Elmdon Park – A Review

In our second review of local dog walking locations this article looks at Elmdon Park in Solihull. Steeped in history the park as we know it today was established in 1944 when the derelict Elmdon Hall house and grounds were bought up by the then Solihull Urban District Council. The park is unique for the Solihull area due to its hilly landscape giving excellent views across the area. Be sure to check out the 500-year-old Spanish Chestnut tree that was planted during the reign of King Henry VIII, in 1518. 

ELMDON PARK – LOCATION & PARKING

Elmdon Park is located right next to Jaguar Land Rover and Solihull Moors Football Club and is the largest park in the Solihull area. Entrance to Elmdon Park is via 2 main car parks. Both have free parking for as long as required. The Tanhouse Farm road end to the west and the Jaguar Land Rover / Solihull Moors entrance to the south. If you are wanting to access the playgrounds / football pitches then the west car park is best, otherwise better access to the main park is from the south car park as this car park usually always as space available and is more centrally located. If you are using the car park to the south you should see Elmdon Church, situated right next to the car park.

ELMDON PARK – WHAT TO EXPECT

Elmdon park is largely split into two main sections. The main open space park filled with pathways, a lake, a river, football fields, children’s playgrounds and tennis courts. The second half of the park is the woods and Meadow / Nature Reserve area.

For dog walkers in Solihull looking for a quieter walk away from others the Meadow side of the park offers a nice quiet circular route to walk. The area is filled with interesting grassy fields and pockets of mini wooded areas. When walking the whole gravelled circular route expect this to take around 25-30 mins to complete. As a dog walker this is my preferred part of the park to visit as it’s away from the crowds and the majority of people using this area are other dog owners.

The main park area is your typical grassy park. Large open parkland on quite a gradient gives wonderful hilltop views of the park with the Midlands landscape on the horizon. This side of the park is much busier but never too busy given the large size of this park. The lake and adjoining river are the main focal point that park visitors tend to gravitate towards. Here you will find a wide variety of birds on the lake which add wonderfully to the ambiance. Adjacent to the lake are the main facilities of the park, here you will find football pitches, tennis courts and the children’s playground.

FACILITIES

Elmdon Park has plenty of facilities that you would expect in a park such as:

–        Free Car Parking

–        Meadow / Nature Reserve

–        Mature Woodland

–        Lakes and rivers

–        Football Pitches

–        Tennis Courts

–        Children’s Play Area

–        Walking Trails

SUMMARY

This is an excellent park for dog walkers in Solihull. Given the large size of the park, users will have plenty to explore whichever direction you head in. The park has a good range of facilities that you would expect, the only aspect that might be missing are public toilets. The walks and scenery are varied and interesting, the views spectacular and with the park never being too busy, overall, it’s a big winner for me and a good choice for those who are dog walking in Solihull.

If you would like to know more about Elmdon Park the following links might be of interest:

Elmdon Park Support Group Facebook Page

Elmdon Park – Solihull Council