Picnic Area, Meadows, & Playing Field. 
 

Most people are aware of the Picnic Area alongside Scotland Lane over-looking Bartley Reservoir, but are you aware of the Meadows to the left stretching to the Sailing Club, or Kitwell Playing Field behind the Picnic Area?  The whole land, including Bromwich Wood Local Nature Reserve, was once owned by Elizabeth Cadbury of Cadbury chocolates, and was gifted to Birmingham City Council for public leisure with the condition that no one can make profit from the land. 

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We are incredibly lucky here at Bartley Reservoir as the area is mostly maintained by the Woodgate Valley Rangers, and the Meadows, which have some of the greatest floral diversity in Birmingham, receive a stewardship grant to be maintained. The Meadows include Goats Beard, Yellow Rattle, Ribwort Plantain, and Common Orchid to name a few.  The display is best in June and July, and then in August the grasses grow tall and tinges the entire surface with a purple haze around sunset. In September the Meadow is harvested and donated as hay to the local Urban Farm at Woodgate Valley Country Park.  

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Kitwell Playing Field and the grass and trees between it and Bromwich Wood are designated Sites of Local Importance for Nature Conservation (SLINC). The field is a fine space for children and families to spend time playing field games. or to take your dog to throw a ball around (just pick up your dog's mess). It has a couple of goal posts so children can play kick-about, but they are not set to any pitch specification and there are no pitch lines. It is best to utilise the field in the summer months when it is at its driest as it can be quite waterlogged at other times. It is a future ambition and goal of Friends of Bartley Reservoir that the Kitwell Playing Field along with the Picnic Area, will eventually be upgraded, but they can still be enjoyed in the meantime.   

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