5 Star all the way baby!…read more This place is amazing - everyone has to visit here once in their lifetime... Not sure why people have given less than 5 star ratings, very bizarre... oh wait, you have to pay to park... so what? It's worth it! The HOUSE: Go inside. Walk around and take a look at all the function rooms and the conservatory, it's amazing. It always takes my breath away each time I go in at the sheer splendour of the house. I always image what it must have been like to live here... it must have been just incredible. The house I should add, is now a hotel. And a posh hotel at that. Thinking of getting a cheap room? Think again! This place is high end baby! You need some cash to stay here let me tell you. But it's worth it if you have the money, the rooms are incredible. The PARK: The lake is a metropolis of beautiful migratory birds from all over the World. Families have been coming here to 'feed the ducks' since I was a kid running along with my bag of stale bread! It also gives a great view of the house from across the serene lake. The walks are long and in winter, quite muddy too. But it's nice to clear your head or just to get some fresh air and exercise. In Spring and Summer, the park just explodes with life and the wild flowers are incredible. There are also other more secluded parts to the park that are off the beaten track, you've just got to look at the map and get lost occasionally... FACILITIES: There's a good Cafe with hot meals, various activity centres inside the main building, toilets, information centre and quite often an ice cream van parked up too alongside the children adventure playground. It really is a fun day out for all the family. Check it out.

Coombe Country Park in Coventry is a beautiful, historical spot that isn't crowded or touristy…read more There's plenty of parking, and the scenery makes it perfect for romantic rainy-day strolls or sunny picnic dates. The park feels peaceful and well-kept, and it's a lovely place to relax and enjoy nature without the crowds.

Bournville Village Green is, of course, the centre of Pleasantville. Bournville itself is a model…read morevillage, so the village green is, naturally, the epicentre of all things quaint, leafy and civilised - with its little rows of Tudor-style shops, the church and the carillon... It's everything a village green ought to be really. It's a triangular-shaped green, which is perhaps a little odd, but beautifully kept and managed by the Bournville Village Trust, whose duty it is to keep all things Bournville in a typically olde-worlde and spick & span manner. The green, as well as offering a bit of green space (although Bournville has a decent amount of that) also hosts various events, such as the Bournville Village Festival, Jazz Festival and Christmas Carols - where local churches host residents, all singing together under a fairly impressive Christmas tree, accompanied by the famous carillon in the belltower at St. Francis' church: an instrument consisting of a number of bells that are played by a kind of keyboard, rather than being rung. All in all, a very old-fashioned and genteel sort of place - as you would expect from Bournville.

As I used to be a Bournville resident I would spend many hours sitting by the rest house (the small…read morehouse in the center that is a monument to George Cadbury) watching the people pleasantly wandering around and smell the chocolate cooking in the chocolate factory. As village greens go, Bournville's is perfect, surrounded by mock tudor shops, an art college, a primary school, a park, a church and of course the famous chocolate factory. The Bournville Trust do a great job of keeping the place clean and tidy and free from trouble, this certainly isn't Moseley Village with it's collection of local drunks. In fact, there are no pubs or off licenses allowed in Bournville so it would be tough for any drunks to crawl down there. You should definitely go down there around Christmas time, if it's snowing it is probably one of the most picturesque places in Birmingham. Regardless, it's a beautiful neighborhood to visit anyway. If you want bohemia go to Moseley village, if you want a more peaceful vibe and picturesque scenery Bournville is definitely the village to head to.

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.

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!

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!

If you're looking for the best views of Birmingham, Lickey Hills Country Park is the place you…read moreshould go! This very popular landscape, placed between Rednal and Barnt Green areas, is a 524 acres park with a visitor centre, golf, tennis and bowls and also a wonderful view provided from the top of the Beacon Hill, the highest point of Lickey Hills. It's a huge public space that is perfect for walkers not afraid of a bit of adventure and also families that can have a good use of its recreation park. There is a cafe nearby the recreation area and you may need some food and drinks after walking through the park. I have been to Lickey Hills with a group of very enthusiastic friends and I can tell that in the end of the journey to Beacon Hill we were all tired but happy because the perspective we have of some parts of Birmingham from that point is quite impressive. If you thinking about making some walking, make sure you have plenty of water and comfortable trainers to face this hilly walk. We had a lovely picnic up there and it was really a good idea to have some food to compensate all energy spent during the journey. We worth it! There is a free car parking at Lickey Hills. The bus number 62 service from the city centre and the Barn Green train station are the other options to get there.

I like Kings Heath park, it's got a lot going for it. First…read moreoff, it's a like a park of two halfs, oh and it's massive. It's like maybe two, three or even four parks in one. You've got the footpath that leads all the way around the park, which is popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists. This path will lead you from one of the three entrances right down to where the park edges alongside the trainline. How many miles this walkway is I don't know, but it's a good walk to take it all in. The path snakes in around the parks water feature which is really quite beautiful and is popular with ducks. There is also a tea room, tennis courts, a bowling green, basketball hoops, and two childrens playgrounds. This is a supreme park with large open grass spaces to boot. Kings Heath park is a great asset to the south of Birmingham and has a great deal to offer visitors.

Kings Heath park is absolutely huge. It's great to have picnics at, go for walks, have colour…read morefights (as my friends and I did ) , walk the dogs and even entertain the kids. Everytime I go there are always various clubs going on which is great to have something to occupy time with! Additionally, it has very quiet areas, especially by the pond , and I usually take work and do it there. It's a great park!

Having worked around St Paul's Square for the past 4 years, this Georgian square is one of the most…read moreprettiest parts of Birmingham's City Centre. Located in the historic Jewellery Quarter, the square itself is the only Georgian square left in Birmingham. With St Paul's Church located in the centre, the grounds make for a lovely green spot to take a picnic or catch some rays in the Summer time. It also looks gorgeous in the winter when topped with snow. It's also far less busy than other green spaces such as Birmingham Cathedral which can attract unwanted types. Their is the 24 Carrots market held here twice a year as well as live music from Birmingham's Jazz festival and I've even attended a film event at the church for Jameson's Cult Film club and seen live painting classes. Surrounding the church and it's ground the rest of the square is a mix of residential and commercial premises as well as a flourish of bars and restaurants. It's definitely a sought after area and one people pay a premium to live in and you can see why. This is a piece of Birmingham heritage that I'm proud to shout about.

Birmingham has loads of green public spaces (200 parks maintained by the Council) and areas close…read moreto the Centre, but this space is one of the better spaces in the Jewellery Quarter. It's technically a graveyard, but doesn't feel like one! In the summer it's filled with people reading, playing games and picnicking and over Winter it's full of sledgers and urban snowman makers ready for cold weather fun! With the background of the Church, it's a great place to take your lunch or just sit and while away some time enjoying the view. The area around the square has Coffee shops, bars, art galleries and restaurants. It's really easy to get to from the City Centre (a 5 minute walk) and is reasonably well signposted if you fancy an explore. It feels like the gateway to the Quarter, as from the square you can get straight to Caroline Street which is a haven for hairdressers, signmakers, spa's and deli's. A couple of great places which are just a stones throw away from the square are the RBSA Gallery and St Paul's Gallery (which showcases album cover artwork and all manner of interesting pieces). 3 times a year a community market is held on the space, so a good chance to buy locally produced food, crafts and goods while taking in the Church and meeting the residents of the area. St Paul's Square is well maintained and green all year round. If you feel like you need a little retreat from the bustling centre of town, this is a great place to chill and contemplate.

Moseley bog is a small natural wood in the south of the city that is perhaps most famous for its…read moreconnections to Tolkien who lived nearby and spent some of his childhood playing in the area. A few years ago this was quite a wild, abandoned and unloved looking place. However, since the release of Lord of the Rings, the establishment of the Middle Earth weekend and the support of local groups such as the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham Moseley Bog has taken on a bit of a transformation and the recent introduction of walk-ways make it an easier place to explore. You can access the bog via Yardley Wood Road or through Pensby Close and it's a lovely place to visit in the spring when blue-bells are out in force. Interesting fact - as well as being linked to Tolkien, it's said that a house next to the bog was once used by Birmingham based reggae band UB40 for some of their earlier recordings...

One of the curious things I've found about Birmingham is that for a city that has a reputation for…read morebeing ugly, it has a large number of areas of natural beauty hidden away. Moseley Bog is one of them. As the name suggests, it's an area of boggy woodland with plenty of nooks and cranies to poke about in. Though there's plenty of raised wooden pathways, it could still be hard work for those unsteady on their feet, with plenty of small hills and steps to negotiate. There's also plenty there for those for foragers on the hunt for wild foods. Get there at the right time in spring and you can come away with bags and bags of wild garlic. In conclusion, a great little escape from the pressures of city life.

Brindleyplace is one of my favourite areas of Birmingham city centre, it is home to a large number…read moreof restaurants, while also being pretty to walk around with the bridges and canals, it feels much more chill and laid back from the big city which it is a part of. It's within walking distance of New Street and the Bullring, or you can hop on the West Midlands Metro, which has a dedicated station for Brindeyplace following the Metro Expansion to Edgbaston. For coffee, you have the choice of Caffe Nero, Costa, or Pret A Manger, while the selection of bars and restaurants located here includes All Bar One, Cosy Club, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Turtle Bay, Wagamama and many others. On my most recent visit to Birmingham, I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, which is located within Brindley Place, my room had a pleasant view overlooking it. It's a fairly nice place in the city whether you're looking to walk around, hang out, grab a bite to eat or enjoy the nightlife.

If you've ever been to Birmingham you will know that it has more canals than Venice. I'll take…read moreBirmingham over Venice any day where you can enjoy the lovely Brummie accent. My gondolences to those who haven't had a chance to visit. A friend of mine has been putting off coming here for years because the streets are always flooded. Brindley Place is a quarter around the canals with plenty of cafes, pubs and restaurants and apartments. It has a nice modern design and you can walk down by the canal level or a level up crossing the canals over small pedestrian bridges. The water looks like a terrible quality. Someone needs to drag a long net through it to catch all the rubbish floating around. Most restaurants are chain restaurants, which seems to be the rule rather than exception these days. The one side of the canal quarter connects to the Mailbox mall. Quite a few house boats floating around where you can look straight into peoples bedrooms.