Outdoors in Birmingham · parks, paths & countryside
Birmingham has more footpath per square kilometre than 8 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 1,388 km in the city and the kilometre around it, 4.2 for every square kilometre. 79% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Birmingham add up to 2.1 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Birmingham grades B− for the outdoors: #12 of 35 in West Midlands. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Birmingham’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by its historic parks.
Outdoors grade
Birmingham grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Birmingham, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B−
Better than 48% of UK towns#12 of 35 in West Midlands
Public green space2.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
48out of 100
A park within a walk79%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
45out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths4.2 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
84out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 100
Graded, never part of the overall grade (like History and Civic life). It measures what is mapped: OS Open Greenspace leaves out woodland and open-access land that isn’t a park, and OpenStreetMap’s rural paths are more complete in some places than others.
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Birmingham’s built-up area.
8 in 10 Birmingham residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (79%)Further (21%)
Birmingham79%
West Midlands towns77%
All UK towns83%
About 232,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 437 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 2,566 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Cannock Chase National Landscape is 9.1 mi away
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the built-up area; circle size shows each one’s area. National Landscapes were called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty until 2023.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
60 waymarked walks pass through or near Birmingham
1,388 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Birmingham and the kilometre around it, 4.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
RegionalLocal
North Worcestershire Path17.8 km
Birmingham Platinum Jubilee Walkway16.9 km
Grand Union Canal Walk14.0 km
Monarch's Way13.8 km
Rail Trail: Olton > Shirley12.7 km
Beacon Way10.8 km
Rail Trail: Marston Green Circular via Elmdon8.1 km
Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail7.5 km
Acocks Green Heritage Trail7.1 km
Smethwick Places of Worship Heritage Trail6.9 km
Rail Trail: Birmingham International > Marston Green6.5 km
Illey Way6.4 km
The Tame Way - Canal Route6.1 km
Revolution Walk6.0 km
Bourn Brook Walkway5.7 km
Handsworth & Lozells Places of Worship Heritage Trail4.5 km
Plus 44 more waymarked walks on the map.
Close to home, the Birmingham Platinum Jubilee Walkway has 17 km of local walk within 2 km of the city. 4 regional routes pass through, including the North Worcestershire Path, Grand Union Canal Walk, Monarch's Way and Beacon Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
15 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Birmingham’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Aston Park
22 ha. Part of Aston Hall, a registered historic park (Grade II). 4 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Aston Hall (Grade I).
IAston HallILodges Linked by Flanking Walls to East Front of Aston HallIStable Range to North of Northern Lodge, Aston HallIIAston War Memorial to the 8th Battalion, The Warwickshire Regiment
Registered · Grade II*Birmingham Botanical Gardens3.8 ha
Registered · Grade II*Cannon Hill Park27 haInside: Boer War Memorial, Cannon Hill Park and 5 more
Registered · Grade II*Castle Bromwich Hall7.2 ha
Registered · Grade II*Key Hill Cemetery3.1 ha
Registered · Grade IIBrandwood End Cemetery22 ha
Registered · Grade IIEdgbaston Hall48 ha
Registered · Grade IIGreat Barr Hall1.1 ha
Registered · Grade IIHandsworth Park (Formerly Victoria Park)27 ha
Registered · Grade IIHighbury Hall34 ha
Show 8 more
Registered · Grade IIThe Vale, Edgbaston17 ha
Registered · Grade IIWarstone Lane Cemetery3.0 ha
Registered · Grade IIWestbourne Road Town Gardens5.7 ha
Registered · Grade IIWinterbourne Botanic Garden3.1 ha
Registered · Grade IIWitton Cemetery42 ha
Listed buildings insideHandsworth ParkChurch of St Mary, Bandstand and Handsworth Park Lodge and gate piers to Hamstead Road and 1 more
Listed buildings insideThe Shire Country ParkBurnt mounds at Moseley Bog, 380m north east of Moseley New Pool, Sarehole Mill and Sparkhill United Church, Including Church Rooms to Rear and 16 more
Listed buildings insideSheldon Country ParkParish Church of St Giles and Old Rectory
Heritage walks
Grand Union Canal Walk 14.0 km Walk Smethwick Heritage Trail 7.5 km Acocks Green Heritage Trail 7.1 km Smethwick Places of Worship Heritage Trail 6.9 km The Tame Way - Canal Route 6.1 km
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Birmingham: May to September
The city’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
8.2
9.8
11.7
13.9
15.7
16.8
16.3
14.7
12.6
10.5
8.6
7.7
High (°C)
7
8
10
14
17
20
22
21
19
14
10
8
Rain (mm)
68
52
50
53
59
70
62
66
61
75
75
75
March is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 22 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 75 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Birmingham →
Things to do
24 viewpoints, 437 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Oldbury, 5.3 miles away, grades B−, the best next door: 68% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Birmingham
What is the biggest park in Birmingham?
Kingfisher, 287 ha (708 acres), with 26.9 km of path. Lickey Hills (213 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Birmingham near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Cannock Chase National Landscape, 9.1 mi north of the city’s edge. It covers 69 km² and was designated in 1958.
What are the best walks near Birmingham?
60 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the North Worcestershire Path, Birmingham Platinum Jubilee Walkway and Grand Union Canal Walk. Kingfisher alone has 26.9 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Birmingham?
library, 11 mi from the edge of the city. Birmingham itself is inland.
How many people in Birmingham live near a park?
79% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical UK town is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Birmingham?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Birmingham are historic?
Aston Hall (Grade II), Brandwood End Cemetery (Grade II), Edgbaston Hall (Grade II) and Great Barr Hall (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Birmingham good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.2 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 84% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 48% (2.1 ha per 1,000 residents).
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Birmingham’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Gillie Rhodes · CC BY-SA 2.0