Park Your Bottom Here (British Parks In General)

Member Name: Emmald

Product:	British Parks In General
Date:	06/02/09 (107 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An inexpensive family outing

Disadvantages: There are ony disadvantages if the park is not well kept

During the Summer months our beautiful local park bursts into life.
School summer holidays begin and out come the cool boxes for the picnics, the swimming costumes and the bathing trunks, bats and balls and tennis gear and young families head off in droves to enjoy and make the most of any better weather we may be having.
The park is a joyous, inexpensive and thoroughly wonderful place to be on a sunny afternoon.

As you walk through the large wrought iron park gates you notice how well kept the park is, a credit to the Park keepers. The grass has been well mown and the edges have been trimmed properly.
The park has two levels, on the lower level is a boating lake, two tennis courts, a pitch and putt golf course and of course the all essential Ice cream hut.
In between the two levels runs a stream, beyond the stream on the second level is the children's playground. It has every conceivable plaything, an assault course, two large climbing frames, a roundabout, a large slide, some sit on toys for the toddlers, two sets of swings and the icing on the cake is a huge paddling pool.
Every Summer the paddling pool is filled and this becomes the main attraction. At the weekends the children's area is chock a block with young families. Mums and Dads roll their trouser legs up to help their offspring wade through the warm water in the paddling pool and the picnics are out in force.
I have spent many happy afternoons in the local park with the family and the only cost of the outing has been a round of ice creams.

The green wooden ice cream hut has a couple of tables and chairs perched outside and they sell tea and coffee at affordable prices.
When you choose your ice cream you don't have to reel through an endless list of wafers, cones, lollies and choc-ices, the choice is limited which makes life much easier. If you happen to run out of pop on a particularly hot afternoon then the green hut can provide you with a can for around 75p.

Tennis is a popular game and the courts remain full all afternoon, there are plenty of budding Wimbledon champions but no strawberries and ice cream!
Pitch and putt attracts some future candidates for the Scottish Open and often the local Bowls team will have a practise session on the bowling green adjoining the tennis court.

A large boat house stands by the side of the boating lake, every Summer the same couple of chaps take charge of the boating. The lake isn't large or deep but you can still have a fun boat ride. If the sun shines then the boatmen can bet their bottom dollar that they will have a good days takings.
The ducks sit beside the Lake in anticipation, most children look forward to feeding the ducks, it is a wonder that the ducks aren't obese!
In the middle of the Lake their is an Island, often the birds and the water birds choose to nest there.

A path runs right around the Lake, so families can push their pushchairs and prams right the way around and anyone in a wheelchair can have an enjoyable day too.
Of course a park wouldn't be a park without a Bandstand, a small cream wooden bandstand sits there more often than not empty, which is a great shame.

Each border is filled with colour, the soil is filled with vibrance and beauty. Whoever attends to the park gardens can give themselves a pat on the back. Each year sees a wonderful display of colour.

So you see our Local park is quite a magical place to visit, we are very fortunate. On my travels I have been to some parks that have been similar, well visited, well cared for and respected.
On the other-hand I have visited parks where you felt that sitting on a swing would be an unhealthy thing to do.
Our park is kept Graffiti free and although dogs are allowed in (except for the play area) they have to be kept on a lead and there is a strict no fouling rule in place.

I am sorry I have waffled on telling you all about out local park but maybe it is one of Britain's better parks.
Britain`s parks rely on their visitors to take care of them, if the apparatus is vandalised and covered in graffiti and the park is strewn with litter then it becomes a hostile place. People feel intimidated and tend to steer clear.
But at the end of the day a park is only as good as the people who frequent it choose to make it, and I for one have been to some amazing British parks.

Summary: A great way of entertaining the kids for next to nothing.