A peaceful haven for the whole family (Coombe Abbey Country Park (Binley))

Member Name: crazyminx

Product:	Coombe Abbey Country Park (Binley)
Date:	25/09/08 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to do, no entry fee, beautiful gardens

Disadvantages: None

Coventry has a bit of a bad reputation as a grey, concrete-based, industrial city without much colour or prettiness to boast of. But this is not necessarily true, and nothing proves this more than a trip to Coombe Abbey Country Park, which is just a few miles east of Coventry and boasts 450 beautiful acres of woodland, grassland, lakes and gardens.

The park is open daily from 7.30am until dusk, and entry is free, though there is a £3 cost to use the pay and display carpark. If you have a carload of 4 people this makes it less than a pound each for the day, which is hard to complain about!

The park has lots to offer. As soon as you leave the carpark there is a huge area of grass and trees, which is usually dotted with people picnicking or playing frisbee. There are a few picnic tables where you can eat lunch whilst watching the sheep in the adjoining field or your children playing on the nearby adventure playground (which is small to medium sized, but high quality with lots of different activities). Next to the playground there is a visitors' centre which includes a restaurant, a gift shop, a discovery centre to teach children about the park's different creatures and habitats, and a video and small exhibition about the history of Coombe Abbey.

Beyond the visitors' centre the park really opens up and you can explore the woodlands. A lovely path through the woods (which is not paved but still would be possible to take a pram or pushchair along) takes you along next to the huge lake which is home to many ducks, swans, etc. After about 20 minutes you come to a wooden shelter where you can watch the herons across the lake, or the birds eating at the nearby bird table. There are various pictures in the shelter to teach you about all the different birds and animals that you may spot, and a blackboard on which people note down which ones they have seen that day. I would recommend a pair of binoculars if you like this sort of thing.

Another 20 minutes or so of walking through the rest of the woodland will bring you back towards the visitors centre. You can now admire the beautiful scultped formal gardens in front of the abbey (an imposing and attractive building that is now a hotel - you are likely to see a wedding party if you go on a Saturday). These gardens, along with the ornamental lake, are really stunning and filled with bright flowers and detailed topiary.

If you wish to spend longer in the park you can also explore the arboretum with its 100-year old trees, or children can participate on a ropes course through the trees (I imagine there is an extra charge for this, though we did not investigate this). There are also places to get icecreams, hotdogs, burgers etc if you so desire.

You could easily while away a few hours or a whole day here - it is beautiful, relaxing and big enough not to feel too crowded, even on a hot summer's day.

Summary: Well worth exploring