Geography and Amenities
The Lickey Hills area is of significant geological interest due to the range and age of the rocks. The stratigraphic sequence, which is the basis for the area's diversity of landscape and habitat, comprises:
- Barnt Green rocks - Precambrian tuffs and volcanic grits
- Lickey Quartzite - a Cambrian quartzite
- Keele Clay - a Carboniferous clay
- Clent Breccia - a Permian breccia
- Bunter Pebble Beds - beds of Triassic water-worn pebbles
The park's total area is 524 acres (2.12 km2) and includes an 18-hole golf course that was the first such municipal facility in the country. The park is situated in the Lickey Hills range, which is part of the Clent and Lickey ridge. The hills, which separate the Longbridge and Cofton Hackett end of Birmingham from Barnt Green and Lickey in rural Worcestershire, are eleven miles south of central Birmingham.
Included within the park boundary is the eighteen hole non-membership municipal Golf course, a bowling green, tennis and putting green as well as a purpose built wheelchair pathway and viewing platform allowing easy access to panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.
The visitor centre, opened on Easter Sunday 1990 and contains an exhibition, leaflets and information on nature trails, guided walks as well as other activities organised by the Ranger Service. It also has a small but well stocked cafe as well as a gift shop and toilets.
There are three car parks, one by the visitor centre, one by the club house of the golf club and one on the top of Beacon Hill. Also by the visitor centre are a children's play area and paths for disabled visitors, although due to the steep topography within the park these paths are limited. Between the Bilberry, Beacon and Rednal Hills stands The Rose & Crown hotel and public house which serves meals daily including Sunday lunches.
The Lickey Hills Country Park has been awarded a Green Flag Award for the seven consecutive years since 2000. A ranger explained in a newspaper interview :
The Green Flag Award is a national scheme which started back in 1996 as a means of recognising and rewarding the best green spaces in the country. They look for a certain standard of quality management within the park, cleanliness, use by the community and so on. There are a total of 27 criteria to pass in order to win the award.
Read more about this topic: Lickey Hills Country Park
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