Walking in Solihull is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.
This page contains information on, Benefits of Walking, Short Walks, Long Walks, Walking Routes & Maps, Walking Sports & Orienteering
Why is walking the perfect activity for health?
- Almost everyone can do it, it’s FREE and you don’t need any special equipment, just a comfy pair of shoes!
- You can do it anywhere and at any time to suit your schedule.
- If you haven’t been active for a while, you can start slowly and build up gently.
- It’s a chance to be in the great outdoors, re-energise and explore your local area.
- Walking groups are a great way to socialise and meet new people.
- Taking part in regular physical activity has a whole host of benefits. Find out more about physical activity benefits
Local Walking Groups – Short Walks (10-60 minutes)
No matter how active you currently are we have a variety of local groups offering a range of walks of differing lengths and distances.
Solihull Striders & Strollers Wellbeing Walks:
Come and enjoy your local area, meet new people and improve your health with one of our walking groups. We have regular walks led by our trained volunteer walk leaders. Current dates, times and locations can be found in our Step into Solihull Booklet October 23 – March 24.
The walks offer a range of routes that allow for the appreciation and exploration of local surroundings, environment and wildlife. The routes used are mostly flat, even and accessible to all participants regardless of physical ability. Please complete a Step into Solihull Registration Form before your first walk. This can be done either online, on the day of the walk or by requesting a copy of the form from Solihull Active by e-mail [email protected] or calling 0121 704 8207.
The walks generally last around an hour but some offer a 30 minute shorter alternative. At the end of the walk there is always a cup of tea or coffee available (for a small donation), as well as the opportunity to chat and make new friends.
Parkwalk at Parkrun! Walking really is for everyone, 5km route
Park Run is a weekly event held across the globe and we’re lucky to have 2 in Solihull. Babbs Mill https://www.parkrun.org.uk/babbsmill/ and Brueton Park https://www.parkrun.org.uk/brueton/ . These are volunteer lead timed 5km routes that take place every Saturday at 9am and the great think is that you can complete it at your own pace.
Walking is a great way of soaking up the parkrun atmosphere, getting the opportunity to chat to people, being active and is something that whole families or friendship groups can do together.
At parkrun, we actively support as many people as possible to walk and we have dedicated volunteers who do just that
So why not think about walking at a parkrun this weekend? You could also encourage lots of friends, family and work colleagues to join you and even create a walking and talking group.
Local Walking Groups – Longer Walks (60+ minutes)
Special Interest Walks
Special Interest walks are a fantastic way to enjoy the outdoors, learn about the local and natural history of an area aswell as improving your health and wellbeing.
Upcoming Walks
Wednesday 22nd November: Brueton 10:30am – 12:30pm. Further details coming soon.
To book a place contact Solihull Active on 0121 704 8207 or e-mail [email protected]
Anyone new to our walks must complete a Solihull Active registration form at time of booking, either online or we can post out a copy.
Solihull Tree Wardens
The Solihull Tree Wardens were formed in 2000 to serve and protect the local environment’s trees, hedges and woodland.
The Wardens belong to the Tree Warden Scheme which is a national initiative run by The Tree Council, that encourages people to play an active role in conserving and enhancing their local trees and woodlands.
Visit Love Solihull for further information.
Upcoming Tree Walk and Talks
Brueton Park – Sunday 26th November 2023 Starting at 10:30am
Solihull Pathfinders
A walking club based in Solihull and prides itself on being a welcoming and friendly group.
- Sunday Walks are based around the Solihull area every fortnight. These form the core of the club’s activities and alternate between short (around 5 miles) and longer (7 to 9 miles) from January to early December. This enables all members to participate irrespective of ability or age.
- Wednesday Walks are based throughout the Midlands area and occur on a monthly basis, with occasional extra walks during the summer months. These walks tend to be longer (8 to 11 miles).
- Long Distance Trails are broken down into monthly individual legs usually on Saturdays. The aim is to complete each trail over a 1 or 2 year period.
For further information please see the Solihull Pathfinders Website
u3a Walks
- Balsall Common u3a arrange both c5 and c3 mile rambles. If you are interested in joining them check out their website (Shorter Walks Group (balsallcommonu3a.org) Ramblers Group (balsallcommonu3a.org)
- Olton u3a meets the 3rd Monday of every month. Walks normally 4 to 5 miles in length. We aim to walk at a comfortable pace for all participants. If you are interested in joining visit the Olton u3a website
Hampton Walking
Hampton Walking arranges regular walks in and around Hampton-in-Arden and has 2 groups: Hampton Hikers led by Bob Reid with hikes aimed to be enjoyable and challenging for those used to walking for 7-10 miles, and; Arden Amblers based on shorter walks of 4-6 miles which are still enjoyable and sometimes challenging.
Visit Hampton Walking for further details.
Wednesday Walking Club
The Wednesday Walking Club are a friendly group of around 40 members that walk somewhere within a 20 mile radius of Shirley every Wednesday, whatever the weather! Walks are between 5-8 miles. Our membership is limited to 40, however visitors are welcome (£1 per walk)
Anyone interested in coming along to a walk as a visitor or if you like a further details about the current programme you can email [email protected] or view further details about the Wednesday Walking Club here.
Rambling In Solihull: Longer Walks
Castle Bromwich Ramblers , Knowle Ramblers & Solihull Ramblers have teamed up with Solihull Striders & Strollers to promote some longer walks. This offers you the opportunity to progress from our Striders and Strollers walks onto something a little more challenging and to go those few extra miles.
Local Walking Routes & Maps
Sensory Walks
Sensory walks allow you to use your senses to connect with your surroundings whilst you stay active.
Sense Active have partnered with Great Britain’s national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey.Explore the Sense website for more information.
Find a Sensory Walk near you:
- Download Babbs Mill Nature Reserve Route or view on the OS Digital Map
- Download Elmdon Nature Reserve Route or view OS Digital Map
- Download Lavender Hall Park Route or view OS Digital Map
- Download Shirley Park Route or view OS Digital Map
- Download Hillfield Park Route or view OS Digital Map
Sensory Walk Resources:
Create your own sensory walks with these helpful resources. Download Making a Sensory Walk Toolkit
Get Walking Maps
- Get Walking Maps – This booklet outlines 13 short routes in the Solihull borough, exploring the areas in and around the local parks.
- Suggested walking routes – This web page includes information on 2-5 mile circular walks and longer distance routes.
Heritage Trails
This 3km (1.85 mile) circular walk takes in the historic heart of the old Solihull village and should take about two hours to complete at a moderate pace.
Staff at the Core Library researched and produced a new town centre heritage trail leaflet for Solihull town centre – the first time for 20 years that such a guide has been available.
The leaflet was printed thanks to support from Touchwood and Solihull BID and is available to pick up free of charge from The Core Library in Solihull town centre.
Alternatively, we’ve adapted the leaflet to fit onto A4 sheets so you can view it from your mobile device or print it from home if this is more convenient. Download Solihull Town Centre Heritage Trail leaflet (PDF)
There’s a lot more that we wanted to share with you that we couldn’t fit into the leaflet so do have a look at our “Solihull Town Centre: Then and Now” video for a virtual guided tour of the town centre.
We’d love to hear what you think of the walk, the leaflet or the video, so please leave a comment or email [email protected]
Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group (WGCG) has also produced a geological trail leaflet that covers Solihull town centre.