Ever since I was a wee gal I've been coming to Lickey Hills park - from school geography trips to…read morehuge picnics , it has something for everyone. As soon as you come in, theres a huge park for kids which is actually great fun for the big kids too ;) take my advice for it! And as you go deeper into the park, you realise what an incredible sigh of relief this park is as it gives you a break from the busy, industrial city ; instead offering you serenity and beauty. You wouldn't even think it's in Birmingham! Rolling hills, towering trees and a blanket of green surrounding you; each area is beautiful. Even if you do get drenched by the rain like I did, it's definitely worth it! A must for those seeking an escape!

How can this not be 5*?! Beautiful rolling countryside, amazing views, woods and generally stunning…read morescenery. I actually don't have much more to say for a change!! If you are looking for a place for a hike, romantic walk, dog walking spot or just generally a spot to get out of the city without going too far then check this place ut. I have been coming here since I was a kid and think ill be coming back for some years! Lovely.

Wythall park is a lovely little gem that's off the beaten track a little. It has a sand pit and…read moreswings, as well as a roundabout. These are all in an enclosed space for little ones to play safely. The older kids are catered for with a zip wire and a tyre swing, as well as a footbal court. There are toilets that are clean and the park is kept clean too, plus there's loads of free parking. It's open all year round too. There isn't anywhere to buy food and drink but it is a great place for a picnic, so bring your own instead. Something worth noting is that it's also a very popular dog walking area so if your children are scared of dogs, just be aware. Most dog owners are great but when we visited there were a coupe of great hulking dogs that took a dislike to each other and both were off their leads. One owner obviously had no control over his dog either. It all ended safely, but there was a lot of baking and snarling, and that was just the owners, and my daughter didn't like it at all.

This is such a good park for kids! It really is lovely and has a cool playground with swings, one…read moreof those roundabout things and even a sandpit! If only I was a kid again. I think that the park is kept well and always seems to be clean and tidy. There are even some toilets in case you get caught short. It is a great park to bring a picnic and the kids on a nice sunny day. It is also a great place to bring dogs and seems to be very popular for dog walkers. This is a really nice park and it is definitely worth a visit if you have kids, dogs or just generally want to view some greenery instead of the city traffic!

Play area has been widely improved in recent years as has the parking area giving the park a much…read moremore family feel to it. Ideal green space for walking dogs or teaching kids to ride their bikes in summer. Towards the back of the park there is a small skate ramp area and the network of foot paths leads you around the park.

A great place to walk the dog, and a nice piece of the countryside in a town area. Worth a visit.read more

You know those amazingly warm and sunny weekends? Well we don't get them too often and when they…read morehappen I get the urge to do something quintessentially English. So last one day recently saw a much needed drive out of Brum and into the countryside. I'm not a National Trust member but I am starting to wonder why? Our visit to Packwood House was fantastic. You can go into the house and even have a tour but we wanted to experience the gardens, herbaceous borders and huge yew topiaries up close. The house is originally 16th century and features several gorgeous blue and gold sun dials - so check your watch against them and see which are still set to GMT. The gardens are beautiful and kept in stunning condition. Mostly they are comprised of some very distinct and large yew topiaries. The highlight has to be walking up the helter skelter style border to reach the top of The Mound which is adorned with a large yew tree. From there you can take in the views, enjoy the cool shade and benefit from some much needed peace. The rest of the gardens are a mix of wild and wonderful plants and the look must change considerably throughout the year. Don't miss out on walking around the back of the house to catch the very unique sun dial monument. A great day out even if you are not a National Trust member - stunning!

Packwood is another National Trust property right on the doorstep and one that makes me so glad…read morethat we got membership for a Chrismas present. The gardens are the usual lovely mixture of more formal with some stunning yew trees to admire, plus the broader park land. The formal area is very children friendly and there's a lovely little raised mound right at the back that's lots of fun to run up. The pak land has a great walk and there's a large pond/small lake with ducks. It's a good place to explore and there's the usual wooded area to wander around too. The National Trust is so much better at welcoming families and Packwood now has so much more to offer children such as outdoor games and family activities during holidays. Picnics are welcome too. There isn't a cafe or restaurant although you can get coffee and snacks from the reception area. The toilets are in the car park.

If this park was situated in a different area, it would be considered an absolutely amazing stretch…read moreof land to explore. However, because it is right next to the Lickey Hills, it gets overshadowed by the grandness and vibrancy of the forests, lakes and fruit bushes of the Hills. Unfortunately, Cofton Park seems very bare when compared to the Lickeys, even though the openness, hills and views from the park are beautiful. Many people use this park to exercise, walk the dog or go for a casually stroll, and the freshness of the air is great to inhale in after a hard, long day in the Birmingham city centre smog. And what's great is that Cofton is only a 40 minute bus ride on the X62 from Birmingham's Town Hall. It doesn't take that long to get to at all; so if you want to have a relaxing day to experience some countryside, Cofton is definitely the place to go to. There's also a playground area for children, so you don't have to worry about them getting bored. Although I have to say, Lickeys is by far better to experience, and it's only over the road from Cofton.

It is really hard living in a city sometimes due to the lack of space. I love everything that a…read morecity has to offer, the diversity, culture, people and buildings, but sometimes I like a bit of space. Only a short drive from where I live lies this park and it is a vast and dramatic space, perfect for walking the dog. 135 acres of fields and trees to be exact. I've heard that Sutton Park is quite big, but that is the other side of the city to where I live. That is why I like to bring the car down here for the day. Just to remember what it was like to live in the countryside in Devon. There are no problems with the park, it is just a vast open space to wonder. I like to come here to forget about all the noise and confusion that goes on daily in the big city.

Wonderful place to stop and spend some time. Got to see a…read moredemonstration with wool, discussion on different types of wool. Donkeys, horses, goats, falconry and gardens. The demonstration with Talia the eagle owl was delightful and fun. Friendly staff, very educational.

We walked to Mary Arden's Farm from Stratford-upon-Avon. Fair warning: it's a LONG walk. Don't do…read moreit if you're not prepared to walk 5 miles (or about 8 km) there and back. I suppose a bike ride would nice, though. It's along a river through really Englishy countryside with rolling hills and and pebbly roads. Once we got there, it was pretty meh. Admissions is covered in the Shakespeare Five House ticket, but not any of the other types of ticket packages. You just walk around and look at pigs and rooms. We saw some owls and falcons, a dovecove, some pigs, an old oven, old bedrooms with small beds.... It's not really educational - there wasn't much to learn about Shakespeare or Mary Arden. I didn't think they made much of an effort to make it tourist friendly either. It wasn't really worth it but still mildly interesting. I recommend saving some money and just purchasing the Four House ticket and forgo this house.

this park has been recently renovated and had quite alot of money spent on it. it as new play areas…read moreand paths and also fences around the perimeter. it can be accessed from a variety of roads - rednal road, the fordrough, staple lodge roa. it has two play areas - the play area on staple lodge road is more suited to older chilren. it has a climbing frame with slide, roundabout, swings, basket swing and multi sport playing area. the other play area is for younger children as it contains a smaller climbing frame, a see saw, caged swings and bouncy animals. these are lovely places to take the children to just beware that sometimes there can be larg groups of youths hagning around and on one occasion the play area was vandalised with dog poo.

I'm without a car but close to a railway station so Tudor Grange Park was a great find for me as it…read moreis within easy walking distance of Solihull Train Station. The quickest way to get to it is to go down the station steps and when the lift is in front of you turn LEFT (it's a right turn to the bus station and the shops, past the ticket office) This leads to a public footpath, turn left again and walk for a minute until you reach the main road. Cross at the pelican crossing before the railway bridge and walk into the swimming baths car park, carry on walking alongside the leisure centre and you'll soon be in the park. Last time I went there was some building work going on but it was still easy to negotiate your way round. There's a wide flat expanse of green, ponds with geese etc. and a children's play area that has a good variety of playthings. My children especially like the slide as it is (by their standards) a high one. I've bitten my nails a few times watching a 3 year old climb up it. There's a skate park next to it and in school holidays and at weekends this can get quite busy. I've seen quite a high standard of skaters here and they can attract a wealth of hangers -on. Plenty of stuff to have fun with on a fine day, then just a short walk back to the station and home. I looked it up in the A-Z and it looks as if there are a number of different entrances to it that locals would probably use but I'm just a tourist and come by train!

This is a review of a local walk around Kings Norton that i frequently do with my dog. It takes…read moreabout 50 minutes but im a slow walker and my dog has to sniff at, or wee on everything, so takes longer than it would do if you were just walking normally! I start at the car park on Kings Norton playing fields but there is a link to a map here which shows many other routes you can take as well. (http://www.riverreatrail.org.uk/images/stories/Kings%20Norton%20Trail.pdf). There is a website which gives you many historical details of the area e.g did you know that Kings Norton railway station was the inspiration for Thomas the Tank Engine?? No, neither did i!! http://www.riverreatrail.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=108 Sometime ago I actually bought a pamphlet called Kings Norton Trail One - Canals, Roads, Rivers and Railways which cost me £1 from Mollys Cafe on The Green. Im not sure if the local shops still sell these but if they do then id go and grab one as the map, info and photos are well worth £1. So starting from the car park there is a paved path which leads directly across the field to a little foot bridge (Lint Brook Bridge) which goes over a brook. Head across the bridge and stay on the footpath, this brings you out at Junction House which was built in 1796 as the tollhouse for the Worcestershire & Birmingham Canal. Junction Bridge is a beautiful brick bridge in front of you - cross over it. You are now walking down the side of the Stratford-Upon-Avon canal. Its incredibly quiet - ive just walked it on a Tuesday afternoon in June and all i saw was a couple of narrowboats and some geese with their baby goslings! You go through Guillotine Lock and carry on past an abandoned factory building before turning left into Tunnel lane. There is a signpost here pointing towards Canon Hill Park. As you walk down this part of the walk, if you havent already id put your dog on the lead. Its more industrial here and there is the chance of seeing some traffic. On the left is Speciality Minerals Ltd which has a tall kiln tower. As you walk down this lane you come out at Lifford Reservoir on your right, there are usually a number of fishermen around the lake. Keep the reservoir on your right and then follow the road away from it, with your back to it - Kings Norton tip is on your right (lovely!) and the lovely Lifford Hall is on your left (this used to be a medieval mill but is now offices). You then come out onto Lifford Lane - be careful here as it can be busy. Turn right onto Lifford lane, cross over the road. Go over the canal bridge and then turn lef tontot he towpath (signposted for Kings Norton). Follow this down and you will come out at Junction House leaving you just to turn right and head back to the car park. I love this walk. Its long enough to give my dog a good walk to tire him out (he is getting on a bit!) but isnt too far for me with my general levels of unfitness and dodgy back! The paths are pretty good although the canal towpath at the side of the Stratford Upon Avon Canal can get a bit muddy in winter. The walk loses a star as there are NO bins for dog poop on the walk. Ive also done various other parts of the walk shown on the website above and have to say that i love walking around my little area of Birmingham and getting to know the local history!

this is quiet play area that not many people know about. built in the middle of a new housing…read moreestate, this play areahas a variety of activities for small children e.g climbing frames, swings, slides etc. because it is not very well publiscised it is always very quiet and there are not problems from loud youths. there is also no litter and railings around the perimeter so you feel safe. there is a soft floor area to cushion falls.