Walks from Solihull

Town centre, parks, ornamental gardens, lake, River Blythe, woodland and open fields.

Time: 3h

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: Heart Rail Trails (PDF).

Mostly towpath along the Birmingham branch of the Grand Union Canal. Canal authorized in 1793 connecting Digbeth to Warwick; modernized in 1930s; freight traffic ceased by 1970s.

Waterway: four fifths along the Grand Union Canal.

Time: 3h30–6h30

Warnings: Some low bridges requiring ducking; steep ramp at end.

Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).

Surprisingly expansive landscape. Rural and suburban with boardwalks, fields, woodland, canal towpath and residential streets. Walk crosses the Meridian Gap from Berkswell to Solihull, West Midlands' largest town, functioning as an affluent dormitory suburb of Birmingham.

Time: 3h–5h30

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk. Muddy woodland path; pavement peters out near Hampton-in-Arden with tight bends.

Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).

Very similar to the parallel route, with a 0.75-mile stretch of dangerous road walking on Box Trees Road due to narrow and uneven verges and fast traffic.

Time: 5h–10h

Warnings: Around 0.75 miles of dangerous road walking on Box Trees Road, with narrow uneven verges, fast traffic and bends; a field path is used to reach a safer crossing point.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A long, varied walk leaving Solihull through parks and alleyways, then beside the River Blythe (the muddiest section), over the M42, through farmland, fields, woodland and small hamlets to Kenilworth. It has plenty of stiles, steps, footbridges and gates in varying repair and with several stretches of road walking. Temple Balsall is packed with history, including the Old Hall (now home to the Women's Institute) and a 17th-century almshouse. Near Kenilworth the route crosses Park Pale earthworks linked to The Pleasance, an early 15th-century construction by Henry V.

Time: 6h–12h

Lunch: Knowle offers a surprisingly large choice of refreshments; plenty of options in Kenilworth at the end.

Warnings: The section beside the River Blythe can get really muddy in winter or after rain; several stretches of road walking with narrow verges require care, especially a quarter-mile stretch on Kenilworth Road. Plenty of stiles, steps and gates in varying states of repair.

Walk details: Slow Ways.