questions about getting around the area: the trail connects named places, while Route C here is described in terms of a completed section and an improvement to the path.
When choosing accommodation, you can therefore first decide whether the museum, the NEC, local history or a route connecting several places is the main draw. These verified local connections offer different starting points, without implying a particular order for your stay.
Discover more destinations: Shirley, Coventry, Stourbridge
View the wider travel guide: West Midlands.
