Short Walk: Bournville and Glacial Erratics at Cotteridge

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. Walk leader: Brenda Cameron.