Church Gresley

Sutton Park National Nature Reserve

Little Aston · 18 miles

Spanning more than 2,200 acres of heath, wetland and ancient woodland, Sutton Park National Nature Reserve lies on the edge of Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, close to the Little Aston area of the West Midlands. Managed by Birmingham City Council since its designation as a nature reserve in 1997, the site offers unrestricted public entry and permits dogs throughout the grounds. Visitors can wander among seven lakes, explore a network of trails suitable for dog walking, pony trekking, mountain biking and kite-flying, or try the designated zones for model aeroplanes and helicopters. A visitor centre, several cafés, a municipal golf course to the south and a private 18-hole course on the western fringe complement the playgrounds, while a former donkey sanctuary now stands closed. Parking arrangements are currently under review, but no admission fee is required. The landscape bears evidence of continuous human use from the Iron Age onward, including burnt mounds, a prehistoric well and a preserved stretch of the Roman Icknield Street, still walkable near the Royal Oak Gate. Royal connections date back to the ninth-century Mercian forest, later becoming a Norman deer park and, in 1528, a royal grant to Sutton Coldfield by Henry VIII. Features such as Wyndley Pool, possibly of twelfth-century origin, and other historic pools created for watermills illustrate the park’s long-standing water management. A railway line cut through the area in 1879, with a now-defunct station closed in 1964, and the site has hosted wartime camps, the 1957 World Scout Jamboree and a 1992 BBC Radio 1 roadshow. Regular events include a free 5 km parkrun each Saturday at 09:00 from Boldmere Gate, alongside numerous organised runs throughout the year.

Bretby Castle

Bretby · 3.1 miles

Site of a fortified manor house. Dated in use c.1300-c.1610.

Little Haw Lane Playing Fields

Shepshed · 11 miles

Little Haw Lane Playing Fields is owned and maintained by Shepshed Town Council and is used by a number of football clubs.

Town Wall Nature Reserve

Bonehill · 12 miles

Local community nature reserve on the site of the old town wall

Brian Silcock

Markeaton · 12 miles

Squirrel looking through the viewfinder of a digital camera

Radmoor Park

Thorpe Acre · 15 miles

Reasonable sized grass area with a small play park and a Football/Basketball court