 The lakes in summer. 
A Summer And Winter Park!
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Recommendation added: 09/02/2007 01:20
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +700)dewberry has been thanked 3 times for this contribution
"This morning we woke up to a blanket of snow and the news that Birmingham's schools were closed, so decided to make the most of the white stuff and head to a local park for sledging and a snowball fight. Driving was out of the question as we live in a tiny cul-de-sac and even reversing the car out would have been asking for trouble, so we packed a couple of flasks of coffee and a supply of munchies and walked the mile or so route to Witton Lakes in Stockland Green.
Well, me and our eldest daughter walked – Mark ended up pulling our seven year old through the streets on the sledge!
Witton Lakes is great at any time of year, but today in the snow it was fantastic. The park itself is a huge grassy area surrounding two large lakes; it's by no means a massive park and is only really busy when the fun fair pulls onto it in the summer. I think because the wonderful Sutton Park is so close people tend to overlook Witton Lakes. Granted there isn't a huge amount to do, which is why I guess local people will travel further to one of the larger parks, but it's a beautiful little bit of land right in the heart of a residential district.
Generally Witton Lakes is popular with dog walkers, cyclists and mums with kids out to feed the ducks. I love this about the park because when there aren't many people there you can really appreciate the open space and peacefulness of the place. You also don't get the huge groups of kids with asbo's who prefer to congregate in a larger local park which generally means a cleaner environment, less graffiti and litter.
It's always really well maintained; the grass is kept to a reasonable length and trees regularly pruned and kept safe, the lakes are also in good condition with an excellent path winding around them and water plants at the edges. The lakes are actually old drinking water reservoirs which eventually couldn't cope with the demand as the population neighbouring Erdington grew. They were then taken up by Birmingham City Council as a city 'green space' and the end result is an excellent park and nature conservation area.
Today though, in the snow, it was special. The park is made up of a series of small hills and slopes which made for ideal sledging conditions and the open view of the grassy (snowy!) areas meant the kids' could run off to play and we could easily keep an eye on them without trudging the length and breadth of the park half a dozen times. The lakes were obviously frozen over and the snow piled along the edges made for somewhat hazardous conditions, this combined with a couple of excitable children meant we decided to give the icy water a wide berth today!
We had a fabulous day. The kids spent ages shaking the snow off the trees onto their heads (too cold and wet for me), then had a snowball fight with a group of other children and built not one but three snowmen – all this was interspersed with dad dragging the sledge up the hill so they could whizz down a couple of hundred times. We all had great fun, there was a real community feel inside the park today with countless families all messing around together in the snow. The kids made some new friends and Mark even managed to cadge a couple of cans of lager off some bloke, which made his day even more – me, I stuck to piping hot coffee out of my flask which went some way to warming me up.
At any time of year Witton Lakes provides you with a chance to get some exercise; a quick circuit of the park takes around 30 minutes, or you can follow the cycle route around the lakes and through the trees which is a more meandering stroll and can take upwards of an hour depending on if you see anything interesting. It's not one of those parks which are filled with an abundance of flora and fauna, expect to see a squirrel or seagull at best, but what is there is superb. I adore this place in the spring because the trees all tend to blossom at the same time filling one area of the park with a variety of colours, while stray snowdrops and pansies will pop up in certain places to give the impression of untended parkland. Absolutely gorgeous.
Around the lakes you'll see reeds and other aquatic plants, also look out for a large heron which sometimes visits and always stands on the same hump in the middle of one of the water – must be a good fishing spot. Talking of fish, I've seen anglers at the park although have no idea whether or not there actually are any fish in either of the lakes as I've never seen anyone catch anything – I'm guessing the herons appearance means there possibly aew some fish there but I don't know! One of the lakes is primarily used for remote control boats, while the other has been pretty much left to its own devices and is flourishing with greenery. My daughter loves the 'neglected' lake as the different ducks and geese tend to come to this one because it's quieter so she can take her pick of which bird to chuck her bread to.
In the warmer months there will be the occasional hot dog and ice cream vans parked up alongside the park, but in the winter the amenities are pretty thin on the ground. Today I was glad I'd brought my own coffee and crisps as the ten minute trek to the nearest shop in six inches of snow didn't appeal. If you're visiting by bus there's a chippy right by where you get off so I suggest you buy something and eat it on the five minute walk to the park as you won't be eating again until you leave.
Visiting Witton Lakes is a breath of fresh air, literally. Whenever I visit I feel refreshed and full of energy afterwards; I usually confine my trips here to the summer but after having such a laugh with the family today I'm determined to visit more often. It's suitable for everyone too. The pathways, cycle routes and grass are well maintained meaning wheelchair users can access practically 100% of the park which is thanks to its compact size; in many larger parks so much is unreachable to anyone with mobility problems as the terrain is naturally so harsh but at Witton Lakes almost everything is within reach via the paths. The park, as I mentioned earlier, is fairly hilly but there are gentler slopes if you're prepared to take the long way round and electric mobility scooters have no problem getting up the largest of hills. Even the small wooden area is surrounded and cut through by a pathway so you won't even need to miss the blue tits nests in the summer!
To find Witton Lakes by car is fairly simple. From Birmingham City Centre follow the signs towards North Birmingham and eventually take the signs for Erdington. This is an easy to follow straight run from town, when you get to an area called Perry Common you'll need to navigate a small dual carriageway and turn right at a major set of traffic lights down Perry Common Road. A quick left turn and you're on Gipsy Lane, with the entrance to Witton Lakes being located roughly a quarter of a mile down the road. There's a decent sized free car park for the Lakes which is maintained by Birmingham City Council.
If travelling by bus you'll be best off to catch the 107 or 7 from Birmingham City Centre, or the 107 if coming from Sutton Coldfield direction. Both of these buses will drop you off at the traffic lights I mentioned above and you just need to walk the same route as if you were driving – not forgetting to pop into the chippy first.
Witton Lakes
Gipsy Lane
Stockland Green
Birmingham
B23 7XX
Tel: 0121 4648728 (Birmingham City Council Parks Department)"
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