The West Midlands might not have the sheer scale and wonder of Snowdonia, The Lakes or Scotland but there are still some pretty good places to spend a couple of hours to a day walking. Even though I already spend a lot of my time outdoors, I still make an effort to get out for a weekend walk every now and then. Without time pressures and responsibilities, it is a way for me to shake off the stresses of the week, get some exercises and even practice skills such as navigation and plant identification. With company, a walk is also a great way to catch up and spend some quality time together whether it is with a partner or a friend or two. So with all that said, here are my top 3 favourite places to go walking in the West Midlands.
3. Sutton Park
Now Sutton Park is not what I would call the quietest or most wild of places to go for a wander, but for me the convenience of being within a 20 minute drive is hard to beat for those days where we can’t be out for hours. This park can get quite busy but it is possible to find quieter tucked away sections. I usually avoid the Town Gate area by the visitor centre as it is usually the busiest and instead come in from Banner’s Gate on the Southwest corner. My usual loop is a wander through the western Sweet Chestnut woodlands, heading north along the Roman road through the golf course, crossing over the railway line into the Birch woods in the north and then coming back via the lakes and then the heathland in the centre.
The diversity of habitat and the occasional sighting of the park ponies and cattle, makes Sutton Park an enjoyable walk most of the year. Sutton Park is also a great place to learn to navigate by map and compass as you can never end up too far in the wrong direction and the twisted path routes will challenge your ability to follow a bearing.
In summary, a great spot for a half-day outing and picnic within an easy drive of most of Birmingham.
2. THe Wyre Forest
Number two on my list is The Wyre Forest, if you really like woodland walks this is definitely going to be the place for you. With over 3,000 acres of woodland it is pretty easy to spend several hours just wandering through the woods. If you start at the visitor centre at the south end of the forest, you will likely find it very busy. However, the people density declines the further you get away from the car park and the area north of the Route 45 of the National Cycle Network (which handily divides the forest into north and south), is very peaceful.
Tree and plant ID is a really great skill to practice here as you got a very good variety of different woodland patches from conifer stands to ancient oak woodland. In general, I would say the Wyre Forest is a good walk if you are aiming to be on the move a lot as it does get decently cool in the shade for picnicking.
In summary, beautiful forest walks without too many people.
1. Cannock Chase
For me, without a doubt, Cannock Chase is the closest thing to wilderness that the West Midlands has. The scale of the reserve means that you can easily spend several hours walking at a decent pace and with the hilly nature of the landscape you can build some good strength for more mountainous walks. With a mixture of coniferous woodland, patches of birch and even some oak, as well as hills of heather, it’s hard too get bored. Come autumn, this is also one of the best places to pick bilberries with plentiful patches tucked away across Cannock Chase. There are definitely busier areas in Cannock Chase and the area does attract a significant number of people, particularly mountain bikers. However, people tend to be concentrated around the main visitor centre and a few key mountain biking trails, so there are still plenty of places to get away from the crowds and it is rare to feel overcrowded.
In summary, Cannock Chase is great for a full day out and as a way to get fit for adventures further afield. It’s also big enough to get some good navigation practice in and there are plenty of other opportunities for developing other skills such as foraging and tracking.