Shirley Park is in Shirley, Solihull, close to a shopping area that is becoming more popular with…read morepeople from outside the Shirley area. The park provides relief to the frantic high street and is ideal for a family picnic. There are a wide range of activities in the Park, including pitch and putt, and a range of events through out the summer months. The Donkey Derby is one of my favourites. It is a large outdoor summer fair with lots of animals to interact with I was lucky enough to speak to the parks warden and he told me the Park was originally home to farmland, which was bought up in 1927. At a later stage additional features were introduced which included an ornamental garden and formal walkways. A walk through the woods of the park is especially pleasant in spring when the bluebells produce a vivid array of colours. It is also possible to view wildfowl as the pond is used on a frequent basis by birds and wildlife. Play equipment includes: - Junior & toddler swings, Junior & toddler multi play, Senior & junior mound slide, Talking flowers, Horse springers, reveloution roundabout, play car and crazy mirrors. I grew up in the area as a child and have fond memories of this park, to the extent that I visit it most weeks.

I don't use the term 'hidden gem' often, many because it's such a cliche and rarely true in these…read moredays of vapid overstatement. However, in this case it is literally true. You might never know it exists unless you're a resident of the local patch. I've lived over this side of Birmingham for over ten years and only discovered its existence a few months ago. I found it because I was trying to find Playpod (a soft play area) off the Stratford Road and stumbled upon this park by accident. There's plenty of green space surrounded by trees where you can play football or use the tennis courts if team games aren't you're thing. It's a great place for a picnic too, even though it's surrounded by busy residential streets. The play ground has swings, climbing frames, various slides, those flowers that you can talk into, a roundabout, play car andfunny mirrors. Everything is in pretty good condition too. There's also a skate park and even pitch and putt (though you have to take your own clubs and balls if you want to play.) I don't remember seeing any toilets because for once we didn't need to use them, but I'm sure there must be some nearby. If you want snacks and drinks, the shops on the high street are a few minutes away.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Elmdon park is a mammoth of a park and when I am feeling in need of some nice fresh air and a long…read morewalk I park at the top end by the Land Rover and walk all the way down to the playground section and back again, it usually takes around an hour and it is an enjoyable walk - typical that the hill back to the car park is fairly steep so don't over do it on the walk! Has events during the warmer months and within the last few years I have attended an Easter Egg hunt which took you on a walk around the park searching for letters to receive a creme egg for the kids who took part as well as a fun day where they had some bouncy slides which you had to pay £1-£1.50 to use

Wonderful open space in South Birmingham…read more Now an Active Park where you will find free activities for all provided.

Get that fleece on and the wellies that you haven't worn since festival season this place is a dog…read morewalkers dream. There a bigger fields here as well as smaller pathways along the many streams and waterways that run through the area. If you really fancy a longer walk the Dingles leads into Sarehole Mill and Moseley Bog, both are really beautiful and make you feel like you have left the city all together! The only thing I will say is if you have two mental dogs like I do .....have a lot of towels ready. They both came back muddy and soaking. All of the fields around here are regularly pretty turned over and water logged.

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!

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.