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Mobirise

To help you enjoy your ride along the 3Parks Cycle Route here are a few tips plus a guide to some of the facilities along the route.

Route Basics
The traffic-free route goes between Elmdon and Meriden Parks in Solihull via Sheldon Country Park in Birmingham, a distance of 3.7 miles. There is an optional loop and spur to the Old Rectory Farm and tearoom which increases the total end-to-end distance to 5 miles.
Download the 3Parks Route Guide
Detailed route directions
More about the three parks  

Virtual Rides
View the entire route on Youtube with our 4 x normal speed short videos
Elmdon Park to Aircraft Viewing Area
Meriden Park to  Aircraft Viewing Area 
Aircraft Viewing Area to Old Rectory Farm 
Old Rectory Farm to Elmdon Park
 
Getting There
You can join the route at many places but the main access points are in the three parks:
Elmdon Park, off Tanhouse Farm Road B92 9EY or at St Nicholas Church, Elmdon Park Road B92 9EJ.
Sheldon Country Park, Ragley Drive, B26 3TU.
Meriden Park,  Moorend Avenue B37 5TB.

Cycling along the Route
All the route is shared-use so please cycle considerately, keep your speed down and cycle on the left. When approaching pedestrians from behind a ring of your bell or a friendly ‘hi’ can help make people aware of your approach. Some dogs can be rather unpredictable near bikes so do bear that in mind when passing them.

If you cycle the whole route there and back via Old Rectory Park it is 10 miles, reducing to about 8 1/2 miles if you use the direct route one way. Obviously by turning back earlier you can devise shorter rides and even little ones can enjoy the very short circuit around Elmdon Park!

Cycling to the Route
There are a number ways to reach the 3Parks Route using other cycle paths and quiet roads. In the near future Cyclesolihull will be providing details of these as part of a series of 3Parks Link Routes. New connections are planned to be added as part of the Wildlife Ways project so check back here for the latest news.

Car Parks
If you bring your bike by car there are four free car parks at the access points listed above. There is also a free car park on the link to Marston Green rail station although this is usually full of commuters on weekdays. In Chelmsley Wood Town Centre there is a free car park just off the route next to Asda but please note there is a strict 2 hour time limit.

Toilets
The are toilets at Old Rectory Farm in Sheldon Country Park. There are also toilets within Chelmsley Wood Town Centre including at Asda.

Refreshments
There is a tearoom at Old Rectory Farm and a small cafe at the Meriden Adventure Playground during school holidays. It is only a short distance off-route to several cafes in Chelmsley Wood Town Centre including the Asda cafe, Jacs, Greggs and Costa.

The Arden Oak Harvester pub/restaurant is by the crossing at the Coventry Road with an outdoor seating area, and there is a convenience store just beyond this. There are other shops selling drinks and snacks in Chelmsley Wood Town Centre.

Cycle parking
There are formal cycle stands near the adventure playground in Meriden park. Elsewhere there are suitable railings to lock your bike to at the three children's playgrounds and there are various signs and posts which can be used for ad-hoc parking. Be creative but please do not cause an obstruction. There are also formal cycle stands next to Asda in Chelmsley Wood Town Centre.

Mobirise
Latest News

Welcome to the 3Parks Cycle Route website launched by Cyclesolihull in Autumn 2020. This traffic-free route is being promoted as part of our work to encourage more cycling in and around Solihull.
We hope you will visit us again soon!

Contact Us

Please email us with any comments and questions about 3Parks to: 3parkscycleroute@gmail.com