This lovely, leafy 13km (8 mile) circular walk takes you into one of the most popular and sought after suburbs of Birmingham to live in, Harborne. You will walk along leafy lanes, canal towpaths, past Michelin star restaurants, Botanical Gardens, the lively Harborne high street and even country style pubs just a stone’s throw from the city centre! Please note this walk is on good quality paths or pavements but does include sections of steps to and from the canal towpaths. Not all sections of canal towpath are lit at night so best to do the walk during the day time.
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Route overview
Part 1 of the Harborne Walk
Harborne Birmingham
Start the walk at Brindley Place, by the Costa coffee shop at the centre of Brindley Place. Looking towards the South East, head towards the Ikon Gallery in Oozells Square.
Brindley Place Birmingham
Stop in here to look at some of the modern art on display; entry is free! Ikon Gallery was initially established as a “gallery without walls.” The name Ikon comes from one of the original founders, Robert Groves and was inspired by icons in the Eastern Orthodox culture. It means image as well as moving images and is a four-letter word that splits well geometrically. A couple of the names suggested were “New Birmingham Gallery” and “Image.” See their current exhibitions here.
As you leave the Ikon Gallery turn left to bring you out on Broad Street.
Part 2 of the Harborne Walk
Ikon Gallery Birmingham
Turn right onto Broad Street and walk up here until you reach Five Ways Island (map point 1). On the way, you will pass several bars and restaurants, and Broad Street is one of Birmingham’s main night-time entertainment venues. Just before Five Ways Island, on the left of the road, is a Cineworld cinema if the weather is bad and you feel the need to pause your walk.
[If you start this walk at Five Ways Railway Station, turn left at the top of the stairs as you exit the station, and carry on up to Five Ways Island, where you will see the Costa Coffee and Marriott Hotel mentioned in the description below].
Part 3 of the Harborne Walk
As you reach Five Ways Island, follow the pavement into the underpass to come out into the garden area in the middle of the island.
Five Ways Birmingham
Head over towards the left of the Marriott Hotel – you will go through another underpass and come out on Harborne Road. You should have a Costa Coffee on your left and the Marriott Hotel on your right if you have gone the right way!
Part 4 of the Harborne Walk
Walk along Harborne Road (map point 2) until you reach the corner with Highfield Road. You will walk past Morrisons supermarket and several restaurants and home interior stores. Turn left into Highfield Road.
Part 5 of the Harborne Walk
Simpsons Restaurant Edgbaston
Walk along here until you reach the small roundabout with St George’s church (map point 3). This roundabout is becoming a bit of a foodie’s destination – with a Michelin-starred restaurant, bistro pubs, brunch cafes and a cocktail bar all on or just off this roundabout! Birmingham is itself a real foodie hotspot with four Michelin-star restaurants – more than any other English city except London. Take a walk to the other Michelin star restaurants of Birmingham in our Moseley and City Centre walks!
At the end of Highfield Road, turn right to walk past the entrance of Simpsons restaurant (on your right) and then turn right again to turn into Westbourne Road. Walk along Westbourne Road, and you will pass Birmingham Botanical Gardens on your left. Keep going along Westbourne Road to the end (map point 4) and follow it around to the left.
Part 6 of the Harborne Walk
Continue along past the White Swan pub, and at the pedestrian crossing, cross the road. Turn right into Yateley Road (map point 5), which has lovely houses overlooking the Harborne allotments.
Part 7 of the Harborne Walk
Harborne Birmingham
Part 8 of the Harborne Walk
At the end of Yateley Road, turn right and walk up Nursery Road a short distance before crossing over and turning left into Westfield Road (map point 6). This is another lovely tree-lined road full of multi-million-pound houses!
Part 9 of the Harborne Walk
Turn left at the end of Westfield Road, at the mini roundabout. Carry on along this road (Woodbourne Road) until the next road on your left, Gillhurst Road. Turn left into Gillhurst Road, and a few metres in on your left will be a little entrance onto the Harborne Walkway (map point 7).
Harborne Walkway. Credit: Tony Hisgett
Head through this and onto the old disused railway line (don’t take the path down into the valley, but the furthest one away from you that is better quality and stays higher up), now a nicely surfaced walkway. Turn right onto the walkway and keep going until you reach the bridge near the very end – you will see the walk continue over a bridge ahead of you and a path off down the hill to the left of the bridge – take this path down on the left onto Park Hill Road (map point 8) and turn right onto the road.
Part 10 of the Harborne Walk
Walk a short distance along Park Hill Road underneath the bridge, then turn right onto Margaret Grove. Follow Margaret Grove up and round to the left (map point 9), and at the end, turn left onto Ravenhurst Road then first right onto Park Edge. At the end of Park Edge, turn left to walk clockwise around The Circle (map point 10) until you come to Wentworth Gate and follow Wentworth Gate along to Wentworth Road.
This area forms part of the Moor Pool Estate, opened in 1910, which is an early example of Arts & Crafts suburban planning in Birmingham. The estate provided affordable housing in a green, garden suburb environment, very different from the unplanned and overcrowded housing estates common in British towns and cities at the time.
Part 11 of the Harborne Walk
Turn left onto Wentworth Road, walk along here, then take the first right onto Lonsdale Road. At the end of Lonsdale Road, turn left onto Lordswood Road. Opposite these is Harborne Swimming Pool (map point 11) so remember to take your swimming costume if you want to stop for a dip!
Part 12 of the Harborne Walk
At the first roundabout, carefully negotiate the crossings to head straight over into Albert Road. Follow this to its end, then turn right into St Peter’s Road. Follow this as it bends round to the left slightly, and at the end turn right onto Old Church Road. This bends almost immediately round to the left where you will find the Bell pub (map point 12).
Part 13 of the Harborne Walk
Part 14 of the Harborne Walk
Just after the Bell, take the passage on the left to head up towards St Peter’s Church, go around this in an anti-clockwise direction to pick up the footpath behind the church, in a Northeast direction. Take this path, carefully cross over the road when you come to it, to carry along the path between some cricket fields (map point 13).
The path ends at Harborne Park Road – this is quite busy so cross over at the nearby pedestrian crossing. Turn left along Harborne Park Road, then turn right into Vivian Road.
Part 15 of the Harborne Walk
Part 16 of the Harborne Walk
Keep going straight ahead along Vivian Road – you will come to a Waitrose supermarket on your right (map point 14). Go straight past Waitrose and come out onto Harborne High Street, full of shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants. Continue along the high street in the same direction, heading all the way down to the traffic lights at Metchley Lane junction (map point 15).
At the traffic lights, turn right into Metchley Lane, then keep left to continue into Somerset Road. When you come to a roundabout, keep left to stay on Somerset Road, and at the next mini-roundabout carry straight ahead to continue to stay on Somerset Road.
Part 17 of the Harborne Walk
Just after the crossroads with Farquhar Road, you will see steps down onto the canal towpath from the right pavement (map point 16). Take the steps down onto the canal and turn left to go under the bridge you have just climbed down from.
Part 17 of the Harborne Walk alternative step-free route
For an alternative, step-free access to the canal towpath, follow the dotted line detour through The Vale University of Birmingham campus area in the diagram above.
Birmingham University The Vale Canals
You are now following the leafy green canal back towards Birmingham city centre.
Part 18 of the Harborne Walk
Keep going along this canal until you reach the Mailbox and Cube buildings on your right on the other side of the canal (map point 17). You can use the footbridge to leave the walk here and visit the Mailbox or follow the canal round to the left to walk all the way back to Brindley Place, which was the start of this walk.
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Resources:
If you enjoyed this route, see our Eastside City Park to Eagle and Ball Pub
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