Nature might be closer than you realise...

When you think of Coventry city centre, you might think of a concrete jungle, but there is much more than you probably realise. One side of the inner ring road to the other is only a 30-minute walk, and once you get outside of the centre, there are some beautiful parks to take a walk around.

War Memorial Park

The war memorial park has all sorts of things to explore. There is the obvious, such as the War memorial standing 90ft high near the entrance of the park, so it is hard to miss but the park's 1.6-mile-long walk has more to offer. Along the rout,e the Aviary is home to 11 bird species and even has a sensory garden, and not too far off is one of the cafes where you can stop the walk for a quick hot drink. If you want a higher intensity walk you can have access to many of the sports facilities the memorial park has, or even use the outdoor fitness trail. The memorial park is open every day and is exactly a 30-minute walk from Coventry city centre.

Coventry/Oxford Canals

If you are looking for a taste of Oxford, although this might be a stretch, there is a scenic walk towards where the Coventry and Oxford canals meet. It is a longer walk spanning an hour and a half, but I’ve heard there is a good pub, called the Greyhound Inn, it’s a grade two listed building if you are after a taste of history (or just a pint) at the end of your walk. With the choice from a few town path routes to walk when you get there, it is a relaxing day out, especially if you like a bit of birdwatching. Alternatively, you can sit near the canals and watch the boats pass by, as a round trip from Coventry to the canals and back it is around three hours, so a good walk to stretch the legs.

Kenilworth

If you are looking for a walk out of the city and want the slower pace of life, taking a trip to Kenilworth might be for you. With only a short 6-minute train journey from Coventry, the town is a beautiful place to explore with much greener surroundings than our city. Kenilworth has a castle that is left to be explored, Abbey fields and a big park, so it’s likely to be a busy day. There are many restaurants to try as well in the town centre (the station house does a good roast on a Sunday), as well as little independent shops if you're more of a mooch around the shops than a hard hike type of person.

Coventry has lots of local walks to offer and they all come with somewhere warm to sit and enjoy a drink or some food (it’s a clever way to convince a non-walker to join in). So put on your trainers and have an explore.