went to the park last week with our children and saw the new slide area which is absolutely…read moreterrible. To be able to get up to the slide, you have to crawl through small holes which are very dangerous if you step backwards and forget that it's there.. I'm surprised it's been allowed. Also considering it's near Great Ormond Street Hospital, you would think it was more of an SEN friendly park. Such a shame.

Wish the ground is soft neat foam like ground not dirt ground. Other than that seems more down to…read moreearth than US ones. Two bouncing crossing ropes" are extreme fun for 5 yrs n plus kids.

Woah! This park has it all! Also known as St Mark's Park…read more(after the street on which is located) Kensington memorial is brilliant and the perfect place for kids and adult to go crazy. This park has been recently refurbished and I am very happy because its like 10 mins away from mine. It is wheelchair accessible, has a adventure playground with colourful apparatus+ sand box, a larger play area for older children with space rockets climbing frames etc and a large water park that is an absolute blessing on these hot, hot day! And the best part?! It is all free!! There is also a small shop(open during the summer months) that sells hot/cold snacks and chairs and tables you can eat at. Lots of toilets, grass, shade etc. It also includes tennis courts, football, junior cricket classes and One O'clock club which is managed by Family and Children's Services. The park was opened in 1926 in memoriam to those who fell in the Great War.

A great place to spend a beautiful sunny spring day! I'm amazed that I've been living in London for…read more3 years and somehow managed not to find this place until now even though I've driven to Stansted at least half a dozen times. D'oh! Parking costs a £5 for the day and about half that if you're arriving after 5pm. It's free for National Trust members. Don't worry if you've forgotten your sticker, just show them your card at the gate and you'll be issued with a little paper ticket. There are at least 3 car parks I can think of off the top of my head. One right at the entrance, one near the lake and one by the cafe. I'd drive right in and stop by the cafe as it offers the most central location, allowing easy access to all parts of the forest. There are lots of trails, open fields as well as forested areas so a bit of everything. I saw quite a few signs of bushcraft so if you're into that then this is a great place to put in some shelter building practice.

A great day out, couldn't recommend it highly enough…read more Lots for kids of all ages to do here, there's a large lake for fishing, an area for feeding geese and ducks, loads of tree's to climb, plenty of wildlife, and best of all LOADS OF SPACE! Great to ride to and around on a bike, the cafe does a great range of homemade pies that really are worth the trip alone. There's numerous sturdy picnic benches that seat up to 8, and at easter/xmas that do a little treasure hunt for the young uns, which my lot love. Get down there pronto, but if you are going to drive, please have the decency to pay to enter the car park. For years there have been loads of people parking on the road and entering for free, so finally double yello lines have been painted on. Sad but necessary.

Watford needs and deserves a nice park and Cassiobury hits the spot. As well as the plethora of…read morefootball pitches (none seem that big mind), tennis courts, netball courts and cafes there is a really cute miniature railway that the kids will love. The path around the park will take you through some nicer parts and out to the Grand Union Canal where you can watch various people struggle with the locks. If you a right at the toe path you can also wander the 1km or so down to The Grove Hotel which is worth checking out. Every year the park is also host to Watford's Firework display which is free and of a generally high standard.

Cassiobury Park is a really beautiful place and has something for everyone. There is a lot of open…read morespace with shady trees. In the summer the paddling pools are open and the children can paddle in the pools or splash in the fountains. This area is well staffed an supervised by qualified people. The cafe in this area offers a selection of hot and cold food and drinks at reasonable prices. At the far side of the park is a shallow river/ stream that is teaming with fish. This is simply perfect for children's first fishing experience. There is a miniature train and a traditional play ground with swings and slides. It's a great place to take a picnic. I feel safe going on my own with my young children. The parking and pools are free with a small charge for the train.

What a lovely park to host a 5k race. It features hundreds of acres of maintained woodland…read moreinterspersed with fields and streams, making for a great trail run experience. It's easy to get lost even with a well-marked race route! A little-known bit of history about the park is that the Georgian hunting lodge was used as a POW camp for German officers and was heavily bugged. The British were able to learn all the Nazi plans, but were unable to act on many of them due to the various levels of military intelligence involved, and subsequently the Cold War. It was as important as Bletchley but receives none of the prestige as it was all ordinary translation and not high-tech codebreaking. I'd really love to go go back and try the Go Ape high ropes course - looks a blast but we were exhausted from the race!

Had a wicked time at 51st State festival here. Real close to Cockfosters station too.read more

I grew up spending my weekends at Frimley Lodge Park. My dad and I had a specific route that we'd…read morebike, which would start off at the train station, lead along the river, down that exhilaratingly steep hill (always a highlight of the ride), then through the fields and back around. In fact, I first learned to ride a bicycle here. My dad ran behind me along one of the long gravel paths, promising to hold on to the back of the saddle while I pedalled -- a promise that he failed to keep, of course, and it wasn't until I looked back to see him now yards away from me that I realised I was riding on my own. I've never lived anywhere since then with a park like Frimley Lodge, and I miss it. My family moved to California over ten years ago, and while there are plenty of small community parks, nothing compares. I always go back to the park when I'm visiting Frimley, if only to remind myself of how lucky I was as a child to have such a great expanse of beautiful green land practically in my back garden. It's a fantastic place for walks, runs, bike rides, or team games in the field. Not to mention BBQs and picnics!

What a superb day out for the summer…read more On arrival you drive into a large car park facing a long strip of grass that serves as a picnic area. Walk one way and you come to the huge lake full of ducks and Canada geese (please don't feed them, concentrate on the ducks as the geese are highly destructive and helping to lower the population of native species). You can walk along the concrete path on one side of the lake and all the way around through the woods on the other. Nestled on the edge of the woods is the adventure playground. There is a large one for older kids, and a smaller one for toddlers, with lots of picnic benches all around them. On hot days this place is always packed. Behind the playgrounds is a further picnic area, and the fantastic Rare Breeds Farm. There are a selection of endangered or very rare animals from pigs, to goats to chickens and turkeys. They breed them there too and time it right and you can see the babies ambling around. It's a very important and commendable initiative to have in a public country park. I always place a donation in the box. The snack shop sells a variety of food and drink, including ice creams and is fairly reasonably priced for such a place. If you don't fancy eating your picnic near the car park you can walk beyond the lake to the 100 Aker Wood. Supported by Buena Vista a lot of effort has been put into it. Most characters have their houses portrayed and they have been cleverly built around the oak trees that form the focal points of the fields. The kids will spend ages going from house to house, knocking on the doors and peering through the windows. There are two bridges to play poohsticks on, and a stream with rocks that the kids can jump across too. A large open field with long grass is the ideal picnic spot, but there are plenty of trees around the edges if you want some shade. Scare the kids by pretending to be caught in the Heffalump trap too - it's fun! Even children with only a passing interest in Winnie The Pooh will be captivated by the houses, and it's nice to see something so well maintained in a public space. When you sit in the field too, that space seems idyllic. Looking down through the trees it's easy to be at peace and really feel that you are in the countryside. The £4 weekday / £5 weekend and bank holiday car park charge may seem a little steep to some, but when you consider that you can easily spend the whole day here I think it's good value for money compared to some of the more traditional days out. One word of warning though, you have to pay to exit the car park and the machine only takes coins from 5p up to £2 so make sure you have the right money!

Aldenham Country Park is really in Elstree ( the map page would only accept Watford)…read moreThis is a beautiful location full of woodland walks, open fields, and lakes. It's easy to park and you pay to get out so make sur you have plenty of £1 coins. There is a lovely animal area that you can walk around. At the exits are sinks with soap and running water. There is a lovely picnic area and a traditional childerns park. There is also an assult course for older children. The best by far is the Winnie-the-Pooh's '100 Aker Wood' trail where you can walk around to see if Winnie-the-Pooh or any of his friends are at home. Each house is made of wood and has a door knocker. The children simply love going from one house to the next. This is a lovely location and perfect for a day out.

This is London's version of Central Park only much grander and more natural and rustic feeling…read more Think wild blackberries along the trail's edge, three ponds, dogs galore, picnics around every corner, tennis courts, fenced in kids areas and more. The 300+ hectares (looks up conversion ) Also features woodlands, meadows, grassy lawns and paved trails. It's a London treasure and certainly worth a stroll and picnic. The surrounding neighborhood is filled with beautiful homes and fun shops.

Given my slight fetish for nature and all things fantasy, Hampstead Heath was my very first…read moreexperience in a real London park where I realized I felt more at-home here than in any tropical beach. As such, this ginormous park/ part-forest holds a special place in my heart. The best times of the year to roam its rolling landscape- which isn't always the easiest to walk through given its steep hills- is between late Spring and the Fall months, as the leaf-laden trees add a lush and secluded feel to its denser areas; it's kind of like stepping into a fairy tail. If you've never been, make sure you keep track of where you came in, as it can be pretty easy to get lost here the first few times, and all that walking can get pretty exhausting if you're not used to it. I do love me a little adventure, though; and there are uglier places to be lost in. Once it stops raining for a few weeks and the mud becomes hard enough to sit on, this spacious park becomes a hot-spot for picnicking and sunbathing; especially during the weekends. So, bring a blanket, some food, and maybe a dog, and you have yourself the perfect Sunday. A huge plus is the restaurants and pubs near the Parliament Hill Fields entrance to the park, where you can get everything from food and booze, to gelato and coffee (the good stuff); so even if you're too lazy to cook- like me- your wallet's got you covered. Keep in mind, driving and parking in London sucks, and this place is no different. The number 88 bus takes you right to one entrance of the park, and I'm sure there are others on the other side that can get you close enough to walk the rest of the way. It doesn't get much easier.

I loved this beautiful set of lakes, they were absolutely magical. The springs that feed the Silent…read morePool (named so for how still, clear and beautiful it is) sit at the bottom end of the lake, and at the minute, you can't (aren't supposed to) go down to the end due to some subsidence on the path. I'm not saying I went down there anyway, but it's so amazing to see a natural spring. The water is a weird, blue colour and so crystal clear that you just want to dip your feet in, especially on a lovely warm day. It's an ancient, historic and oddly mythical lake. The only downside to me is that it's so small! It doesn't take twenty minutes to walk around it.

I don't know why I didn't come here sooner. Only discovered this place last month, its like a…read morehidden gem. A very massive park with a beautiful lake. I went about 4ish, was quite hot still, people were still coming in and out. Picked a rather nice spot just near the lake and took in the ever changing scenary. Quite a relaxed park, do as you please within caution, of course. Oh and this is a great spot for you all Pokemon go players!!! Watched the sunset was just mesmerising, shall be returning soon.

Nice place for walks. There are several lakes to occupy your time and the swans are even friendly!read more