Harborne walkway is a space of natural tranquillity in an urban environment. It was opened in 1981,…read moreoccupying the former short branch Harborne railway line. The railway line opened in 1874, as an early example of a commuter route into the new industries city of Birmingham. It took five years to build the 2.5 miles of track, with stations at Hagley Road, Rotton Park Road, and Icknied Port Road before terminating at New Street. This was much shorter that the 1866 proposal, which would have connected Bromsgrove to Halesowen, and connecting the Great Western Railway (in Soho) with the London and North Western Railway on Monument Lane. I had previously presumed that the railway line was a victim of Dr Beeching's Cuts in the 60's, whereby he oversaw the closure of over 1,000 rail stations in the UK (luckily we didn't follow his full recommendation and close over 2,000). However, the Harborne line closed to passengers in 1934, as people favoured the buses, which had less delays at the time. The line remained open for freight, serving the Chad Valley toy factory in Harborne, as well as the Mitchells & Butlers brewery at Cape Hill, amongst over businesses. The line was completely closed in 1963. Cut to present day and the line has been transformed into the most lovely walking and cycling path in the city. The path runs from Forest Drive / Park Hill Road in Harborne to Summerfield Park in Soho; where one can easily visit Edgbaston Reservoir, or join the Birmingham Canal to walk into the city centre. The full walk from Harborne to town is unsurprisingly the same as the original railway line: 2.5 miles. It brings one into town at Brindley Place, where there are ample options for liquid refreshment and nutrient. Along most of the walk, we could easily be forgiven for forgetting that we are so close to the heart of the second city. We could easily be convinced that we're walking in a rural part of the country. The only hint to city life is seeing the buses on the Hagley Road above our heads. The footpath is however, slightly busier (and less boggy) than those out in the countryside, being popular with dog walkers, families, cyclists, and runners alike. The route doesn't have any lighting though, so is probably best avoided after dusk. Although I love Birmingham and all of the culture, bar, events etc that happen in the 'big city', sometimes it's good to get away from all of the 'hustle and bustle' and be 'one with nature' - any more clichés I can fit in? Seriously though, it's great to be able to escape from all of the stresses of modern life without having to travel too far from home. Birmingham has 3,500 hectares of public green space, more than any other European city, and 250 miles of urban brooks and streams (I've not even mentioned the canals, nor Venice). To me, Harborne Walkway is definitely one of the city's 'hotspots', a must for any Brummie!

Great walk on a fall afternoon with the dog. Don't leave it too late as it can get quite…read morecreepy/dark in areas. It is a great green space in an urban area and well worth a visit. Lots of runners and other dog walkers. Interesting railroad history.

I really love this park, It offers FREE parking too, on certain days Run Birmingham offer a free…read morerunning scheme called 'Couch to 5k' a 9 week program free to attend and gives you confidence to meet other fellow runners. Beautiful surrounding, come with kids to feed the wild life duckies in the large pond. Big area to ride your bike too with a number of facilities to park your bike. Kids can also have fun on the pay area too, with swings and a large climb rack. On my daily walks to the park I've even found wild black berries and bamboo being grown in the woodland area. There's a Cadbury Bournville house that has been derelict for quite a few years now, for such a great location I've always hoped that the council would invest money in this great location and maybe convert it into a little café? That would be perfect in my opinion. Have a good day everyone, thanks a bunch for reading

This park has so many different uses for so many different people. For a nice day out with children…read moreI would recommend the nature area and the lakes. Feeding the ducks and geese is one of my all time favourite things to do; it has been since I was a child. Very little has changed since then. The park is also great for students from the nearby Solihull Sixth Form College. I remember skipping class to hang around with a girl I dated in the park. I won't divulge our activities, but they were nothing new to the parks deep bushes and high trees! I like to drive here these days as they have adequate parking at both ends of the park. It is a great place to have a walk and a nice think to clear the mind. This park has won the 'Britain in Bloom' competition many times. It is easy to see how they did this because the floral displays around the park are simply gorgeous. Great Park, Great day out.

I had the pleasure of walking through the beautifully landscaped Malvern Park during college days,…read moreand I've returned since to re-live the experience. There are two play areas, tennis courts and a nature centre with a lake. It's a perfect place for a day out with the family or just to soak up the sun on a summer's day. Given the attractions within the parks, it's appealing to all ages. There is also a car park, which is conveniently located next to a recreation area. The parks are a fine area of greenery that are shielded from surrounding roads, which adds to their tranquillity. It's popular with locals because you'll always find someone strolling around. It's also used by Solihull Sixth Form students as a route from the town centre to the college. Despite this, I have never seen the park littered or otherwise tainted. Worth a visit if you're in the area.

A cute little iddy biddy, easily-accessible area of green tucked in the middle of Coventry's…read morechaotic centre. Not sure if it's quite big enough to be classed as a 'park', but it's trying! There's a great area for kids of all ages with a slide, see-saw, climbing net, magical spinny thing etc and a fair amount of benches if you need some R&R. It is SO SWEET here in summer afternoons - there's always little family picnics occurring, bbqs, and local sports societies seem to practice football/cricket/rounders here a lot which is great to watch! In a non-creepy way

After extensive repairs works to the paths the pool is now open again and what a good job the…read morecontractors have done.A very smooth path now runs around the back of the pool so no more trip hazards.the bridge has also been replaced with a much better one. All in all a fantastic job it's just a shame the idiots have already been in and thrown the life belts in the water.

A beautiful and huge park - one of the largest urban parks in the UK in fact. There are wild…read moreponies, free range cows and plenty of other wildlife you can spot at various times of the year. There are frequent ice cream vans dotted about near the scouts jamboree stone and lots of pay2ride bike docks around the edge of the park including e-bikes (run by beryl) in my experience the normal bikes are well maintained and not very expensive if you use them properly and dock them after each use - you get charged an extra fee if you leave it non-docked and another fee if you leave it outside the beryl zone but this is clearly demarcated in the beryl app. It's a beautiful place to go especially with family. The only detraction is that some of the paths and tracks are a bit muddy and unstable so if you're really having a hike like I do it's best to go in strong sturdy boots with good grip. There is an information centre located near the Sutton Coldfield town centre entrance of the park and a gym and swimming pool called wyndley right near the park. Fishing is allowed within certain seasons but you will need a licence and I'm not sure if there are any other requirements as I've not done it yet in this park. You will enjoy coming here, even in winter. Just bring appropriate clothing and shoes!

Henry VIII hunting ground, and the reason why Sutton received the royal charter since he had such a…read morefabulous time... It's bigger than most urban parks, and spans both further than you would expect, and less, as it goes on so much further than most city/town parks (you do genuinely get to points where you can here no traffic nor see no houses quite quickly), it almost makes it feel more like an estate park- which of course it is smaller than, but I'd probably say not by much for many. There are quite a few little pockets of the park, so you can take in as little or as much of it as you like. There is plenty of wildlife, pools, paths and impressive large trees in ancient woodlands. It tends to get quite busy, but it's large enough for you to never feel cramped, and people tend to cheerfully be saying good morning.