Birmingham Outdoor Adventures: Top 5 Activities & Spots

Birmingham, a city that’s basically recognized more for its industrial heritage than, say, breathtaking nature, actually holds some totally sweet spots for folks who enjoy the great outdoors; yeah, it’s almost a kind of unexpected secret. From relaxing parks to thrilling trails, you might find there’s genuinely an outdoor escape waiting around pretty much every corner for those wanting a breath of fresh air and, like, maybe a change of scenery. So, get ready to discover what Birmingham has to offer those of us itching to leave those walls behind.

1. Cannon Hill Park: The All-rounder

Cannon Hill Park, like, feels very much as if somebody dropped a whole countryside vibe smack-dab in the middle of the city. So, yeah, it spreads out over, like, 80 acres, which tends to give folks a bunch of space for just about everything. That is, you might fancy a relaxed picnic, you could hire a swan pedalo (that’s right!), or perhaps go to the Midlands Art Centre (MAC) for something a bit more artsy, the place actually feels like there’s something for everyone. As I was saying, there’s this sort of chill atmosphere there too that I really fancy, whether you’re with family, some mates, or even if you’re flying solo, that is because the park definitely gives good vibes only.

Thinking back, I remember one time a few summers ago when my kids, well, they wanted to test out every single playground thingy Cannon Hill had on offer, which took pretty much a whole afternoon; yup, a full afternoon. Afterwards, we stopped by the lake and grabbed ice cream, which arguably tasted all the sweeter given how pooped everyone basically felt. Now that’s the type of thing you can sort of rely on Cannon Hill Park for – a proper lovely day out where memories, they get properly created just as much as the ice cream gets munched. As a matter of fact, talking of memories, Cannon Hill hosts so many different outdoor events and little festivals throughout the year, there’s almost always something worth rocking up for if you have a cheeky scout about ahead of time.

2. Lickey Hills Country Park: Views and Vastness

If you, say, enjoy stretching your legs and getting a knockout panoramic view thrown in, then Lickey Hills Country Park could be just the place. It covers a whole bunch of different terrain – you know, bits of woodland, heathland and grassland – and that actually tends to make it brilliant for hikes. I mean you can properly blow off some cobwebs while soaking up the scenery from the very top. By the way, for geography nerds (I almost fit in this group, haha), these hills actually boast various rock formations going all the way back to way before even dinosaurs walked the earth – how crazy is that?

I remember talking to someone once, just some casual hiker bloke I bumped into while catching my breath, and that bloke, well, he swore you could view as many as thirteen counties from the top on, like, a really really crisp day. Clearly, whether or not his claim is one-hundred per cent true I’m not actually sure, that is, yet that view certainly doesn’t mess about. It’s basically proper lush. Apparently, loads of peeps rate Lickey Hills as basically a good shout for a day out with the dog too, owing to all of those trails going all over the gaff, which actually sounds very ideal to me, at the end of the day. Good boy indeed.

3. Birmingham Botanical Gardens: A Green Escape

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, to be honest, it’s basically a Victorian paradise set over 15 acres and, like, a complete balm for the soul if the whole big city living tends to grind your gears now and then. As a matter of fact, these gardens feature four different greenhouses that, too it’s almost as if they throw you into very, very different tropical or subtropical climes. That’s to say that from the arid Desert House through to the tropical Rainforest House, you actually don’t really have to book any crazy plane tickets just to experience some very, very distinct foliage. Basically, it has to be seen, in person, to be believed.

You know, I recall visiting some years back, shortly after they put on this collection from a famous local sculptor; very impressive work indeed. Not only were the plants blooming with colours just dancing about all over the gaff, but the artworks basically added yet another level to it all, that is what I thought anyway, at the end of the day. Apparently there’s always something happening in those gardens too, such as outdoor theatre performances, and workshops teaching about botany as well as sustainability; that actually means the spot might be somewhere that keeps you on your toes. To be honest, those gardens they might just be what Birmingham has always wanted, a very, very, lovely green lung right in its centre.

4. Sutton Park: Urban Wilderness

Sutton Park basically makes that list given it’s considered one of the very hugest urban parks in the whole of Europe – yeah, that’s actually the same size as, like, a pretty small town; nuts, basically! Actually you can bet your bottom dollar there are loads of different terrains to properly pick at, that is you might find forests, heaths, wetlands, or pools to wander around when you have those boots on, so it almost makes you appreciate getting a very proper step count up and clocking off loads of those miles, too.

My family basically attempted to do the round trip on foot not so long ago and trust me on this, even though that scenery arguably made things very lovely and worth it, yet our tootsies very, very quickly threw a full-on paddy and started sending painful text messages to our brains telling us enough was enough, LOL. That is until we, quite naturally, decided to, like, throw in the towel and head back – still, at least we clocked up, I reckon, about two-thirds of that thing so maybe next time it won’t quite get us! I feel it should also be noted here too, there’s plenty of wildlife flapping and skittering about all over Sutton Park, it’s almost perfect if you and your littl’uns are kinda into seeing nature’s crazy cute side up close and proper personally.

5. Woodgate Valley Country Park: Hidden Gem

Woodgate Valley Country Park basically lives to the west of Birmingham’s gaff, plus it can actually boast over 450 acres of super greenery; almost makes you think it could pass as something like, you know, one of those countryside escape things. It is home to this very massive variety of wildlife too, I heard at one point, this kind of random bloke was saying Woodgate Valley could now be the one responsible for keeping rare birds well protected; that actually makes a bit of sense as the area it, naturally, is a good haven for so much native wildlife.

If you just very casually wanted somewhere that boasts some walking trails as well as bridle paths alongside a whole bunch of spots you could use to picnic very easily, well Woodgate Valley probably sits proudly at the peak of some pile somewhere; like, I’m telling ya, the place isn’t messed about with much, alright. You almost might even peep one or two horses getting put through their paces round Woodgate stables if you pick the right weekend. Anyway as a family, we’re almost set to visit Woodgate stables here shortly just to test out their claim of being proper lovely; sounds alright, to me.