Photo of aerial photo of brown and green fields under blue sky during daytime.

Photo William Hook / Unsplash

Places to explore in West MidlandsEngland · West Midlands

Birmingham and the Black Country fill the West Midlands, but the conurbation carries more green and water than its reputation suggests. At its heart lies Sutton Park, a survival of medieval heath, woodland and pool among the largest urban parks in Europe. Canals were the making of the region, and the Birmingham Canal Main Line still runs arrow-straight through the city, remade by Thomas Telford. Between the suburbs, Sandwell Valley, the meadows of Woodgate Valley and the Victorian Cannon Hill Park give the towns room to breathe, and Barr Beacon raises open sky above Walsall.

The best of West Midlandsworth the trip

Photo of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, a 26-mile canal running from King's Norton Junction to Stratford-upon-Avon, central England.

Stratford-upon-Avon Canal

Through the old Forest of Arden to Shakespeare's town, saved by volunteers in the 1960s restoration that changed canal history.

41 km · Warwickshire & West Midlands

Photo of Gas Street Basin, a landmark near Birmingham, the West Midlands, central England.

Gas Street Basin

Landmark near Birmingham

The canal crossroads at the heart of Birmingham, narrowboats moored among the old warehouses where the city's waterways meet.

Photo of Coventry Cathedral, a cathedral in the West Midlands, central England.

Coventry Cathedral

Cathedral near Coventry

Basil Spence's 1962 cathedral joined to the bombed shell of the old one, a pairing built around peace and reconciliation.

Photo of Grace and Savour at Hampton Manor, a restaurant near Hampton-in-Arden, the West Midlands, central England.

Grace and Savour at Hampton Manor

Restaurant · With rooms near Hampton-in-Arden

Kitchen-garden tasting menus in the walled garden of a Victorian country manor.

Photo of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, a Grade II* registered house & garden in the West Midlands, central England.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens

House & garden near Birmingham

A John Claudius Loudon design of 1832, arranged around four Victorian glasshouses.

Photo of Wightwick Manor, a Grade II registered house & garden near Wolverhampton, the West Midlands, central England.

Wightwick Manor

House & garden near Wolverhampton

Arts-and-Crafts house rich in Pre-Raphaelite art.

Photo of the Grand Union Canal, a 137-mile canal running from Brentford to Birmingham, England.

Grand Union Canal

London to Birmingham by water — the trunk route of the canal age, with arms reaching Leicester, Aylesbury, Northampton and Paddington.

220 km · spans 9 counties

Photo along the Monarch's Way, a 625-mile long-distance path running from Worcester to Shoreham-by-Sea, England.

Monarch's Way

Long-distance path

England's longest inland waymarked trail, tracing Charles II's escape route from defeat at Worcester in 1651 to the ship waiting at Shoreham.

1006 km · spans 14 counties

Houses & gardens in West Midlands 10

Waterways in West Midlands 10

Other sights in West Midlands 2

Trails in West Midlands 2

Monarch's Way1006 km
Heart of England Way167 km

Churches in West Midlands 1

Coventry Cathedral

Pubs & restaurants in West Midlands 1

Grace and Savour at Hampton Manor

Nature reserves in West Midlands 32

Show all 32 nature reserves in West Midlands

Bickenhill Meadows0.06 km²
Bromsgrove Road Cutting, Tenterfields0 km²
Clayhanger0.27 km²
Clowes Wood & New Fallings Coppice0.46 km²
Daw End Railway Cutting0.08 km²
Edgbaston Pool0.16 km²
Fens Pools0.38 km²
Hay Head Quarry0.05 km²
Herald Way Marsh0.1 km²
Illey Pastures0.04 km²
Jockey Fields0.18 km²
Ketley Claypit0.02 km²
Monkspath Meadow0.01 km²
Stubbers Green Bog0.03 km²
Swan Pool & The Swag0.06 km²
Tilehill Wood0.3 km²
Turner's Hill (West Midlands)0.02 km²

Hills & peaks in West Midlands 7

Abbeys & priories in West Midlands 6

Castles & strongholds in West Midlands 5

Ancient stones in West Midlands 1

The Castle Fortearthworks

Country estates in West Midlands 1

Knowle: Children's Field

Roman sites in West Midlands 1

Metchley Fortearthworks