Walks in Staffordshire: Tamworth

Enjoy the great outdoors and get your walking boots on to discover Tamworth’s wildlife sites and parks.

Tamworth boasts seven designated Local Nature Reserves (LNRs), plus additional wildlife sites within the borough.

All offer beautiful country walks where people can still maintain a safe social distance from other people.

Here’s our top 5 LNRs and parks:

Broad Meadow

Situated on the island between the two channels of the River Tame, off Lichfield Road, Broad Meadow (B79 7YL) is a prime example of lowland meadow. 

It's a floodplain grassland habitat which is becoming increasingly rare in Staffordshire and across the UK, and has been recognised as a Site of Biological Importance.

Explore the riverside route, or the woodland copse near the weir, and you'll find plenty of wildlife including black-headed gulls, colourful kingfishers, and tuneful song thrushes.

It's also fertile ground for wild flowers, like the rare and beautiful snakeshead fritillaries, which only grow in places which are wet and have not been farmed or fertilised.

Parking is available on adjacent side streets, but please be courteous and consider local residents.

More details can be found here: www.tamworth.gov.uk/broad-meadow

Dosthill Park

Situated just south of Tamworth town centre, at Blackwood Road, Dosthill (B77 1LL), Dosthill Park is a popular park which is ideal for walking and picnics.

Home to a variety of habitats, from hedgerows and woodland to wet meadow, there is a selection of walkways to choose from, offering excellent views of the pretty Dosthill Quarry and Middleton Lakes.

Discover woodpeckers, nuthatches and tawny owls, alongside other wildlife like voles, mice and the occasional otter.

For younger visitors, there is a Wind in the Willows sculpture trail, and a large play area.

Parking is available beside the main entrance. 

There is a map to download at the Wild About Tamworth website: https://www.tamworth.gov.uk/wild-about-tamworth 

Warwickshire Moor

Another of Tamworth's Local Nature Reserves, Warwickshire Moor (B79 0BX) has a series of pools, pathways, a boardwalk, and bird boxes that families have installed across the site.

Developed through funding from the Central Rivers Initiative in 2006, it's a brilliant place to see wildflowers and habitants like water dock, common reed, and small mammals such as harvest mice.

The Warwickshire Moor and Alvecote Circular Walk covers a 6.5mile route of surfaced footpaths and bridleways, muddy tracks, hills and steep inclines, tarmacked pavements and roads.

A map is available at tamevalleywetlands.co.uk.

There is a small area for parking at the entrance, and additional parking on Moor Lane, Bolehall (nearest postcode B77 3LL).

Wigginton Park

A large town centre park covering more than 20 hectares, Wigginton Park (B79 7ED) is a popular place for families, walkers and sporting activities.

It's home to Tamworth Rugby Club and a huge variety of plant and wildlife.

Explore the Tree Trail, with its mystical tales of Tamworth's past, and nine trees, each with its own character and a story written by a local community group.

Download the leaflet at www.tamworth.gov.uk/treetrail

Away from the trail, there are wide open spaces - perfect for dog-walking - and well-equipped play areas, a wildflower meadow, community orchard, and regular activities like bat walks and bird surveys.

Parking is available at Solway Close, at Tamworth Rugby Club (nearest postcode B79 7ED).

Tamworth Castle Grounds

No blog about walking in Tamworth would be complete without a mention of the beautiful Tamworth Castle Grounds (B79 7PB).

A lovely, centrally located green space, with well-maintained lawns, colourful flower beds, and a Victorian bandstand, the grounds are the perfect place to gaze upon the majestic Anglo-Saxon castle.

Take a stroll along the Planet Walk and learn about our Solar System, or pause a while in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Rose Garden.

Let off some steam in the activity centre, at the skate park, or on the table tennis tables, or simply admire the plentiful wildlife on the banks of the River Anker and River Tame.

Parking is available at Namco Funscape and the Snowdome (both B79 7ND), and beside Tamworth Castle on Holloway (B79 7NA).

Looking for more walks in Staffordshire?

Our Walking and Hiking page is full of great walks in Staffordshire, from the long distance challenges of the Staffordshire Way to easy walks like the South Staffordshire Railway Walk.

This blog features four great walks in Newcastle-under-Lyme, including Apedale Country Park and The Newcastle Way: https://www.enjoystaffordshire.com/blog/2021/01/great-walks-in-newcastle-under-lyme-b579

And this blog, written by the North Staffs Community Rail Partnership, focusses on eight great walks in and around local train stations, such as Kidsgrove, Uttoxeter and Penkridge: https://www.enjoystaffordshire.com/blog/2021/05/guest-blog-eight-new-station-walks-in-staffordshire-b626

Thank you to our friends at Tamworth Borough Council for their help putting this blog together.