Lickey Hills Country Park
- Address
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Lickey Hills Country Park, Warren Lane, Rednal, Birmingham, B45 8ER
- How to get there and parking
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- 25-minute walk from Barnt Green Station via Fiery Hill Road
- Regular bus route with 25-minute walk - check with local operator for timetables and route changes
- Main entrance and visitor centre at Warren Lane (B45 8ER)
- Entrances with free car parks at Beacon Hill (B45 9QH) and Rose and Crown Hotel (B45 8RT)
- About the park
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The call of the wild summons visitors to the Lickey Hills Country Park, situated 10 miles to the south-west of Birmingham. An inspiring mix of woodlands, rare bilberry heathland and amenity grassland, the 524-acre park features Beacon Hill at its highest point from which 13 counties are visible.
Walks across the five hills and on footpaths throughout the park give nature lovers a taste of the freedom from urban surroundings that drew leisure-seeking Victorians to the area in the nineteenth century. The country park was established in 1888 by the Birmingham Society for the Preservation of Open Spaces.
The Lickey Hills are home to rare wildlife habitats and a wide range of bio-diversity including common lizards, lichen and fungi. Park rangers carry out heathland and woodland management as well as leading regular activities for volunteers to help manage and enhance the park for the thousands of annual visitors.
Lovers of history appreciate the status as one of Birmingham’s oldest parks with evidence of people using the hills dating back to Neolithic times. The park was also the reserve of kings and queens when it was part of the royal hunting ground of the old Feckenham Forest. The novelist J.R.R Tolkien drew inspiration from the Lickey Hills when he created the mythical Shire, home of the hobbits.
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- Video introduction
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- Facilities at the park
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- Visitor centre with café and gift shop (cash only) on Warren Lane
- Café next to the Rose and Crown Hotel
- Children’s adventure playground
- Golf course - book through My Timeactive in advance
- Tri golf course for young players close to clubhouse
- Free table tennis table
- Bridleways for horse and cycle
- Awards and status
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- Green Flag Award
- Designated a country park in 1971
- Toilets
- Accessible toilets and baby changing facilities at the visitor centre and in the golf complex alongside the Rose and Crown Hotel
- Points of interest
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- Origins of the hills can be traced back to more than 460 million years ago when it was a shallow sea inhabited by giant sea scorpions
- A Roman road across the hills was constructed by the legions for transporting salt to their fort at Metchley
- Other features
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- A network of waymarked routes including the North Worcestershire Path and circular walk routes ranging from 1.8 miles, 2.5 miles and 5.6 miles
- Walkways include an easy-access footpath from Warren Lane car park
- Ancient woodland and heathland habitats to explore
- Arboretum
- Grassy areas for kite flyers
- Ideal for picnics (no barbecues)
- Opportunities for challenging outdoor sports including cross-country running and orienteering
- Ranger led events and activities – join the volunteer group on Tuesdays by phoning 0121 445 6036 or email lickey.hub@birmingham.gov.uk
- School trips and activities
- Park friends group
- Parks friends group activities
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The Lickey Hills Society aims to:
- help preserve the landscape and natural beauty of the hills and surrounding area
- resist inappropriate developments which would have a detrimental effect on the hills
- support the work of the park rangers
- encourage public awareness of the area's natural amenities, history and natural history
Initiatives have included:
- providing equipment such as bat detectors and bat and bird boxes, “tree poppers” to clear trees from heathland, picnic tables and outdoor table tennis equipment
- weekly guided walks, litter picks, and Himalayan balsam clearance
- recording biodiversity such as an ongoing fungi survey
- providing and designing information boards located at the main entrances
- creating and publishing guided walks books
