Lifford Lake, King's Norton

A hidden gem! I found it on Google Earth, and then proceeded to hunt it out and find it. And boy, did I find it! This is another wondrous place – it is surrounded by industry (the Lifford household recycling centre is a stone’s throw away) and there are no signs from the road that make it obvious. I found my way there from Lifford Lane – take Tunnel Lane (signposted as the River Rea Heritage Trail), and Lifford Lake is straight up this road. There is a small car parking area, and then the following sign is visible:

The space opens out to reveal a large body of water – this was once a compensation lake for the nearby mill (which you passed as you walked up Tunnel Lane – this is now on private land, but you can see the buildings from the gate, as well as the sandstone folly). Lifford Lake was built in 1815 and is popular for fishing. I took a panoramic photo while I was there.

You can read more about Lifford here.

Pics taken by me, August 24th 2012. They are up on Flickr!

King's Norton Nature Reserve & Wychall Reservoir

This post (and route!) follows on from this one which ended at Popes Lane, KN.

This walk along the river takes you through the King’s Norton Nature Reserve, from Popes Lane, past Wychall Reservoir and up to King’s Norton Park. The start point (or, where I started the route from as a continuation of my river walk) is indicated by three signs. There is a body of water in this area, I’m not sure how deep/how full of weeds it is, but be wary of this and ensure children don’t go running off.

The route is well maintained and is flat and tarmacked, so is suitable for all users. There are benches along the way. The river Rea is on your right and the reservoir is up ahead on the left. Despite being quite close to a busy school, an estate and a main road, this parkland is really quiet and you can hear all sorts of birds. More often than not, I spot herons on the reservoir!

This is quite a brief walk, and when you reach a short access road, turn left and pick up the route through the park. When you get to an opening, with a choice of two routes, take the one on the right in this picture. This will lead you past an industrial site, towards The Camp pub and Westhill Road. I'm not entirely sure where the gate on the left leads to..!

There are not many bins along this route; please take rubbish and dog waste with you. There is no parking, or visitor centre facilities. This part of the route is accessible by foot and bike, and the bus route 47 is nearby!

Photos from my walk (taken by me on June 9th) are now up on the Flickr page!

A few more piccies: