The Warwickshire Avon has carved a valley in the western edge of the Cotswold hills in Worcestershire, known as the Vale of Evesham. It is a very fertile plain, sheltered by the surrounding hills, and with only a low annual rainfall of less than 650 mm. The mild south-westerly winds that penetrate through the Severn Gate give an early start to the long growing season, so the crops have a long summer in which to ripen.

The area is famed for the production of asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, salad crops, peas, beans, strawberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, and fruit trees. Indeed, it is one of the major fruit growing areas of England, also producing plums, apples and pears. In the spring the RAC signposts a Blossom Route so that visitors can see as many of the orchards as possible. Many of the tress are planted on the slopes of the hills so that the cold night air can drop downwards and leave the trees frost free.

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