Bournville & Glacial Erratics at Cotteridge Short Walk on 28 August

BOOKING ESSENTIAL. Please use this link to open Birmingham Ramblers’ Eventbrite page, then scroll down to see all the walks currently available. Click on the image of the walk you wish to attend and complete the registration details
Meeting arrangements:
If travelling by train: Meet at Bournville station at 10.30 am Train leaves Birmingham New Street (usually from platform 12 but check first) at 10.15 am, stopping also at stations along the line. If travelling from Longbridge it’s the 10.22 am from platform 1, stopping also at stations along the line.
If travelling by bus: The outer Circle buses 11A and 11C stop at Linden Road/Bournville Lane. Please alight here and meet the group at the nearby crossroads of Bournville Lane and Linden Road at approximately 10.50 am.
If driving: There is the shoppers’car park off Sycamore Road opposite Bournville Green; also some roadside parking in Sycamore Road.
Walk Description:
The first part of the walk is along a pleasant streamside path through Bournville Park followed by a brief walking tour of Bournville Village which takes in some of the distinctive architecture of the area. Most of the houses we see are owned by Bournville Village Trust, founded in 1900 by George Cadbury with a focus on providing good quality housing in a green environment. About halfway through the walk we pause for a refreshments/toilets break at a coffee shop on the Green or eat your own snack on the benches around.
Next, we follow the public access route of the Cadbury factory on our way to Cotteridge Park which has an impressive collection of glacial erratic rocks scattered throughout the park. These “glacial erratics” travelled via a glacier from north Wales up to 400,000 years ago and were left behind when the ice melted. We will see a good selection of these rocks. We leave Cotteridge Park behind as we head back towards Bournville Green, on the way taking a walk around the compact Cadbury Park which was formerly the Cadbury girls’ recreation ground dating from the time when workers were kept separate in their leisure time. It’s an interesting little park with remains of some original features. Here the walk finishes with refreshments available on the Green for those who wish before their journey home. 4.75 miles. Break at Kafeinon halfway through.