SOUNDwalk: B37
Location: North Solihull, B37 (Chelmsley Wood, Kingshurst, Fordbridge)
This soundwalk explores the green spaces of the B37 postcode area in Solihull. It was created by SOUNDkitchen in association with B37 Project and was commissioned by Eastside Projects in 2020 as part of their Link & Shift Artist Walks series.
SOUNDwalk: B37 offers a new way of experiencing the local environment as it guides you through an immersive journey of audio encounters. Discover the hidden sounds of bats and underwater life, listen to wind and rain on metal structures, learn to identify different trees and forage for food guided by local people passionate about wildlife. Listen to some audio excerpts below.
The walk has four routes that can be explored as individual walks or as part of a longer experience. You can start at any point on any of the routes.
Download a PDF of the SOUNDwalk: B37 map. Paper copies are available from MAPA, Meriden Park.
Babbs Mill Lake Loop
Duration: around 45 minutes
Explore the plants and wildlife around Babbs Mill lake. Enjoy the sounds of birds and underwater life and learn about the history of the area, different species of trees and foraging for food.
This route has accessible tarmac paths on the north side of the lake and packed gravel that may be uneven on the south side. There’s an alternative narrow dirt path between the lake and the river on the south side, but it can get a bit muddy.
River Cole Loop
Duration: around 25 minutes
Hear the story of the River Cole, where it begins and ends and the sounds it makes. Discover the hidden sounds of wind and rain on metal structures and learn about the Jubilee Community Garden at Kingshurst Allotments.
This route has accessible tarmac paths on the north side of the river and packed gravel that may be uneven on the south side.
Recommended starting point: Babbs Mill Park Car Park
Meriden Park
Duration: around 40 minutes
Join a bug hunt in the woods, learn about MAPA (Meriden Adventure Playground) and the management of the River Cole. There's also some sounds hidden on the park playing field. See if you can find them all by completing the Sound Hunt shown on the map.
There are accessible tarmac paths in the park, the Sound Hunt is on a grassy field and the woodland has narrow dirt paths.
Kingshurst Brook
Duration: around 20 minutes
Join a bat walk along Kingshurst Brook, explore Alcott Woods and learn about the built environment and tree planting projects.
There is an accessible tarmac path along Kingshurst Brook. There are narrow dirt paths in Alcott Woods but listening points are accessible from the tarmac path on the edge of the woods joining Chichester Grove.
To experience this location-based walk please download the free SOUNDwalker app to your smartphone. The app will stream audio if you have a good connection, but this can use up your data and battery life. We recommend using wifi to download the audio files in advance so it will run offline. Open the app, select B37, click the download button.
Once downloaded, travel to one of the walking routes shown on the map, open the app and select the B37 walk from the menu. Plug in your headphones then make your way to the listening points shown in the app where the audio tracks will begin to play.
Thank you to everyone at B37 Project, Tribal Rangers, MAPA (Meriden Adventure Playground), Sustainable Life, Jubilee Community Garden, Kingshurst Allotments, Clean & Green, Eastside Projects and all the individuals who contributed and assisted with this project.
Map design by Keith Dodds
