Living in a flat means that, unless I sit on the car park, my outdoors dining options are zero…read more That's why I'm a huge fan of Haden Hill Park. It is my nearest park and where I tend to head with my picnic basket as soon as the weather gets warm and sunny. Haden Hill Park slopes down towards Halesowen from the Old Hill entrance on Barrs Road. It has a bowling green, tennis courts and a good playground for children. There's normally an ice cream van on the car park, ideal for grabbing the obligatory Calippo or Cider Refresher. The top part of the park is landscaped, with formal gardens for Haden Hill House. But as you walk downward, everything gets a bit wild, with overgrown ferns and towering trees. You can have quite an invigorating walk around the place and it feels like you've been out in the countryside.

Living only a 5 minute drive from Haden Hill Park has its perks. Not only are we allowed to head…read moredown if we fancy a chilled afternoon in this surprisingly nice weather (jinx) but we are also able to take out 11 year old Labrador down for a stroll. The picaresque park is great for a kickabout amongst friends or a romantic picnic for two. My friends and I have been visiting the park, kicking a ball about there for years and consider it one of our favourite spots to meet up as a group. The higher end of the park has a tennis court, which admittedly over the years has become less and less appealing due to weathering etc, a basketball court and Haden Hill House, worth a visit if you've never been. Fingers crossed the weather remains as it has been over the past week or so and Haden Hill could be in for an invasion this summer. Overall, I would definitely recommend a trip to the park, providing the weather is half decent, the park can he the basis of a great day out for friends families and even couples.

Since getting a dog we are always looking for dog friendly places and Himley Halls grounds are…read moreperfect! They have parking (£1.80 all day), Golf course & hire, cafe, toilets and even water bowls for the thirsty doggies. Beautiful walks and even got a stream you can trek along. The food in the cafe is basic but good. My only criticism was the toilets where closed so we had quite a walk to get to the other toilets located by the hall. My mom has trouble getting around and nearly had to go in the bushes lol. Thankfully we got there in time! Overall great place for anyone who likes a good trek and ideal for dog owners.

Located in the old grounds of Himley Hall which was the home of the Earl of Dudley . Theres…read moreopenland , woods , fishing lake and a public golf course . They have many big events here such as the usual bonfire night but also music events , wedding fairs etc .

Leasowes park and woodland covers over 140 acres, including the Halesowen Golf Club. The Leasowes…read morePark is one of the most beautiful natural landscapes i have seen. They have also been designed by a poet from the 18th century called William Shenstone (if your interested in history). The area consist of wooded hillsides, scenic grasslands and small lakes and streams. Free parking is available at the Leasowes Lane entrance. It's natural and in areas very wild, isolated and utterly without basic facilities. But having said that its great for getting back to basics for a proper old school adventure! Spend the day hiking, have a mini beast finding safari, or have the hide and seek tournament of your lives... there is lots of fun to be had here! This public space is a great bit of wilderness in a heavily industrialised area. A great place to come to escape from it all. A much used and loved place for family recreation, couples, friends alike. There are a few must see features to find like the bridge over the water feature, this place is great as you'll find nothing but green here. it truly is Lovely!

This is a lovely and green parkland located just away from Halesowen town centre. It was landscaped…read moreto closely resemble the natural environment, so there are lots of trees and winding pathways to help you explore the sizeable (143 acre) space. There is a fishing pond with a well-trodden path that takes about 20 minutes to walk around. It is a pleasant stroll through the woodland up to the golf course. The main problem is accessing the park by car as it can only be reached from the downhill carriageway of Mucklow's Hill.

This is an area of mainly woodland concentrated on the old limestone workings that fed the iron…read moreworkings of the Black Country . The views off the top are amazing particulary at night . The place is famous for the Seven Sisters Caverns and the wealth of fossils that have been dug from the Silurian Limestone . The place is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is designated a Geological Nature Reserve but theres loads of wildlife too.

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!

This is where I go to build snowmen when it has been snowing. As opposed to, you know, when it has…read morebeen raining. It is a big expanse of flat green grass sandwiched between the railway line, a mosque, an industrial estate and rows of terraced housing. It isn't anything special, unless you really like grass. There are some football pitches and I'm pretty certain that they have Sunday league games here or something along those lines. It isn't a park I'd visit to have a picnic or sunbathe, but I would probably head there to walk my dog (if I had one).

I spent a lot of time here when I was a kid, so I tend to get warm and fuzzy about the place…read more The park is massive, especially when you factor in the farm area and the adjoining Valley Country Park. Its proximity to the motorway and sprawl of West Brom make the park even more impressive. There is a large kids play area, with some really cool rides and climbing frames. It gets really busy on sunny days. If you want something quieter, you can take a walk around the large duck pond or fishing lakes. There is an outdoor gym for grown ups, as well as a climbing wall and basketball courts. There is an impressive entrance gate and war memorial located towards the top of the park. The Sandwell Community Show is held on the nearby showground every August Bank Holiday. It is always a blast, full of good, clean family fun.

Dartmouth Park is one of the nicest green spaces for families and everyone to go to…read more Located in West Bromwich, and about 25mins driving from the city, it's great to just go for a walk here, or kick a ball about with friends. There is a huge lake, which is nice to walk round on a lovely summer's day, and plenty of green space so that you don't feel all crammed in like sardines. I kick a ball round here with a couple of friends once a month, and it's one of the nicest places in West Brom. Kids also have a large play area with swings and facilities suited for young small children. A great event every year is the bonfire display during guy forks night. It's super for families, free to get in, and lots of entertainment and food on the fields surrounding areas. I'd recommend visiting to anyone, if you can't make the fireworks and bonfire spectacular, then a stroll or footie game here is well worth it.

I'll admit when I went to explore Barnford Hill Park, I was already mentally preparing a sneering…read moredismissal of a little bit of grass with the word 'park' tagged rather patronisingly onto it. Therefore I'm very pleased to write instead that Barnford Hill Park is a great place that I never even knew was on my doorstep! The place looks tiny from the road but is actually huge and boasts a cricket pitch, two playgrounds, a basketball court, some well-tended gardens and plenty of grass. Perhaps the best thing about the place however is the keep-fit equipment dotted along the paths. It's a bit like a free outdoor gym, with steel walkers, rowing machines, balance beams and various other equipment to help you get in shape. As I strolled round the Tuesday morning drizzle, I was amazed at how such a comparatively big place is so well secreted behind some houses. Next sunny day that comes along, I'll be down there with my bathing towel, book and gym headband.

Read about the 1953 Coronation Cup football tournament held at Barnford Hill Park in Alan Ahlberg's…read morebook 'The Boyhood of Burglar Bill' p37 onwards. Brilliant book about growing up in 1950s Oldbury.

Mary MacArthur is one of my all time heroes. She led the women chainmakers strike of 1910 that…read moreresulted in the introduction of a minimum wage and improved working conditions. Most people now equate Cradley Heath with "big Tesco", but few people know that the town played a huge part in the history of feminism and trade unions. Mary MacArthur was a pretty cool lady. And that's why this park is named after her. This lovely grassy space is just around the corner from Cradley Heath Train Station. There is a children's playground, a football pitch and a soon to be completed monument to Mary by local artist Luke Perry. The park is used for all sorts of community events and fairs, including the annual Women Chainmakers Festival. The 2012 festival will be taking place on Saturday 9th June.

We took our dog here last weekend following the recommendations here on Yelp. I've lived in…read moreBirmingham for 14 years and didn't even know the place existed despite having driven past it many times! Wow. What a place. The fist thing that struck me was how big it is for saying that I never knew it was there. A huge open golf course area (which is not your usual fancy pants golf club - dog walkers were very welcome), a children's play area and a beautiful wooded area. There is also a cafe but we didn't try that out. The paths are well kept and there are many dog waste bins. I didn't spot any dog mess on the ground - clearly it's a park for well behaved dog owners!! I was also struck by how well kept it is. The people who care for the park obviously take great pride in the park. There are some lovely sculptures and boards showing the history of the park. Absolutely loved it and it's now on our regular dog walking rota! I've deducted one point because the car park is tiny - we visited in February and it was very full so I imagine that in summer it's a nightmare. It did look as though there would be decent street parking around re area though.

This park has an active team who organise a great deal of activities year round. Their latest event…read moreis a tree walk and talk by Chris Shortis. Chris is a local resident and an expert when it comes to the many variety of trees in Warley Woods. We may take trees for granted but after one of Chris's walk and talk events you'll be forever hugging trees everywhere and telling them just how fabulous they are. A learn how to identify birds walk and talk by Liz Coleman who's an RSPB volunteer will get you twitching like crazy, you'll be amazed just how many birds we have flying about us. or you could just use the park to have a wander. It's 100 acres, about 4 miles from the city centre, offers free parking and is another of Birmingham's fantastic retreats.