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!

Edgbaston Resorvoir is another of those urban idyls that take away the sometimes claustrophobic…read morefeelings of city living. Looking out over the flat waterway can be an incredibly calming feeling, and sometimes even dramatic if the wind is up. A walk around the resorvoir is a good way to get an idea of it's size and allows you to really take in it's serene beauty. The footpath is frequented by dog walkers, joggers and people just out on a stroll. Whether you're out to burn off calories or just fancy sitting and watching the world go by, Edgbaston Resorvoir offers a scenic setting in which to ponder the greater mysteries of life or simply stare out over the water.

There's two miles of pathway around the reservoir making it a popular place for joggers,…read moredog-walkers and people out for a gentle stroll. This is a fabulous facility that I've used over the years. Sadly, these days I feel it's under used. I remember when each weekend there was something going on, on the water. These days, however, to see a single boat on the lake is a rarity. That said, it's home to The Midland Sailing Club and Sea Cadet Centre and The Birmingham Rowing Club. It's still one of my favourite places to relax. The council and ranger service do a great job with its upkeep. It's also a popular place for fishing. It's a stones throw from Birmingham city centre and parking is free. It could do with a cafe actually within the reservoir but there is one just at the entrance.

Whilst scouring Google maps for a 5k route to run, I spotted a patch of blue surrounded by…read moregreenery. I thought I would pay it a wee visit. Merecroft Pool, is a very tranquil and hidden spot in the Kings Norton area. Whilst it's not huge, I found myself sitting for over an hour looking across the water. It's hard to believe that in the middle of the suburbs that a little gem like this is right on my doorstep. Pay it a visit, a nice spot to clear your head and have a relaxing "you" hour.

Pages From Ceefax Elcardo Song Birmingham England UK Care Bears Brave Heart Gets Pregnant 1988read more

I dont remember Cannon Hill park being so beautiful! Visited here recently as part of a food…read morefestival and was taken back by just how lovely the place is! Now my lack of realisation was probably due to the fact I was trying to avoid being bitten by the aggressive ducks that used to roll round the pond like a carte when I was a child.....but i was young.....and about half the size so they seemed a lot more intimidating at the time. I am happy to confirm I walked past them with ease this time around and had more time to enjoy the picturesque surroundings! The park is pretty huge and boasts a nice pond complete with fountain/water feature to impress even the Charlie Dimmock types....swan boats, a theatre, crazy golf and many walkways and paths to enjoy. Perfect for a day out with the kids....or to keep that inner child satisfied. You will find me here a fair bit over the summer I think....get me to the ice cream van...now!

Although this park is an arboretum, (that's a park with examples of different trees to you and me),…read morethe main reason why most come here is to give their suburban pooches some exercise. So, you'll find yourself chatting small talk with other dog owners as your canines get to meet each other. As the park doesn't have any facilities, it's a quiet park with enough space for everyone to play ball, picnic, or read. It's the main meeting place in the Winter for school kids and their families when schools are cancelled due to the white stuff, and you can get a good run down the hill near the High Street entrance with your sledge/skateboard with the wheels taken off/plastic bag, though my most extreme jaunt down the hill was at dusk at break-neck speed in a bath! Truly, a park for all seasons.

I'm reviewing this from a family friendly perspective, so if this isn't your thing, check out the…read moreother reviews instead. Highbury is a great park for taking the children to. Plenty of tarmac paths for bikes and scooters, plus loads of wide open spaces for football etc. The play area is lovely and very similar to the style of the new one in Canon Hill Park, but much smaller. It's inventive and interactive which is brilliant for imaginative games. My daughter especially loves the sculpted ridge at the back as it's great fun to tear round and have adventures on. One of my favourite things is to take along some bread, feed the ducks and walk round to the bit up by Moor Green Lane and Yew Tree Road. It's a little adventure haven and even better now the rangers have created new pathways to explore. There are also bee hives not far from the duck pond, which is really cool. Some of my favourite trees are in this park. Really lovely. If you're in need of refreshments, then there's a Costcutter not far from the main entrance on the High Street or Co-Op on Dad's Lane. Both of which are a little walk out of the park. There aren't any toilets, so it's as nature intended or crossed legs.

Swanshurst Park is, to me, one of Birmingham's best parks. For these reasons:…read more 1) There are not one, but two large pools. A lot of parks in this neck of the woods are sadly lacking in water features, and Swanshurst has two. The larger of the two - Moseley Pool - is really beautiful, and surrounded, when I went there last week, with brilliant Spring flowers. It's an important site for various wildfowl too. 2) There is a car park. A good sized, easy accessible, free car park 3) There is a children's play area. This is near the car park so a) little legs don't have to walk far and b) if you fancy a more 'adult' stroll it's easy to get away into the wide yonder, beyond the shrieks of children. 4) It has a lovely combination of wide expanse and heath type landscapes, so you get that relieving feeling of space but there are also little pockets of heath to explore. For me, the greatest thing that this park offers is that expansive sense of space - much welcomed amongst the suburbs of south Birmingham.

People often say that birmingham lacks green space and is some sort of concrete…read morejungle......wrong....I actually have no idea where people get this stuff! Yet another great park space for walking yourself or the dogs, picnics in the warmer months, cycling or that outdoor meditation vibe you saw on YouTube and Connor wait to try. This is not one of those destination parks where I would say travel from far and wide to marvel at its beauty......more a local vibe that gives the area a little something more than just grey and dull suburban vibes.

Visited Handsworth Carnival here for a few hours on Saturday afternoon and was surprised just how…read moremuch the event has changed! Gone are the days of jerk chicken being served on every street corner and road blocks caused by giant sound systems....now this is an alltoether more tame experience....even family fun. The event was previously free and the organisers have also started charging £5 in. There is a festival style stage with a few stalls but overall I was pretty unimpressed with both the quality of the site and also the lack of diversity with the musical offerings. It was nice to eat some chicken in the sun with my brother and a mate but I think this will be the last year I go to Handsworth Carnival. Wait for Notting Hill......its stupidly good, huge and so much more interesting.

Despite getting international recognition through the widespread acclaim of reggae band Steel…read morePulse's album Handsworth Revolution in the late Seventies, much of the area can feel neglected, with investment going to other parts of the city. I am happy to report that Handsworth Park bucks that trend. A large, lush park with rolling hills and a big lake, vast amounts of effort and money has gone into restoring it in recent years, making it into one of the best parks in Birmingham. I got to know it through the Simmer Down Festival, a free, day long, outdoor event celebrating the local area's Caribbean heritage. I was not expecting to find such a beautiful park when I got there. There's a boathouse cafe with boats available for the sea worthy. There's also a leisure centre situated within the grounds and a children's play area so this is probably a good day out for families. Definitely recommended, and I hope this park eventually becomes as well known as it deserves to be.

With a pretty lake at it's centre, sloping grass verges and wildlife, it's easy to see why the…read moreparents of a prospective student would want their child to live here whilst studying. With many facilities on site such as a bar, restaurant and shop, there's not many reasons for students to leave, apart from to go to lectures of course. The village even has it's own one day music festival each year, the much loved Vale Fest. However, living in such attractive surroundings does not come cheaply, and in such destitute times, the Vale is going to be outside many students' budgets. The onsite Costcutter is also seen by many as being overpriced, which is particularly a problem when the local shops are quite a distance away. In conclusion, though the Vale is not without it's flaws, this is a nice place to live when doing your degree. As long as you can afford it...........

Having been to several other universities (both on open days and to visit friends) and sampled…read morenumerous different examples of university accommodation, I can with some degree of certainty see that the Vale is the nicest setting for student flats in the country. The main blocks of accommodation are all adjacent to, or indeed, actually part of, the Vale, an expansive stretch of park in the middle of the leafy area of Edgbaston (although even here it stands out as an exceptionally beautiful setting). Various trails wind in and out of various wooded areas, and the whole effect is set off by a huge lake, home of many birds, and, if you're lucky, you may get to see swans nesting and eventually having signets at the start of third term. It's a wonderful location, and really shows students apprehensive about Birmingham, possibly due to its reputation in parts as being something of a concrete jungle, that there's most definitely another side to it. The one downside to living on the Vale is that it when it's sunny, it's very hard to resist the temptation to stop working and go outside!

Grove Park is a medium-sized Victorian park in Harborne with a nice little lake, playground,…read morefields, and plenty of trees and flowers. It is absolutely beautiful year round and one of my favourite places to go toss a frisbee, or sit and watch the ducks. I pretty much always detour through the park on my way to Harborne High Street. It's never overrun with people, even in the summer months, and has fields that are great for dog walking, picnics, and playing sports. Grove Park has a few wide paved paths that leave plenty of room for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as some small hidden dirt paths. There are plenty of benches. Absolutely stunning foliage year round, buzzing with wildlife, and lots of little nooks to be explored.

Grove Park is situated in the South of the city just off Harborne Park Road - it's about a 5 minute…read morewalk from the top end of the High Street, one of two parks in the area and very close to the well regarded St Peter's junior and infant schools. As well as having a rather nice lake, several large fields that are ideal for dog walking (and at weekends often double up as football fields - jumpers for goalposts and all that) it hosts a popular children's play area, several nice benches where you can sit and admire the view and a recently restored lodge. The latter is a nod to 'The Grove' - previously the home of social reformer and Birmingham's first Member of Parliament, Thomas Attwood which stood in the grounds of what is now the park but was sadly demolished in the 60s.

One of Birmingham's lesser known parks, and all the better for it, if you ask me! We really are…read moreblessed / spoiled over in the south of the city when it comes to parks - there seems to be one every few hundred yards - from large, countryside-equse open spaces like Warley Woods and the Lickeys, to ornate urban parks like Cannon Hill Park. This place is a little of both - the large open space that dominates it provides a lovely respite from the bustle of Harborne, and the gardens that border it are well kept and a legacy of the park's Victorian roots. A great little park - much recommended!

Queens Park is one of Birmingham's best parks in my opinion, its very secluded and not very known…read moreabout and all the better for it! We don't have many great outdoor spaces in Harborne so its a great place for young children, teenagers and adults too. Its has a great open large space, people come here to play football, tennis (has 2 tennis courts), basketball (has a basketball court). Has a playground area for young children. Very popular with dog walkers, joggers and cyclists. Ive been here day and night and never had any trouble, the gardens are well kept and very pretty in every season. There is 2 car parks available on site which is free, space available for disabled vehicles too. A great little park!