Our guide to health and fitness in Birmingham brings you everything from beautiful parks to running, cycling and walking routes, yoga and meditation, friendly gyms and peaceful places to go.
Known for blooming from mid-April to early May, no other flower captures the English imagination quite like bluebells—inspiring everyone from Emily Brontë to Liz Berry, Oscar Wilde to George Orwell. With a...
After more than a century and a half, the golden eagle, one of England’s most majestic and long-lost birds of prey could soon soar again over the country’s northern landscapes. Once common in Shakespear...
You won’t believe me, but these idyllic Italian-style gardens were once home to an amusement park and motor rally races. Going back to the 1800s, Trentham Estate boasted the most beautiful grounds, but by...
I don’t know about you, but I spent Easter weekend down the garden centre admiring flowers and picking out vegetable seeds. It’s officially gardening season. Looking for more inspiration, I found a quiete...
Just over a hundred Barbary macaques roam free at Trentham Monkey Forest (about an hour’s drive from Birmingham), while only 8,000 of these endangered animals currently survive in the wild. But in a world...
Is it Mickey Mouse or a dinosaur on the Bullring? Or is all you see a stratocumulus and an altostratus? However you see the sky above, cloud gazing can be a calming break from the world beyond (anyone else...
The sun is shining. The sky is bluing. The cherry blossoms are blossoming. Spring is here. Pastel-pink flowers of Japanese cherry blossom trees, also known as sakura, are sweeping Birmingham once more. W...
The Library of Birmingham is a must-visit for all new and old to the city (easily among the best things to do in Birmingham). It’s the largest public library in the United Kingdom, if not Europe. Across t...
To honour one of Birmingham’s greatest writers, BCU launched the Benjamin Zephaniah Future Writers competition—asking adults and children to submit their poems around a theme, this year centred on the environment (inspi...
Let’s face it, nothing gets the heart racing quite like a bargain hunt. And where better to trawl for treasures than a car boot sale? But while you’re busy snapping up second-hand finds, don’t forget that it’s best not...