Ley Hill Park up the hill in Northfield

For this green spaces / park post, we go back to early April 2017, when I went up to Ley Hill Park in Northfield. Starting at the Starbucks Drive Thru in Northfield, I went up Vineyard Road past Bellfield Junior School. The park was at the top of the hill. It's part of the Merritt's Brook Greenway, with a path heading to Manor Farm Park.

During the lock down and the one form of exercise a day, I can only walk to the closest parks in walking distance. I don't know how many weeks or months this will last for. With many places closed down. But parks are open (playgrounds are not). So please continue to enjoy my virtual park visits from my actual past visits (if you can). And maybe once things goes back to normal after the virus crisis ends, we will all be able to enjoy parks and visit the places we used to be able to.

 

Here we will go back about 3 years to a visit to Ley Hill Park in Northfield when it was OK at the time to get the bus or train.

The then new Starbucks Drive Thru in Northfield first opened around April 2017 and during my visit there, was thinking of somewhere to go. I could see a park up the hill nearby (also by checking Google Maps). Plus this walk would lead me towards Manor Farm Park and near the no 61 and 63 bus routes when I left.

 

The entrance to Ley Hill Park. Heading through a green space near Vineyard Road. I crossed over Merritt's Brook Lane and into the park. Welcome to Ley Hill Park.

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The path into the park towards a footbridge that crosses the Merritt's Brook.

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A look at one side of the Merritt's Brook. Looks like the routes of the tree on the right grows quite close to the brook.

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A pair of paths. A third one makes a triangle.

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I must have taken the right path by the looks of it.

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Following one of the paths past the trees. The Merritt's Brook is to the right, and this was near the bottom of the park.

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The path continues as the trees make shadows on the path and lawns. The fields to the left don't really have gravel paths to walk up to.

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A pair of trees in the middle of the hilly field in the park.

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The path leading to Merritt's Hill and the exit gates.

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Another exit to Merritt's Hill. Hadn't really finished looking around Ley Hill Park at this point.

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To head up the hill, I followed the mown grass paths up the hill.

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Saw this robin but only got it from the back at the time.

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Near the top of the hill and there was nice views of the Northfield and surrounding areas from up here.

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Top of the hill. An zoom in's could see the local school and towards the tallest building on the Northfield High Street (Bristol Road South).

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Heading to the next area. Here the bushes forms a triangular shape (which makes more sense if you look at the Satellite view on Google Maps).

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Now for a pair of dirt paths near the trees.

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There was more grass paths near the top end of the park.

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This tree stump was lying on the ground up here.

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Another exit gate to Merritt's Hill, this one was also near Clun Road.

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One more look at the park from the top. Views not so visible from up here though.

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Just outside of Ley Hill Park was a green space near Merritt's Hill. Starting at Clun Road going down to Meadow Brook Road.

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I headed down Merritt's Hill via this green area. Which at this point led down to Meadow Brook Road.

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Even from here the shopping centre on the Northfield High Street (Bristol Road South) was visible.

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This path was near the houses south of Clun Road. And it takes you down to Meadow Brook Road.

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The west view of the green area. Beyond the trees was Ley Hill Park.

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Looking up the path I had just walked down from Clun Road.

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Getting closer back to the Merritt's Brook Greenway, one last look at the path I went down. Getting back to Merritt's Hill.

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There's that side entrance from Ley Hill Park that I saw earlier. Seen from Merritt's Hill.

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Going down Merritt's Hill. Brookside was to the left which was near the Merritt's Brook Greenway entrance I was heading to.

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And there's that Ley Hill Park entrance I saw earlier. That was on the Merritt's Brook Greenway. Next I took the path in the other direction towards Manor Farm Park.

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To see my photos from Manor Farm Park, see my first post on that park here: Manor Farm Park: a park down the Bristol Road South I've always considered to be in Northfield.

 

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

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Birmingham We Are People with Passion award winner 2020