I'm doing it again; I must get to the water. I am a Gremlin. I need to multiply and water is my…read moresavour. In that case I could do a lot worse than Hemsworth Water Park and Play World. Now this badger has two lakes; the largest lake is available for pedalo rides and has sandy beaches; the smallest lake is in a more secluded area to attract wildlife. It's perfect if you want to do a Freddie Flintoff and fool around for a while. It's also ideal to see some great things of interest in this beautiful world we have around us. I'm going all John Lennon on you now. You've also got loads of grassed areas and picnics are no problem either (except the fact it's always freezing and wet in England). Then throw in the Play World bit. This is where I need to fall back and remind myself that I'm not a child any more. For "real" kids though it's got with a tower slide, climbing frames, a toddler's sandpit area and a miniature railway. Toot toot. Once again I've found you a corking day out with a difference but do check what is open if you go before the Easter holidays. You have been warned.

I find myself in something of a quandary. I value the provision of these islands of nature greatly…read moreand will always defend them from the encroaching urban sprawl but I find that I cannot get very excited about Hemsworth Water Park, Nice enough lakes and the ducks were very duck-like, the grass was probably just as green as any other park and the children's play area as clean and well maintained as the best of them but the other play area which is rather grandly called Playworld was locked up thereby saving us a few quid for an experience we could get for free in any half decent public park. I left with the feeling that I had wasted fuel driving to Hemsworth as there are better parks much nearer to where I live.

Magnificent old deer park - worth a walk at any time of the year.read more

Great piece of wildlife and nature, beautiful lake and surroundings. My dogs love going walkies…read morethere all the time and like to have a little splash around. Perfect place to take sunrise/ sunset pictures. Very nice atmosphere, perfect to get out of the house for a few hours

Perfect 4 all the family including the dog. Very clean + tidy, even though you have to pay to park…read moreit's worth the money we love going for a walk around the lakes + watching the skiing.

Lovely place this especially on a sunny day. Great to walk around the lake, perhaps even take a…read morepicnic. The parking is now 70p. There is also a caravan park attached if you fancy staying here.

A lovely lake with plenty of ducks, and I couldn't believe how many swans were there. The cafe is…read morelovely, being disabled, Ive never walked around the lake, but I have heard it is a nice walk.

What a great find!…read more Pugney's is just off Jn 39 on the M1 and it has a big lake where you can hire canoes, kayaks, dinghies, windsurfers and even pedaloes. Around the outside of the lake you can take a small train ride (for the younger children), there is an activity park (no swings and slides though) and even places built specifically for bird watching. Today I went on a pedalo with my two children. It only cost £6 for the three of us and it gave my legs some much needed exercise having to do the pedalling for all three of us! Afterwards my eldest went on a kayak (only £3.70), he had never been on one by himself before but he quickly picked it up and really enjoyed himself. The cafe sells paninis, jacket potatoes and sandwiches all at reasonable prices and there are two ice-cream vans ouside. There are also benches outside for people who want to bring their own food. The best thing of all is that there is no gift shop so my children can't pester me to buy them something! Pugney's is overlooked by Sandal Castle and this is only about three minutes drive away and well worth a visit afterwards!

My main memory of Pugney's country park is of dropping my Thornton's turkish delight bar in there…read morewhen I was about eleven, and being grudging and outraged for the rest of the walk. I suppose that wasn't 'Puggy's' fault! In spite of that, it's an attractive local spot and attracts all the water sports enthusiasts and a horde of waterfowl, is a nice spot for a walk and handy for Sandal Castle. (Also known as the spot where the Grand Old Duke of York marched his ten thousand men, up, down and half-way). It is however a bit short of public conveniences and eateries, which might increase tourism in the spot. Just a thought!

Loads to do at this park, which ever end of it you go into! If you're near the sports centre,…read morethere's a big playground for kids, and a little one for the really young uns! And in the summer there is an excellent little railway. I took my boy on it back in September - think I enjoyed it more though haha! At the other end, there's a duck pond, pitch and put, a putting green, tennis courts, and gardens. And there's grass - loads of grass places to picnic etc! There's also a nice little cafe and a pub hidden away in there somewhere too! In the summer, they have a music festival with real ales etc. and this year Dodgy headlined the Saturday, which was pretty cool!

A great park right in the centre of Wakefield. There are so many things you can do at Thornes Park…read more- from feeding the ducks to playing pitch and putt or tennis! There's also a nice childrens' play area and a lovely rose garden, but I think the best thing really is the amount of grassy space to just have a picnic or play football or rounders. Part of the park is also used to host Wakefield's music festival every year, which showcases a host of local bands playing every type of music - from heavy metal to folk! This festival is certainly worth attending as every year it gets better and better, but the park's worth visiting at any time of the year. It's quite large but there's good access, with at least two car parks (and there are pubs nearby if you get thirsty!)

Parking area is way too small and needs to be enlarged period people were parking on the sides of…read morethe road and on places where they shouldn't have been period there are people getting an altercations because they're waiting for people to drive in so they can exert period they really need to rethink the parking area for Locke park.

LOCKE PARK is to Barnsley what Buckingham Palace is to the entire United Kingdom, if you understand…read morewhat I mean. It's Barnsley's jewel in the crown, so to speak. It's a large area of open parkland with the occasional shrubbery and flower beds scattered around. It was given to the people of Barnsley to use for recreational activities. However, today's Locke Park lacks the amenities it had many years ago. In the olden days there was a large outdoor paddling pool, a large playground for children of all ages consisting of swings, climbing frames, roundabouts, monkey-tunnels etc., there was the well liked avaries housing lots of budgies and a few birds of prey and there was the huge greenhouse that housed the magnificent Banana Plant that actually grew Bananas and there was the Lion's Den and fountain in the rose valley gardens. Not all is lost though, the park still has it's famous bandstand although no bands play there now. It still has it's most famous landmark the Tower. The park cafe still exists and is still serving cups of tea, coffee, mineral waters, sandwiches and ice cream. Oh, I cannot leave without mentioning the park also has a full human size bronze statue of the man who once owned this parkland. I cannot state his name here, but he was years ago a famous railway engineer and a Son of Sheffield.

This is my local park, loads for kids to do from parks and trails. Park run have a route here on…read moreSaturdays from 9am & I love the Oakwell Music Festival that's on in July.

Open all year round, free entrance, its good for a variety of different walks in woodland or more…read morechild/pushchair friendly. There is a great swing park and small cafe (where to be honest the service is slow and the food not amazing) but there are zillions of blackberries to be picked at the right time of year. There is a lovely little visitor centre, and a small gift shop as well.

Great park. Nicer than the main Royton park. Quieter, more spacious and it doesn't seem like your…read morein Royton A good play area to kids, great for riding bikes, jogging etc. Great for picnics as well, however on the downside is there is no toilets.