Getting outside for exercise and fresh air can help you stay healthy and well. We have put together some walking routes from our student accommodation sites and the local area to help you get out and about.
We have provided routes which are approximately 1.5 miles and 3 miles, depending on how far you want to go. Check each route individually for accurate distances. The routes will open on MapMyRun so that you can view and download the route. Please note that this is a third party website.
Walks from accommodation sites
Take a stroll around the leafy suburbs of Edgbaston with our 1.5 mile route starting at the top of the Vale Village by Chamberlain.
The 3 mile route cuts through the middle of the Vale Village and takes you past the Edgbaston Priory Club, a world-famous tennis club with history dating back to the 1870s. Look out for the Martineau Gardens, a local community garden, as you head along Priory Road.
Our 1.5 mile route follows a simple loop around local roads, taking you past the University's Winterbourne House & Gardens. Look out for the bricked up entrance as you cross the bridge over the canal and railway on Somerset Road - it used to lead to the the Somerset Road Railway Station, which operated from 1876 until 1930.
The 3 mile loop takes you through Chad Valley, which inspired the name of the Chad Valley toy company, founded in the early 19th Century in this area and which is still in operation today. The Chad Brook which runs through this area is the stream which feeds into the lake at the Vale Village.
Follow part of the route of Bourn Brook with the 1.5 mile route. Bourn Brook, unsurprisingly, gives its name to the local area of Bournbrook, the more accurate name for what is often referred to as Selly Oak.
The 3 mile route takes you into Bournville, famous for being home to Cadbury World. Look out for Selly Manor with its distinctive timber framed buildings and a history dating back to 1476.
The 1.5 mile route is a simple loop of local roads through Edgbaston.
Our 3 mile route takes you past the Vale Village, before heading across the canal to Harborne and past the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and to the very edge of Edgbaston, where the suburbs give way to the city centre.
Follow the edge of Selly Oak Park with our 1.5 mile route.
Our 3 mile route takes you through the edge of Bournville. Stroll through Valley Parkway,with its model boating lake, then cross over to Weoley Hill Park (pronounced wheely). Weoley Hill and neighbouring Weoley Castle are named for the Weoley Castle Ruins, the remains of a 750 year old fortified manor house nearby.
Walks from Selly Oak
The roads of Selly Oak (or Bournbrook) may not be the leafiest, but you are not far from some of Birmingham's many parks. These routes use the junction of Dawlish Road and Exeter Road/Coronation Road as a start point to help you explore the local area.
Our Bournville Parks route is just over 3 miles, and takes you through Bournville Park and Valley Parkway. Part of the Bournville Village, this are was built by the Cadbury family as a model village to house its workers, with lots of space and facilities for health and recreation. The walk also takes you past the village green, with it's picturesque Bournville Rest House.
The Bournville route, also just over 3 miles, heads in a similar direction. It takes you further into Bournville, crossing over the canal from neigbouring Stirchley. Follow the edge of Cadbury World and take in more of Bournville's model village features, including the Bournville Baths, the Recreation Grounds and Pavillion, and the Bournville Village Primary School with its carillon on top.
Other routes
There are a range of resources available to help you find and plan other routes for walking, running or cycling.
The Rea Valley Route passes nearby, and is a 5.7 mile cycle route following the route of the River Rea. The Bourn Brook Walkway starts at Harborne Lane, near the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and follows the route of the Bourn Brook to the 450 acre Woodgate Valley Country Park.
Explore Birmingham's parks and open spaces for more ideas of routes and outdoor spaces.