Off the Beaten Track: Birmingham Cyclists Reveal the Rides That Don't Make the Guidebooks
Photo: Alextredz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Every city has its official cycling routes — the ones on the council maps, the ones listed on the apps, the ones that get mentioned in every beginner's guide. And then there are the other ones. The ones you only hear about when you've been riding long enough to earn someone's trust. The lanes that a regular will mention almost casually, then watch your face to see if you already know.
We asked Birmingham's most dedicated riders to share their secret stashes. What follows is a collection of routes, tips, and quiet obsessions from people who know this city's backroads better than any sat-nav.
The Wythall Wander — South Birmingham's Overlooked Gem
Shared by: Callum Firth, 34, cycles from Bournville
Distance: Approx. 28 miles return | Difficulty: Moderate | Surface: Mostly tarmac with short gravel sections
Most cyclists heading south from Birmingham stick to the obvious arteries or head straight for the Lickey Hills. Callum goes a different way.
"Everyone knows the Lickeys, and they're brilliant, but if you drop slightly east and head towards Wythall, you hit this network of lanes that feel completely removed from the city," he says. "Hedgerows, farmland, the occasional tractor — it's genuinely surprising how quickly you get there."
The route picks up from Kings Norton, threading through Headley Heath — a National Trust heathland that most Brummies have never visited — before looping back via the quiet lanes around Forhill. The roads are narrow and occasionally potholed, so a bike with slightly wider tyres is advisable, but there's minimal traffic and the views across the Worcestershire countryside are quietly spectacular.
"It's not dramatic riding," Callum admits. "No big climbs, nothing to brag about on Strava. But it's the ride I do when I need to clear my head, and I've never once regretted it."
Top tip: The café at Forhill picnic site isn't always open, so pack your own supplies. The descent back towards Kings Norton via Walkers Heath Road is a lovely way to finish.
The Sandwell Valley Circuit — An Urban Escape Nobody Talks About
Shared by: Asha Patel, 29, commuter and weekend explorer
Distance: 15–20 miles depending on variation | Difficulty: Easy to moderate | Surface: Mix of dedicated path and quiet road
Sandwell Valley Country Park sits in the gap between Birmingham and West Bromwich, and it is, by any reasonable measure, a minor miracle. Farmland, reservoirs, wildlife, and paths that feel nothing like the surrounding urban sprawl.
"I discovered it by accident when I was trying to get to a friend's house in West Brom and took a wrong turn," Asha laughs. "I came home two hours later having gone nowhere near where I was supposed to be, and I've been going back ever since."
The circuit she's developed takes in the RSPB reserve at Sandwell Valley, skirts the edge of the reservoirs at Forge Mill Lake, and then uses a combination of quiet residential roads and canal towpath to loop back towards Handsworth. It's accessible enough for confident beginners but interesting enough to keep seasoned riders engaged.
"The birdwatching is genuinely excellent if you stop and look," Asha adds. "Which I know sounds like something your dad would say, but here we are."
Top tip: The towpath sections can be muddy after rain. A Tuesday or Wednesday morning sees almost no other users on the paths — it feels like you have the whole place to yourself.
The Clent Hills Charge — A Proper Leg-Burner on Birmingham's Doorstep
Shared by: Tom Birch, 41, road cyclist and occasional masochist
Distance: 45 miles return from Harborne | Difficulty: Challenging | Surface: Tarmac throughout
If the previous two routes sound a bit gentle for your tastes, Tom has the antidote.
"The Clent Hills are only about fifteen miles from the city centre as the crow flies, but the roads up there are proper cycling country — rolling, testing, beautiful," he says. "And because everyone assumes you need to drive to get to proper hills, the roads are often quieter than you'd expect."
The route he favours heads out through Harborne and Quinton, picking up quieter roads through Halesowen and then climbing towards the Clent Hills via Hagley. The hills themselves offer several variations — a gentler loop around the base or a more direct assault of the ridgeline with views stretching, on a clear day, all the way to the Malverns.
"I've done this ride in every season and every weather condition imaginable," Tom says. "Winter mornings when the hills are frosted over and the roads are empty, summer evenings when the light is extraordinary. It never gets old."
Top tip: The descent from St Kenelm's Pass towards Romsley is fast and requires full attention. Check your brakes before you go. The pub in Romsley village is an excellent reward if you time it right.
The Sutton Park Sunrise Loop — For the Early Risers
Shared by: Naomi Clarke, 52, cycling for twenty-plus years
Distance: 18 miles from Erdington | Difficulty: Easy | Surface: Mix of park paths and road
Sutton Coldfield's Sutton Park is one of the largest urban parks in Europe, and yet Naomi is consistently amazed by how few cyclists venture inside.
"People cycle around the outside, around the roads that border the park, but they don't go in," she says. "And inside is just extraordinary — ancient heathland, open water, woodland, deer. It's like stepping back several hundred years."
Her Sunday morning ritual involves leaving home before seven, riding up through Erdington and into the park as the mist is still sitting on the pools. The internal tracks are suitable for hybrid and gravel bikes, and the route she takes loops through the park before emerging at the Boldmere Gate end and returning via a quiet residential back route.
"I've seen foxes, herons, kingfishers, and once — memorably — a complete rainbow arching over Bracebridge Pool," she says. "At half seven on a Sunday morning with almost nobody else around. That's why I cycle."
Top tip: Cycling is permitted on designated tracks within Sutton Park — check the current map on the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield website before you go, as routes can change seasonally. Early morning is genuinely transformative; by ten o'clock it's a different place entirely.
What all of these routes share — beyond their obvious charms — is the sense that they belong to the people who found them. They're not on the official maps. They weren't the result of council investment or cycling strategy documents. They exist because individual riders went exploring, took a chance on an unknown lane, and decided to come back.
That spirit of exploration is, arguably, one of cycling's greatest gifts. And in Birmingham — a city that sometimes forgets how much green space and quiet road surrounds it — there's no shortage of discoveries still waiting to be made.
Got a hidden gem of your own? Tell us about it in the comments, or drop us a message on social media. The best rides, after all, are the ones worth sharing.
