Probably the jewel in Beckenham's crown and easily the finest park in the area. Like all great…read moreparks, this was originally the landscaped gardens of the Kelsey Manor Estate. Encouraged by the local newspaper, the Beckenham Urban District Council purchased it 100 years ago, saving it from extinction. Built on the River Beck, the large ornamental lakes provide an amazing array of waterfowl that I'd always taken for granted. Maybe it's because I used to be easily scared by Canadian Geese! Apparently, if you want to see Herons in the South East of England, this is the place to go. Alternatively, do what I do and just talk to the Canadian Geese like a madman. Not so scary now, are you? The park is very long, and not very wide in sections, and long walks meander through the trees and over the river. Large lawns provide awesome picnicking and loafing opportunities. What I like about the park is the many elements working together to create a park for all. The Northern sections of the park are quieter, whilst the South East of the park has all the action, with a Children's play area, tennis courts and a recently-refurbished cafe. I really love this park. No, it isn't well-known and you're not going to see it referenced in a movie but it's our St James' Park. And from the amount of use it sees, everybody around here agrees.

I really enjoy coming down to this quaint little park just down from the Natwest in Beckenham high…read morestreet for a bit of parklife in the summertime. The main focal point is a small lake populated by Canada geese and ducks, running down to a small waterfall and stream (no it's not for sale). You can probably walk it in about 15 minutes, but what's the hurry? Loadsa room to find a spot even when its perfectly sunny; I've spent some really lazy summer afternoons here relaxing with friends and a picnic without being bothered by anyone else. There's room for a kickabout or a spot of Frisbee, a couple of tennis courts and a good sized play area etc for the kids to scream and run around in if that's your thing. There's usually an ice cream van in the middle, but I doubt there'll be much need for him in winter.

A pretty little local park. It's on the top of a hill, and, though there aren't really viewpoints,…read moreit does feel airy. It also benefits from some nice landscaping and trees. The general grassed area is not huge, as there's quite a lot else going on. There's a huge supervised adventure playground open each afternoon. It was closed due to an electrical problem when I was there, but look quite simply awesome. Acres of wooden climbing and walkways, areas to ride bikes, a model dragon Another large area is turned over to tarmac courts. That seemed less successful. They weren't being used, and dust devils were blowing across them. (I'm not kidding it was a hot dry day and they were dusty!) There's also a second play area with an attendant present when I was there, and toilets. I only noticed the sign saying they were for kids and parents using the play area after I'd used them. Whoops Anyway, worth knowing if you are desperate and need to be sneaky! For a small local park it's definitely way above average. Very nearly earned 5 stars, and I might give it that if they had loos for adults and improved the courts.

A pretty local park in between Angel and Barnsbury. On warmer days you will see people jogging and…read moredog walking and its a pretty well maintained park. In addition there is an adventure playground too for kids to scramble about on.

This is a lovely park. we brought our four year old granddaughter and we all loved it. Large grassy…read moreareas for running, picnicking, and playing ball. Playground equipment for kids of all ages and it is right next to Spitalfield City Farm, which is free of charge. You could easily spend an entire afternoon here. Highly recommend this for families with young children.

If there is a magical place on Earth (that is not in Florida, USA), Allen Gardens has certainly won…read morethe title! In one of my walks around Shoreditch/Brick Lane area I stumbled upon this park with a playground for grown ups. I mean, SERIOUSLY? Me and my friend couldn't resist ,and we spent about 2h playing in all the games that were there. A lot of people come to have pic-nics, walk their dogs and play (like me!). The view is quite nice, and you can also watch the London Overground running above you. If you walk all the way till the end, you will face the Hackney City Farm's fence, and you can even see some animals hanging out. Something there is also very curious (but I don't have any information about) is the big house in the middle of the lawn - I'm not sure if someone still lives there, but from far away it looks a little haunted. This garden was for residents use only, but not so long ago, considering the development and growth of the area, it became public. I should have won you with "playground for grown ups", but if I still haven't convinced you this is a nice place, go check! :)

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.

Newly remodelled and busy with lots of kids. Toddler area is fenced. Jesus Green stretches around…read morefor good running and playing. There's a skate park nearby too. Daddy need to play too? The Fort St. George pub is just down river.

Awesome outdoors spot in Essex! This impressive park boasts :…read more - A Bowling Green - Tennis courts - A Children's playground - Two cricket pitches - Five football pitches What more could you ask for?

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.

A lovely place to go if you enjoy going for peaceful walks on your own, with your family or with a…read morefour-legged companion, although it's very easy to get lost if you don't know your way around as it's not very well sign-posted. It's great for wildlife watching as they have a few bird hides (sometimes used by BBC's Springwatch) and you can see all sorts of creatures if you're lucky. If you don't go on the right day then sometimes not everything's open so if you're going for a specific reason check their website first. Many, many years ago I stayed here with a group of Girl Guides and they loved the place, although they got scared by the stories of ghosts and haunted cottages!

I love wat Tyler Park. I used to go there often when I was small and even now I'm an adult it's…read morestill a nice place to go. There's more than enough to have a really big picnic with plenty of room to play games and not interfere with anyone else's picnic. There's plenty of places to buy an ice cream or something more substantial and the prices are reasonable. There's also some very nice little craft shops and galleries. There's alsoa boat museum which is worth a visit!

Really large park, good for after lunch walk. It takes me some time to find the deers. They are not…read moreafraid of people at all.

very nice park with loads of nice trees and a big park wgich is great for kids…read more nice to walk around, very big