The Shire Country Park 12 ha
🦉 Wildlife🦅 Birds🦋 Insects
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Public access Free entry Dogs welcome 12 ha
Places › England › West Midlands › Birmingham Getting here
52.43203, -1.85569
Open directionsv Visiting this summer
Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now
▾ 🌞 Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 🅿️ Parking on site — 4 car parks within reach 🌤️ Visiting this summer
🌞 Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 🅿️ Parking on site — 4 car parks within reach £ Free to visit — no entry charge🐕 Dogs welcome🚲 Bike parking🅿️ Parking· Free
🦉 Wildlife
Very strong match
Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles
Free
🦅 Bird watching
Very strong match
Birds — Grey Heron, Mallard, Black-headed Gull +50 more · last seen 2026; Birds — Grey Heron, Mallard, Black-headed Gull +50 more · last seen 2026
Free
🦋 Insect spotting
Strong match
Insects — Western Honey Bee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee +92 more · last seen 2026; Insects — Western Honey Bee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee +92 more · last seen 2026
Free
Dogs allowed with public access
Free
Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic
Varies
🛝 Family friendly
Good match
Urban park — family destination
Free
Trails nearby Within roughly 5 km 16 signed routes nearby · 11 public paths nearby
Signed route nearby Public paths
Grand Union Canal Walk Walking route 234 km ▾
Birmingham to Napton section
Named route Length 234 km Regional walking route
Show on map Balsall Heath Tree Trail East Walking route ▾
Named route Local walking route
Show on map Balsall Heath Tree Trail West Walking route ▾
Named route Local walking route
Show on map Rail Trail: Olton > Shirley Walking route 12.5 km ▾
An 8-mile longer meander along the banks of the Grand Union Canal and the River Cole, through the heart of Tolkein Country!
Duration: 3.5 hours
Distance: 8 miles
Named route Ref rtOlt Length 12.5 km Point-to-point Local walking route
Show on map Rail Trail: Shirley > The Lakes Walking route 8 km ▾
A 3-mile trail following the towpath along the Stratford-upon-Avon canal, across Christmas tree plantations, farmland and forests to reach Earlswood Lakes.
Duration: 3 hours
Distance: 5 miles
Named route Ref rtShi Length 8 km Point-to-point Local walking route
Show on map Coleside Avenue public footpath · 24 m ▾
Public path public footpath Length 24 m Surface asphalt Path type: residential
Show on map 55 signed routes nearby
Signed route nearby
National Cycle Network 5 Diversion Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 5 National Cycle Network
Show on map Route 55 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 55 Regional cycle route
Show on map Birmingham Local Cycle Network Cycling route ▾
Birmingham Local Cycle Network
Named route Local cycle route
Show on map National Cycle Network Route 5 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 5 National Cycle Network
Show on map Cole Valley Route Cycling route ▾
Named route Local cycle route
Show on map Billesley & Shire Country Park Circular Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 4 Local cycle route
Show on map Photos John Morris Jones Walkway
‹ ›
Weather for this location Next 14 days Nearby places Useful places within 5 km
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id: be52c33e-b428-465f-9386-f95d9590e9ed
UK green spaces mapped from open public data — so anyone can find the woodland, trail, or nature reserve closest to them.
© 2026 Glade · Made with care for UK green spaces
Wildlife to spot
67,372 records · National Biodiversity Network
▾
Wildlife to spot 67,372 records · National Biodiversity Network Long-tailed Tit · Grey Heron · Jackdaw · Black-headed Gull · Great Tit +37
Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus2025 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea2025 Jackdaw Coloeus monedula Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Great Tit Parus major Nuthatch Sitta europaea Magpie Pica pica2025 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Starling Sturnus vulgaris2025 Woodpigeon Columba palumbus2025 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes2025 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Coot Fulica atra Canada Goose Branta canadensis Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus2025 Jay Garrulus glandarius2025 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Mute Swan Cygnus olor Raven Corvus corax2025 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis2025 Robin Erithacus rubecula2025 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus2025 Rock Dove Columba livia2025 Carrion Crow Corvus corone2025 Dunnock Prunella modularis2025 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Greenfinch Chloris chloris Greylag Goose Anser anser Goldcrest Regulus regulus Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii2025 House Sparrow Passer domesticus2025 Fieldfare Turdus pilaris2025 Coal Tit Periparus ater2025 Herring Gull Larus argentatus2025 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea2025 Blackbird Turdus merula2025 Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs2025 Stock Dove Columba oenas2025 Green Woodpecker Picus viridis2025 Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo2025 Tawny Owl Strix aluco2025 Grey Squirrel · Brown Rat · Pipistrelle Bat species
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus2025 Pipistrelle Bat species Pipistrellus2025 🦎 Reptiles 1 species
summer autumn
2025 ▾
Pond Terrapin
Pond Terrapin Trachemys scripta 🐸 Amphibians 1 species
autumn
2025 ▾
Common Frog
Common Frog Rana temporaria Common Darter · Common Carder Bee · Western Honey Bee · Common Wasp · Parent Bug +19
Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum2025 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum2025 Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera2025 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris2025 Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea2025 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Wildlife to spot 67,372 records · National Biodiversity Network Long-tailed Tit · Grey Heron · Jackdaw · Black-headed Gull · Great Tit +37
Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus2025 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea2025 Jackdaw Coloeus monedula Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Great Tit Parus major Nuthatch Sitta europaea Magpie Pica pica2025 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Starling Sturnus vulgaris2025 Woodpigeon Columba palumbus2025 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes2025 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Coot Fulica atra Canada Goose Branta canadensis Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus2025 Jay Garrulus glandarius2025 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Mute Swan Cygnus olor Raven Corvus corax2025 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis2025 Robin Erithacus rubecula2025 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus2025 Rock Dove Columba livia2025 Carrion Crow Corvus corone2025 Dunnock Prunella modularis2025 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Greenfinch Chloris chloris Greylag Goose Anser anser Goldcrest Regulus regulus Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii2025 House Sparrow Passer domesticus2025 Fieldfare Turdus pilaris2025 Coal Tit Periparus ater2025 Herring Gull Larus argentatus2025 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea2025 Blackbird Turdus merula2025 Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs2025 Stock Dove Columba oenas2025 Green Woodpecker Picus viridis2025 Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo2025 Tawny Owl Strix aluco2025 Grey Squirrel · Brown Rat · Pipistrelle Bat species
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus2025 Pipistrelle Bat species Pipistrellus2025 🦎 Reptiles 1 species
summer autumn
2025 ▾
Pond Terrapin
Pond Terrapin Trachemys scripta 🐸 Amphibians 1 species
autumn
2025 ▾
Common Frog
Common Frog Rana temporaria Common Darter · Common Carder Bee · Western Honey Bee · Common Wasp · Parent Bug +19
Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum2025 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum2025 Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera2025 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris2025 Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea2025 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea2025
Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea2025
Eristalis tenax Eristalis tenax2025
Eristalis tenax Eristalis tenax2025
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis2025
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis2025
Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes2025
Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes2025
Syrphus Syrphus
Syrphus Syrphus
Syrphus ribesii Syrphus ribesii2025
Syrphus ribesii Syrphus ribesii2025
Notonecta (Notonecta) viridis Notonecta (Notonecta) viridis2025
Notonecta (Notonecta) viridis Notonecta (Notonecta) viridis2025
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata2025
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata2025
Epistrophe grossulariae Epistrophe grossulariae2025
Epistrophe grossulariae Epistrophe grossulariae2025
Helophilus pendulus Helophilus pendulus2025
Helophilus pendulus Helophilus pendulus2025
Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta2025
Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta2025
Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina2025
Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina2025
Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale2025
Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale2025
Volucella inanis Volucella inanis2025
Volucella inanis Volucella inanis2025
Saucer Bug Ilyocoris cimicoides2025
Saucer Bug Ilyocoris cimicoides2025
Water Stick Insect Ranatra (Ranatra) linearis2025
Water Stick Insect Ranatra (Ranatra) linearis2025
Limnephilus lunatus Limnephilus lunatus2025
Limnephilus lunatus Limnephilus lunatus2025
Box Bug Gonocerus acuteangulatus2025
Box Bug Gonocerus acuteangulatus2025 Events & activities nearby Switch provider to compare local events, tours and bookable activities.
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