Me and Muggle (my little dog) love Barclay Park! According to the signage, this park was part of a…read moreprivate estate and Robert Barcley gave the land to Hoddesdon for the park. What a nice guy! The total area of the park is 18.3 acres and includes a walking trail, a pond, a children's play area and picnic tables. And it's beautiful! There's a gorgeous weeping willow near the pond and the footpath to the pond is lined with daffodils. There are always ducks and geese on the pond and there's a rarely a day that I don't see families feeding bread to the ducks. Barclay Park is a very popular place for dogs; we encounter many of them every time we take a trip there. There's lots of open space for dogs to run around and play and a creek for them to swim in.

If you have a few moments to spare and need a breath of fresh air why not go for a walk around…read moreBarnwood arboritum. Originally part of the landscaped grounds of the old Barnwood House Hospital (famous Gloucestershire poet Ivor Gurney was once a resident) there is a stream running through the park with ducks so dog owners please keep your dogs on a lead. Barnwood Arboretum buzzes with wildlife and the Friends of Barnwood Arboretumare busily creating habitats to encourage even more into their little wilderness. Birds visiting the space include sparrowhawks, jays, buzzards, various woodpeckers, goldcrests and kingfishers During the autumn and winter months the area is grazed by rare breed sheep to to mow the grass. For the more energectic the park is also home to a gym located in the church.

I went on a Sunday afternoon with my friend and his most adorable dog for a walk through Campbell…read morePark. It's a massive dog friendly park (any areas that aren't are very clearly marked) and has a lot of interesting aspects to explore. This isn't just your normal park as it also has a memorial and various art sculptures in the park plus we passed a small playground at one point all keeping for quite the interesting walk. My friend was telling me they used to have sheep grazing! I'm not sure if it was just the time of year I went or if they have been permanently removed, but no sheep were to be had in March. It's big on festivals in the summer apparently with a nice open air pavilion type theater outdoor area.

I have to say my family goes every year and we really enjoy ourselves. Yes the ground can get…read moreincredibly muddy and yes the vendor's are a bit expensive - we get over that by taking our own hot chocolate and chairs to sit down on. The atmosphere is fantastic, the kids love all the sounds, excitement and colours and that's even before the fire works start. It was a lovely display this year although it can get a bit smokey! And best of all - there's no entrance fee!

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 love spending a sunny afternoon walking my Emily around this beautiful park. Vast open spaces…read more Play area. Brook. Great for dog walkers. Pretty scenery. Enjoyable way to spend a few hours outdoors.

Another park I really like. It has lot's of facilities; rather good childrens play area, pitch and…read moreputt golf, orienteering course, stream, soon to be outdoor gym, flower beds that kids like to play hide and seek round, a nature wood that's sometimes open and mixed terrain for dog walkers. There's a carpark and often an ice cream van. You don't get any of the issues of Western Park (never been nearly run over by a motor bike here) and it's not as big. Some of the flower beds could do with abit of weeding but all in all a lovely park, go and take advantage, it's free (except the golf)

Lover's Walk is a very short walk from the top of South Road (near Redland Rail Station) to the…read morebottom of Fremantle Road. From this direction there is a fairly steep incline to the top and is roughly 300 metres in length. The walk starts from a bridge which crosses the train line into Redland Rail. From here a good view of the quaint station can be seen. As you continue upwards, Cotham Gardens can be viewed to your left. The walk upwards takes you through a long arch of Oak trees and Victorian black lamps which gives a real feel of the history behind the area. Lover's Walk was created in the late 1800's and although the original footpath has been replaced, the feel and atmosphere has most definitely been retained. The walk is especially lovely in autumn when the oak trees leaves are underfoot creating a long golden carpet. The area is immaculately looked after, with never any litter or dog mess. Although only short, Lover's Walk is really quite lovely.

Mile End Park might be London's most underrated park. Completely unbeknownst to tourists who…read moremainly beeline to West End parks, this East London park is a slender 79-acre strip of fabulous modern design, gardens, lakes, and culture/leisure centres along the beautiful Regent's Canal. It's a low-key local gem just across the street from the more popular, sprawling Victoria Park. In my Top 5 Parks along with Regent's and Hampstead Heath

I really love Mile End Park on a quiet day (when the weather is rubbish, hah :)) - there's plenty…read moreof space and I keep discovering new bits I haven't ventured to yet. There is the 'Eco Pavilion' which overlooks a few ponds. Several areas of trees/wildflowers. Close proximity and easy access to Regent's Canal, where one can take a nice walk down to Victoria Park or the Hertford Union Canal. If you're thirsty there's a cafe, and if you fancy a beer the Palm Tree pub is close by. The couple of downsides are that 1) it's never closed and there are sometimes some street drinkers/groups of drunk people inhabiting certain areas and 2) It's next to two very busy roads.

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

Pascale is friendly and reliable with a genuine care for your pets. I'm glad to have found a new…read moresitter having just moved to the St. Albans area.

We've posted this in one or two places now because we were really impressed! : ) While we took a…read moreweek's holiday at Christmas 2012 we left our two lop bunnies with Holiday Burrows and we were really impressed. A pretty farmhouse with lots of clean sturdy hutches, we felt very reassured when we greeted the wellington-clad Sam who came across as a very responsible young man, an animal carer and general outdoorsy-type. With robust runs on their lusciously grassy lawn (wish ours still looked like that!) and tonnes of fresh hay grown on the farm (we bought some to take home a bargain), our bunnohs had plenty to eat and do and were clearly in great spirits when we collected them. My husband and I will definitely be bringing our rabbits back to Holiday Burrows when we next go away. Feel free to Facebook @Kate La Pin and @Geoff Lettuce to ask them what they thought of their stay.