Okay so you have never heard of the River Rea. Well Birmingham folk will certainly be forgiving, since a substantial number of its own inhabitants are unaware even of the existence of the Second City’s principal river let alone know its name.

Even Brummies can be excused, compared with the likes of the Mersey in Liverpool, Thames in London, Clyde in Glasgow, and theTrent in Nottingham, the Rea in Birmingham is indeed a minnow, but nonetheless a ‘little gem’ in its own right.

The River Rea rises to the south west of the city in the Waseley Hills Country Park in rural Worcestershire. From here it runs for fourteen miles towards the City centre and then joins the River Tame close to the more famous ‘Spaghetti Junction’ road interchange at Gravelly Hill.

The Tame drains into the Trent, then the Humber and finally joins the North Sea.

The influence of man on the river is huge. In the City centre the river channel is heavily culverted and virtually invisible. However the first settlement in Birmingham is believed to have originated around a crossing point on the river at Digbeth.

In the last ten years or so, the Local Authority alongside volunteer groups such as The Friends of Balaams Wood, the Wychall Reservoir Nature Group and the Rea Valley Conservation Group have worked tirelessly to create a ‘green corridor’ into the very heart of Birmingham.

Balaams Wood between Longbridge and Frankley is an area of semi ancient woodland with a flood balancing reservoir at Great Park. Covering nearly seven acres it is a magical place with a wonderful display of traditional bluebells in spring.The river then moves on to Daffodil Park adjacent to the Kalamazoo print works, then through an older residential area close to Northfield railway station and on via Wychall Reservoir to Kings Norton.

The Rea joins the Bournbrook at Cannon Hill Park just on the edge of the city by the Warwickshire County cricket ground at Edgbaston.

The corridor is home to an incredibly diverse range of wildlife, despite the urban location. It is possible to see Muntjac deer, foxes of course and the nocturnal badger. I myself have observed, woodpeckers, nuthatch, kingfisher (just twice) and Grey Heron. Although bordered by homes and factories for almost its entire length there are small ‘snug’ areas where it is possible to lose contact with the hustle and bustle of suburban city life.

In recent times a cycle and walk way have been created which runs parallel to the river for much of its course. It has proven to be very popular and is a great way to see this ‘Green side’ of Brum.

The River Rea, small in size, big at heart!.

Article and Photography by Steve Shaw

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