Bearwood Beer Mile

The Bearwood Beer Mile is a short and sociable linear stroll through the heart of Bearwood, on the western edge of Birmingham. Starting with a caffeine top-up at Coffee 14, the route strings together three of the suburb's best-known pubs, The King's Head, The Midland and The Bear Tavern, all within easy walking distance of one another along Bearwood's lively high street.

Between the pubs, the walk takes in a couple of quieter landmarks that hint at the area's older character. You'll pass Bearwood Chapel and the handsome Our Lady of Good Counsel & St Gregory the Great Catholic Church, before reaching a blue plaque marking the site of the Three Shires Oak, a long-vanished tree that once stood where three historic counties met.

At just 2.3 km with barely any ascent, it's an easy half-hour on the flat, though you can happily stretch it out over an afternoon. Nearby, Thimblemill Pool, the Black Country Millennium Forest and the courses of Shireland Brook and Thimblemill Brook offer green detours if you want to walk off a pint.