Birmingham’s ring road is very good at keeping you in Birmingham. Get on the Middleway and the city starts to feel like the only thing out there. Yet there’s so much more to explore beyond this super highway, with everything from medieval high streets, houses cut into rock, canal locks stacked up a hillside, and a castle older than most of its contents.
Here are some suggestions for places to visit outside Birmingham, whether you take a day trip or opt for a longer stay.
Where does Birmingham actually end?
Officially, Birmingham stops at the A4540. Most people call it the Middleway and it loops round the centre roughly a mile out from St Philip’s Cathedral. As soon as you cross this invisible line, you’re in the countryside, and half an hour later, you’d never guess Birmingham was behind you.
What can you do in Bedworth and Tamworth in an afternoon?
Plenty, and neither town needs more than half a day. Start Bedworth at the The Nicholas Chamberlaine Almshouses, which were built in 1840 just off All Saints Square – they’re super attractive and have a history to match. Chamberlaine was rector here for 51 years and left money in his will for schools and a hospital. The charity he set up in 1715 is still running, and every May the local schoolchildren turn up for a service and a sticky bun, which is why the town calls it Bun Day. Bedworth also holds one of the biggest Armistice Day parades outside London. It runs on 11 November and is a sight to behold if you’re here on that day, it’s a memorable way to pay your respects.
Tamworth is the bigger day out, with an unmissable castle up on a mound above the town that boasts a tower that’s worth climbing for the view. You can check out the Staffordshire Hoard and learn about Aethelflaed while you’re there. She refortified Tamworth in 913 and died here five years later, but her famous father was Alfred the Great, so she often gets overlooked in history.
Both these town centres are flat and easy to walk, which you might appreciate after hours on the endless motorway. If the driving has caught up with your back, there are clinics offering chiropractic therapy in both towns, on Congreve Walk in Bedworth and Albert Road in Tamworth, each running free initial screenings.
Henley-in-Arden and its very long high street
Henley sits north of Stratford and the whole place is essentially one street, which runs for about a mile. It’s a conservation area with more than 150 listed buildings along it, inlcuding half-timbered fronts and coaching inns. You can walk the length of it in twenty minutes and spend two hours doing it properly.
Don’t miss sampling the famous Henley Ice Cream which has been going for decades — the queue outside on a Sunday tells you everything.
Houses carved in the cliff at Kinver
Probably the most memorable jaunt will be the cliff houses at Kinver, which are just a few minutes’ drive from Stourbridge. The National Trust runs the site, which means a car park at the bottom and somewhere to get a brew. Up on the ridge the sandstone has been hollowed out into houses, with families living in them as late as the 1950s. This is not a medieval story at all, these were people with radios.
A couple of the cave houses have been restored and furnished, so you can go inside and see how it worked. People think they look a bit like hobbit holes, which are more commonly found in New Zealand. Allow half a day for your visit, and wear sensible footwear as the path up is steeper than it looks.
Is Stratford worth it if Shakespeare isn’t your thing?
Mostly yes, with one caveat. Stratford is 28 miles from Birmingham and you can cross the whole town on foot in under fifteen minutes. The Tudor buildings are real rather than reconstructed, which isn’t true everywhere in England. You can see Shakespeare’s birthplace and attend performances, and it’s all fascinating.
Yet this medieval appeal brings the crowds, and the crowds attract high prices, so you’ll certainly be paying for your experience. You’re best bet it to arrive early, enjoy a stroll along the Avon, check out the town, and then leave before the coaches arrive.
The canal walks nobody mentions
The Birmingham region has roughly 100 miles of towpath, which are great for walking and enjoying a different side to the area. It’s often quiet along the paths, and sometimes you’ll have them to yourself.
One of the best walks is the Hatton flight, near Warwick, which has 21 locks stacked up a hillside in a row. Boaters call it the Stairway to Heaven, mostly through gritted teeth, because working a boat up it takes the best part of 3 hours. Walking it takes about 40 minutes and it’s flat until you decide otherwise. There’s a cafe at the top as a reward.
Where to go if you just want a hill
Clent Hills, on the Worcestershire side is a good bet. It’s National Trust land and the climb is short enough for most people. From the top you get the whole of Birmingham laid out below, which is a strange thing to look at after a day spent avoiding it. Go in late April or early May for the bluebells which bring a pop of colour to the hillside.
If you’d rather stay flat, Earlswood Lakes just south of Solihull is 3 reservoirs with paths round them. You’ll come across anglers, dog walkers and there’s a decent chance of a woodpecker sighting.
So is any of it worth leaving the city for? Absolutely, if you’re into history, culture, and nature. Birmingham is a vibrant city, with heaps going on, but sometimes it’s good to just escape the urban bustle, and see what secrets lie beyond that ring road.
