The irony of New Hall Country Valley Park is that it had far more countryside and was far more…read moreinteresting prior to 2003. Up until that point, the place had been a hidden, overgrown wonderland. You were apt to find the odd shopping trolley or even burned-out car in the small, babbling river. You could spend a morning (as I and many others did) skipping school and losing yourself in amongst the reeds and weeds of the riverbank. What happened in 2003 is that the council decided to put a great wide gravel path in place of the natural track along the river - thus killing or displacing God knows how much natural wildlife - and sticking a sign that said 'Country Valley Park' on it. Over the years, a lot of the field on which people could walk dogs or play football has been fenced off with a great big metal fence, whilst more and more of the plantlife and long grass has been cut down to next-to-nothingness. It's not a park, it's not the countryside and its status as a valley is negligible. It just means that you get more people riding their bikes along the path nowadays.

This place has mixed memories for me. I like what they've done with it over the recent years…read more Speaking as someone who used to have to do cross country running along the paths next to the school, I can tell you that it never looked as lovely as it does now. The natural beauty was certainly lost on me, maybe it was the rubbish littering the course that distracted me. As a nature reserve with play areas, it's clean and safe and a great place to take the kids and makes a nice change from Sutton Park. It's a great deal nicer than it used to be many moons ago when I was a 'youth'. I feel safe if I'm on my own as it's quite busy. I pak at the car park on Wylde Green Road which is free. No toilets though.

Poor old Rectory Park is perhaps destined to forever remain in the shadows of its far bigger, far…read morewilder, far more picturesque counterpart, Sutton Park. Yet for Suttonians, Rectory Park is just as valuable a space and is arguably more practical. Generations of children have played football for various Sunday, school, cub, church and otherwise teams on one of the two football pitches (it's where my cub team used to regularly practice). The park is also home to Sutton Coldfield Cricket Club and is an ideal place to let your dog run wild (in a literal sense of running, don't let them go ripping people's faces off). What else? The small woods behind a car park on the entrance near Good Hope Hospital have been popular with illicit Diamond White drinkers for years and it's a good picturesque walk into Sutton from Falcon Lodge (the main entrances are on Rectory Road, Hollyfield Road, Riland Road and Coleshill Road). It also provides a handy hiding place for kids playing truant from the nearby Fairfax and John Wilmott Schools. It's maybe not the wisest place to be hanging around after dark these days, but then where is?

I once viewed a property in Riland Road off Rectory Road and remember being overwhelmed by the red…read morebrick Victorian pretty properties and the very friendly vibe. I've just been for a walk in Rectory Park and while it's far smaller than Sutton Park, sitting quietly on a bench you become immersed in a whole world of birds and animals. Only a stones throw from the centre of Sutton Coldfield and I could be in the middle of a forest. There has to be a great history to this place, it has a regal confidence about it, almost a spiritual feel. Highly recommend a good walk around Rectory Park to clear your head and heal your soul.

Okay, park's a bit of a strong word for such a small piece of grass which those who see it every…read moreday probably stopped noticing many years ago. However, Boddington Gardens (or 'The Green' as it's also known by the local yootdem) plays an important role in Sutton's social scene. A brief bit of history: Boddington Gardens is so-called because of a chap called George Boddington who, in the early 20th century, ran an asylum known as 'The White House' which stood where the Empire Cinema now stands. Nowadays, the Gardens are a well-tended patch of grass and flowerbeds just past Beeches Walk which welcome you into Sutton as you travel in on the Birmingham Road. In more modern times, 'the Green' has become the place to hang around if you're 15 years old and fancy a smoke and a drink on Friday nights. During summer, boys and girls from the nearby Sutton Girls and Plantsbrook school's sit around on the grass eating their Subways and making daisy chains. If everyone's in school, then it becomes a nice place to sit quietly and watch the world go by for a bit.

A beautiful and huge park - one of the largest urban parks in the UK in fact. There are wild…read moreponies, free range cows and plenty of other wildlife you can spot at various times of the year. There are frequent ice cream vans dotted about near the scouts jamboree stone and lots of pay2ride bike docks around the edge of the park including e-bikes (run by beryl) in my experience the normal bikes are well maintained and not very expensive if you use them properly and dock them after each use - you get charged an extra fee if you leave it non-docked and another fee if you leave it outside the beryl zone but this is clearly demarcated in the beryl app. It's a beautiful place to go especially with family. The only detraction is that some of the paths and tracks are a bit muddy and unstable so if you're really having a hike like I do it's best to go in strong sturdy boots with good grip. There is an information centre located near the Sutton Coldfield town centre entrance of the park and a gym and swimming pool called wyndley right near the park. Fishing is allowed within certain seasons but you will need a licence and I'm not sure if there are any other requirements as I've not done it yet in this park. You will enjoy coming here, even in winter. Just bring appropriate clothing and shoes!

Henry VIII hunting ground, and the reason why Sutton received the royal charter since he had such a…read morefabulous time... It's bigger than most urban parks, and spans both further than you would expect, and less, as it goes on so much further than most city/town parks (you do genuinely get to points where you can here no traffic nor see no houses quite quickly), it almost makes it feel more like an estate park- which of course it is smaller than, but I'd probably say not by much for many. There are quite a few little pockets of the park, so you can take in as little or as much of it as you like. There is plenty of wildlife, pools, paths and impressive large trees in ancient woodlands. It tends to get quite busy, but it's large enough for you to never feel cramped, and people tend to cheerfully be saying good morning.

Regular readers of my reviews will know that I enjoy a a good park and will shower my praises on…read moreit. Finchley road park is not an example of a good park in fact it's about as far removed as you can get. Overgrown and unloved rather than being used for activities such as a game of football or rounders or a picnic this park is generally just used as a thoroughfare between the housing estates. If it were better lit and had more bins and was better maintained perhaps it would be used for recreation purposes more instead you get the feeling from various paraphernalia lying around that it's used for shall we say certain illegal practises. If I were allowed to rate this as zero stars I would have.

Sutton Park's main entrance - 'Main Gate'. Easiest to reach from Sutton Coldfield town centre,…read morewhich is just a hop and a skip back down Park Road. Cars can enter the Park here, across the cattle grid past the gate houses. Arriving from the sprawling urban conurbation of Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield, miles and miles of roads and houses, people and cars and then to drive through the Town Gate entrance into the wide expanse of green and trees (white and trees at the moment), is quite a surprise, especially so close to the hustle and bustle. You can just imagine the charabangs in the earlier part of last century, arriving down the central roadway into the Park, disgorging their excited passengers to flood out into the clean wide spaces. So many people use the Park for their leisure time, walking, running, cycling, sittin chillin, nature spotting, exploring, swimming, fishing, boating, canoeing, splashing and splodging, sledging, dog walking and eating and drinking. Excellent. Charging for cars does apply from Easter until early September, Sundays and Bank Holidays from 11.00am until 6.00pm. Free at all other times. Fantastic place. Explore.

Now this IS an entrance worth finding: mysterious, almost overgrown, just wide enough for humans…read more And beyond, trees and undergrowth to lure you into the heart of darkness (OK, a little bit of drama.) But this really is the enchanted wood entrance, where beyond lie the wondrous beasts, the wild Exmoor ponies. Make your way through the entrance and carry on straight ahead along the narrow almost not a path path and keep heading that way. If you are lucky you will see the shy beasts foraging in the undergrowth, snuffling, crunching underfoot, breathing, fantastic (see picture). Of course we do need to give them living space, but lovely to venture out of our living rooms to see them in theirs. The woods are ancient, of course and a beautiful tangle of old knotted trunks mixed with fresher versions - all browns and greys and diffused light.

Conveniently located opposite New Oscott School and just behind Princess Alice Retail Park and…read moreTesco Extra, this family-friendly park is a great place for children, dog-walking and after-work kick-arounds. The park contains a large, flat field, perfect for sporting activities, surrounded by an attractive pebble footpath and man-made trees. Of a late-afternoon, the park swarms with small children who walk over from the local school and of a weekend, whenever weather permits, the park is popular amongst locals for family games of cricket. According to signs positioned at either end of the footpath, the park closes at dusk. But in reality, Princess Alice Park is never properly gated up and of a late evening, regularly turns into a haven for drunken teenagers and trouble. After 6-7pm, Princess Alice is always intimidating and sadly, the once pleasant children's play area has seen much better days, now absolutely plastered in graffiti.

For me this retail park is small and local. It has a Tesco Extra, Pizza Land, Boots, Next, Currys,…read moreMark & Spencer, Thomson holidays, Bannatyne gym, Costa coffee and 1 or 2 other chains. Noticed today a new 99p store too. Accessible via the Chester Road at New Oscott its handy if you need to quickly pop in and out quickly.