The Birmingham Tree Trails are a fantastic way for the community to get up and out into the local parks, get involved with nature and the environment, and help your general well-being and health.
The trails have been possible thanks to the cooperation of the local friends of the parks in the community. You can find each of the groups responsible for the original creation of these trails in the sections below.
It’s time for us to think about the planet and how we relate to it. That’s why the tree trails are a great way to get started (or come back to). You can even bring your friends and family!
The trails follow a set amount of trees you will have to discover. Find the treeformation each one holds within.
TreePlotter
Plotting the trail’s trees is just as fun as walking the trail for the Trustees: Dee, Tonia and Mac, plotting the friends’ trail in Handsworth Park
The tree trails are currently being mapped by BTP using TreePlotter, and you need a mobile phone with internet access. This software is useful because the data can quickly change. Trees will eventually die, or they are removed or added, giving us ease of access in making alterations.
On TreePlotter, click on the ‘current location’ icon (left of the screen), and use this to help navigate to the next tree. Click on the dot next to each number to find out more information on the tree. Click on the word ‘Photo’ to see images, to check you are at the right tree, and to see the tree in different seasons.
It’s like Pokémon Go for trees, that’s why it’s ideal for children.
Deanne Brettle, BTP, BIFOR
Where can I find the Tree Trails?
In this section you will find the list of Birmingham’s Tree Trails, that the Friends of the Parks groups have created, and BTP are plotting.
Cannon Hill Park, Moseley, B13 8RD
Trees include the magnificent Giant Redwood and Ginkgo. Did you know a Redwood tree can grow over 80 meters high, and the Ginkgo tree species was widespread in prehistoric times?
22 trees, 3,500-step, flat, circular walk on paths
Click here for the Cannon Hill Park friends’ page
Cannon Hill Trail
You can find the Trees for Life PDF of the Cannon Hill Park Tree Trail below to download:
Birmingham Tree Lover’s League Trail
See below the Birmingham Tree Lover’s League, available to download:
Ley Hill Park, Edgbaston, B31 1TT
Don’t forget your mobile and walking boots!
This is a slightly more challenging walk, with more trees and over a mixture of walkways, to find the trees.
25 trees, 3,000-step, slightly hilly, circular walk
(mix of pathways, tarmac, gravel, wood)
Click here for the Ley Hill Park friends’ page
Highbury Park, B13 8QG
There are two walks available. The first is the shorter and easier walk, and the second is longer and slightly more challenging. Find out which one you’d prefer:
Walk 1: the shorter walk, 11 trees, less than 1km in length, along one accessible path
Walk 2: the longer walk, 13 trees, 5,000 steps, mainly on paths, one steep hill
Click here for the Highbury Park friends’ page
Will you participate in the shorter or longer walk?
Or are you are the kind of person who will do both?
Ward End Park, Saltley, Hodge Hill, Stechford, B8 3PH
25 trees, 5,000 step, flat circular walk on paths
Click here for the Ward End Park friends’ page
Handsworth Park, B20 2BY
Keep an eye out if you’re local to Handsworth Park and would like to take part in one of the newest trails to be plotted. Don’t forget to take your mobile with internet access to use TreePlotter. With the trail containing over 30 trees, this is a longer, more advanced walk.
This tree trail is about 3,000 steps and will take between 60 to 90 minutes to complete. There are 31 trees to discover. All the trees can be seen from the pathways, that are mostly flat, with one slight incline from the last tree back to the car park.
Click here for the Handsworth Park friends’ page
Bournville Park, Selly Oak, B30 1UG
Here is a link to the Bournville Tree Trail that was a part of the Urban Tree Festival of 2021, devised by BTP Trustee Steve Watson. This one is a family favourite, thanks to the Cadbury’s factory: chocolate and trees, a truly spectacular combination.
This tree trail was completed thanks to the Bournville Tree Wardens. If you follow this trail you will walk approximately 1,200 steps over a mix of flat paths and grassy areas.
It is suitable for pushchairs. Wheelchair users may wish to view some trees from the path, rather than up close. It will take between 45 to 90 minutes.
Click here for the Bournville Park Friends’ page
We hope you enjoy the Tree Trails!
A huge thank you to the Friends of the Parks for creating these tree trails, and to Deanne Brettle for plotting them.
Now the local Brummie community can explore and enjoy nature with ease.
If you decide to walk one of the tree trails, don’t forget to tweet! #btptreetrail #treetrail #treepeople #friendsoftheparks #friendstrails
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