I always get confused about where to park when approaching Solihull town centre. We'll sometimes…read moreend up on this multi-storey and other times end up parked somewhere over the other side of town. How it happens is all an exciting mystery. The intention is always to park on Touchwood as I find it (rightly) offers easiest access to the prime shopping spots. It is a modern and well-maintained car park, in keeping with the modern and well-maintained mall that it serves. The car park has 1,700 parking spaces so it tends to fairly stress free to find a space. Parking bays are good and wide so you won't find yourself struggling to get the car doors open. Mon-Sat rates go from £1.20 for up to one hour to £15.00 for 24hours. Sundays offer good value with three hours plus for just £4.00.

This carpark is a well designed and in a great location, really spacious and easy to navigate…read more. Alot of places use smaller parking bays to cram more cars in; but this one has quite wide bays. The position is close to the center of town and close to the shopping centre. Rates are around 2 quid for an hour and 15 quid for all day, pay and display layout and im pretty sure you can pay on card too via phone.

I tend to use the John Lewis car park in Solihull as it is located centrally. This one is just a…read morefew minutes walk away from the centre but still close enough to go anywhere in Solihull. It is around the same price as the other car parks and it is a lot bigger than many of the other ones. I usually park here at Christmas as getting out of John Lewis when it is really busy can take ages, where as this one seems quick to get out of.

Touchwood Shopping Centre might not be the largest shopping centre, but it's a pretty cool place,…read morewith a good number of brands, making it excellent for a small town like Solihull, meaning people can shop without making the short trip into Birmingham. It can be easily accessed via public transport, with many buses stopping right outside and Solihull Railway Station a short walk away, I do find the buses can be confusing if you don't know where you're going, due to the many different stops even to the same destination (Some buses to Birmingham take longer than others for example) Brands located here include Apple, Footasylum, JD, Nespresso and Lush. There is also a large John Lewis store here, which is all the more useful after their Grand Central location closed. This also features a Joe and the Juice. Food and beverage locations within the mall include Joe and the Juice, TGI Friday's, Nando's, Starbucks, Pizza Express and Wagamama. Most of the shops are on the Ground Level, while the restaurants seem to be on the upper level, there are exemptions to this rule, for example, Starbucks is on the Ground Level. I did like the contrast of the modern and older parts of the mall, I did find a lack of lifts/staff around the centre to be a slight problem. 4*

A very poor experience today!…read more I found myself with 45 minutes to spare in Solihull before my meeting so I walked into the town centre and into Touchwood to take some photos to share with you here and on twitter for my 100 Days of Birmingham photos. I took a portrait photo of the closest shopping arcade and then turned my camera to take a landscape photo. A security guard walked up to me and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was taking photos to share of the shopping arcade on twitter and he told me that I was not allowed to take photos. Ironic since there are already 12 photos on here. He suggested that I was taking photos of the people in the shopping centre which wasn't the case. He then asked me to DELETE my photos. I tweeted from BrumHour's twitter account about my experience and received a reply back that said they can ask people not to take photos. As its private property they are well within their rights to do so.

A centrally located multi storey car park in the heart of Brum city centre, with the car park being…read moreclosely situated to the Mailbox and Town Hall. This is my car park of choice when visiting the city, simply because it is cheaper than its neighbouring car parks and there are always spaces available. The charges are reasonable too charging customers £3.40 for three hours and £3 after 6pm as long as you are out by 2am. On Sundays it's a mere £3 all day - bargain! Car park operates 24 hours too! Result!

There is always space at this car park, right in the centre and just far enough to be forgotten…read moreabout by people picking a car park to head too. Its big and ugly but it does the job ok, navigation is simple and its right on top of the mailbox so its nice when dining out. Parking can range from £3-£6 for a few hours or a days parking on sunday for £3.00. Bit of a walk from the Bullring but worth it if you want to dodge the rush.

This used to be a great car park. Past tense! I discovered today that they've only gone and made…read moreit into a pay and display. In the past I used this car park regularly when I didn't know how long I was going to be. Now there is no point! The car park is a good one. I found a space easily, maybe everyone has gone elsewhere, but I had real trouble working out how and what to pay. That's because the charges were behind me as I stood at the payment machine! An old dear had to help me for goodness sake! This seems to be a money making move on the part of Solihull Council. I over paid today (£4 for 4 hours) as I couldn't guarantee when my appointments in Solihull would be finished by. I'm not parking here again. Unless they change their stance and revert back to the old 'pay before you leave system.'

Funny one, I know. Reviewing a car park. Bit nerdy too. But ever the practical person that I am…read moreand also never one to miss out on best value I'm passing on my tip for parking. I realise it's also a chain, but this car park is very handy and much better value than many others In the area. If you go to the cinema on Broad street you get up to 3 hours free, which is very handy indeed. It's never been full whenever we've been, even when others nearby have been. You pay on leaving, so don't need to rummage round the car trying to find any loose change either. Even at Christmas time I have always managed to find a parking place. Don't use the lifts here though, someone I used to work with got stuck in one once and the emergency button didn't work. They had to call their office to get someone to contact euro parks for help!

A handy car park that is located just around the corner from the Five Ways Cineworld cinema…read more What's even more handier is that you get free car parking for three hours, after watching your film - bonus! Just get your ticket validated inside the cinema.

West orchards car park is a large car park in the city centre!…read moreIts accessible from one of two different ways. However since the new ikea has been built traffic flow problems are more than apparent. Usually cuasing long queues to get in. Once in you have 5 levels to choose from. Once parked you leave the carpark and come out inside west orchards itself. Each exit door having a pay machine for when you return. This is very convenient! Exiting the car park could be made easier as there are two lanes which immediately merge into one after the barrier raises. There is no real right of way. SO a bit of give and take is required here. If you parked on the highest level you can havea bit of fun on the way down the spiral decent. If your anything like my uncle passengers are usually stuck to the far side of the car due to the force at which you go round. Quite funny really.LOL Good car park with reasonable charges too. But if your too long like in any car park it can sting your wallet!

A safe carpark, and average prices. It's pay on exit which is handy as you dont have a time limit…read more Plenty of spaces on lots on under-cover floors. All the doors lead straight to the main shopping centre in Coventry. The spiral entrance is also fun for everyone in the car, and used to be the highlight of my visit to town when I was little!

An ideal place to leave your car if you're on a shopping trip to the town as it's just across the…read moreroad from one of the main shopping areas. All on one level, it's very large but can sometimes be difficult to find a space at busy times. Charges (Mon-Sat 9-5pm): 2 hrs 80p 3 hrs £1.30 4 hrs £1.80 24 hrs £3.50 It's free for disabled badge holders in any bay (though there are 11 designated spaces) and free for bikes as well in approved areas only. A season ticket is available. There are no toilets. Within the car park there is a recycling centre for glass, tetrapaks, paper and magazines and is accessible 365 days of the year (unmanned). A funfair takes place in this car park twice a year so (presumably) you will not be able to park there at those times!