One of my new favorite places to while away a sunny day. Park up at the canoe club, then put on…read moreyour running shoes and jog down along the river to Sonning, pausing on your way to watch the boats navigate the Lock. The lock is one of the nicest i have ever seen- permanently staffed, beautifully kept, with flowers everywhere. On summers weekends they sometimes do cream teas in the lock keepers gardens- which look like a lovely way to enjoy the great british tradition of putting the world to rights life while eating scones with cream and drinking copious cups of tea! The path beyond sonning bridge becomes much quieter, and all the more lovely for it. When you get tired, and head back, collect a few friends and a picnic rug and settle down by the river in the open meadows near the canoe club. Watch the model aircraft buzzing around the sky, the narrow boats and motor cruisers chugging past and remember how simple and lovely life can be :)

I've been visiting California Country Park since I was a small child, and I still find it as…read morebreathtaking as I ever did. The forest is enchanting, with ferns and moss clearings, the nature trails are incredible, winding through the hidden bogs and woodland, and the lake is beautiful, teeming with fish and birds. Bring the children to feed the swans, meet the baby ducklings and play in the log themed playground, complete with zip line and a paddling pool in the summer. Have a cup of coffee, slice of cake or ice cream at Jackson's Cafe, and wander the park, breathing in the fresh air of true nature. It is one of my favourite places in the world, I hope you enjoy it just as much.

You cannot beat cooking with Fresh Herbs, This is great place, take the kids if they are scouts…read moreguides pathfinders let them get their wild plants honer. All these wonderful tasting fresh herbs in one place. And when you're done a lovely little coffee shop to take a break.

Best week of my life. I highly recommend going to the adventure playground and tell people they…read morecant go on the zip-wire fun for the whole family!

This is a big country park with quite a bit to do for younger children. As you can imagine there…read moreis lots of space to run about in, a few different play parks, a nice long walk around the lake and different nature trails signposted to keep the kids interested. There is also a ginat jumping pillow but unfortunately they don't let adults have a go! There is a good amount of picnic tables and places to sit, so definitely take a picnic and make a day of it. You'll want to stay and get your moneys worth after the price you've paid to get in. There are also a number of events that take place in the park, check their website before your visit to check if anything fun is on. There are toilets that are kept clean with good access for young kids (steps to stand on, lower sinks and hand driers) and a large shop selling all kinds of stuff, as there is a campsite within the park too. At £10 for adults and £8 for kids ages 3-10 (under 3yrs are free) during the peak summer months, it can add up to an expensive day out and when the park is full of other things that cost a bit here and there it can all add up e.g. the little train costs £1 per person to ride.

Lovely wide open space (the largest in Reading) west of the town centre, Prospect Park has football…read morepitches ("soccer fields" in American) as well as a nice playground, plus loads of walking and sitting and picnic spaces. A great place to take the kids and allow them to let off some steam. There is also a regency-style house that is a restaurant. I didn't check it out, but it looks lovely.

In the middle of a fairly built-up, residential area is this large park. It has a hill in the…read morecentre with a pub. Facilities include tennis and football pitches, parking, public toilets. A miniature railway is open some of the time and is great fun, and the park often hosts steam fairs and the like. There's a (very little) lake, a wooded area, and lots of green land with not a lot of paths in it. Which is great for playing games, not so great for walking across! Due to its hilly terrain, running around the park isn't very easy and there isn't a consistent path on the inside of the park either so for runners it can be a bit frustrating. If you like to challenge yourself on hills, however, this does the job! This place is very popular with dog walkers too.

We did a show here with my college, it is a massive place with a huge car park. The shows here are…read morereally good and not too expensive either. It is really nice and modern inside and it even has a bar but dont get anything from there if your counting the pennies. It has a lovely play area outside. I really like this place, I have also seen a show here which was fantastic!

South Hill Park is a house with an arts centre inside, and loads of park area outside. There are…read moretwo sections to the park area, with one part of a lake in each. Loads of room for running around, several play areas for kids. They often hold festivals, craft fairs and other activities during the year. There's often live music on Sundays on the terrace. There's also a comedy club which is very small but big names come to it often, especially to try out their material before a bigger tour.

This is a great park which is much bigger than it looks, if that makes sense. Walking into the…read morepark, you can see a small children's playground, but then it kind of mushrooms out, a huge bank of trees forming a natural amphitheatre. These trees are from all over the planet, collected by a Victorian botanist, called, naturally, Lord Desborough. There are lots of little paths leading through these trees, so you could explore for hours if you were so inclined. There are also paths leading away from the banks of trees to other entrances to the park. Very nice place for a picnic and entirely unexpected to find near the centre of Maidenhead. There appeared to be a little toilet block but I don't know whether it was open or not.

Exactly as described in previous review but now nicer, having been completely refurbished recently…read more As with most parks in the area, tends to become a teen drinking venue after dark (oh, the memories...)