Bradfield Southend

With Thanks to Claire for the park info and pictures. 


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Bradfield Southend is a lovely playground with lots of places to sit and some shade for a picnic. 

Bradfield South End is roughly between the M4 and the A4 - Bath Rd. It looks no distance at all from Calcot/ Tilehurst. 

There is a car park and a shop but no loo - I will see if I can remedy this with the toilet scheme. 

The steps up to the play equipment are great for little ones as there aren't any gaps.

Pictures: 

Playground open to car park

What an awesome slide! I've never seen anything like this!

My daughter would like this.

Having fun:) 

More conventional equipment:

For much smaller children.

Nice new seating. 

V convenient:) 

Agricola Way, Thatcham

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Obviously, but unfortunately, I cannot get to every park in country but I do know lots of people with similar motivations to me. The information about this park comes from a friend who lives in Newbury.

You need to park on Agricola way and walk up the footpath opposite Grassmead. At the top if the footpath you will find the park on your right. It's very enclosed so lots of safe space to run. There's an adult's outside gym and two football goal posts. Not much shade at all, unfortunately, and no toilets.

Pictures

Wallingford Splash Park. 

Not a million miles from Reading, and somewhere a bit smaller if you find the water park in Caversham a bit busy for your liking. 

The Wallingford swimming pool and splash park are on the north side of the river, before you get to Crowmarsh Gifford. From Didcot: Stay on the same road (The Street), drive over the bridge and the entrance to the car park is towards the end of the bridge, on the left hand side. 

I missed the car park and had to turn around to find the entrance. There is usually a charge but the machine was broken today so there was no charge. There is no charge for the splash park, but there is a £2.25 charge (I think!) for a two hour session in the swimming pool, for children, and approx £4.50 for adults. 

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We had never been here before today. There are loos and a big car park but not much shade around the pool. The children played for a good 2 hours, so as far as I'm concerned this was a success. 

I have pixelated these images. 

Also in Wallingford

Wallingford Museum. 

Caversham - Christchurch Gardens' Park 

and a boat ride.

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Reading folk will def know about this place, but if you are new, or if you live a bit further out then this may be useful. 

I was catapulted back to my childhood yesterday when I visited Christchurch gardens with my children, aunt, cousin and grandma yesterday. My parents would take my siblings and I here when I was small. Compared the parks in South Oxfordshire we frequent it seemed impossibly busy. Despite my anxiety, the children, particularly my son, LOVED it here. He was in the pool for perhaps two hours. 

From Didcot Caversham is ridiculously easy to get to, and quick, taking only 25 minutes. Drive down the A4074, passed Woodcote, through Mapledurham and towards Reading. Go over the bridge, take a right at the first roundabout immediately over the bridge, take a right as though you were going into the Crowne Plaza hotel car park - the car park is signposted very clearly and is on the right, parallel to the river. You get two hours free parking. Additional car parking is cheap here, I paid only £1.50 for three additional hours. I consider £1.50 for 5 hours parking a bit of a bargain! There is a car park closer to the park but you only get 2 hours free parking and if you want more you must pay £7.00 for the whole day, so I consider the mile you have to walk besides the river to be worth it. 

So, to get to the park: walk under Caversham bridge - you will be heading down river. The George Street Bridge will soon come into view. You don't need to cross any busy roads - you can walk  through the giant Thames Water building's car park then over the bridge.

There is a bit of building work going on at the moment but the pool and park is still open. The park is not like Wallingford's and Abingdon's though, it is just a paddling pool. It was possible to smell the chlorine which was actually comforting:) 

There is a loo. It isn't very ice, of course, but better than nothing!

Pictures: 

None of the pool - I didn't fancy sticking up pictures of 50 half naked kids who aren't mine! 

This is Fry's Island. Walk by this. 

Cross this bridge to the north side. 

My children spent ages playing with the bucket (above). 

Equipment for smaller children

and bigger children, 

These swings appear to be able to accommodate disabled children. 

Nearby

Forbury gardens (from this park, walk south into Reading, cross the roundabout, walk over the bridge over the railway and turn left. The gardens are practically in front of you.

Blakes Lock is really close to Toys R Us. Or, you could walk along the Kennet and Avon River which runs behind the Oracle.

The Reading Museum has loads of stuff in, including a full sized replica of the Bayeux Tapestry. 

Caversham Court Gardens  is on the north side of Caversham bridge, on St Peter's Hill.

Mapledurham House signposted off the main A4074 road, open Saturdays and Sundays. 

Boat Rides

Every Reading person has been on the Caversham Princess! 

You catch teh boat next to the Crowne Plaza hotel, 

Times/ prices. 

Reminded me of a school trip when I was about 6 or 7.

Trip up the Thames going west. 

Greys Court

Greys Court

This week we are going to Houses. Today we went to Greys Court (after we'd stopped off at Stoke Row - a fantastically friendly village), which is in Rotherfield Greys. To get there I go through Stoke Row, then towards Highmoor Cross (there's a well here, too) and then towards Shepherds Green. You must keep right. If you go past Highmoor Cross nursery you have taken the wrong turn. 

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My children loved it so much at Waterperry that they wanted to go back. They settled for somewhere similar and were not disappointed. 

Greys court has great gardens. It also has a brand new children's play area! It's shaded and there are wooden swords, helmets and wooden blocks to play with. There is a tree fort with a slide, a sandpit and a great tree to climb on. Totally brilliant! 

Near this play area there is a labyrinth, with benches all around so it doesn't matter what time of the day you visit. I've got to say that as today was hot and sunny the thing I appreciated most of all was the shade. 

We did look around the house (quickly!). My daughter was interested. My son was compliant. He noticed the stained glass windows (no photography) because he is brainwashed about them (oops!) but was decidedly underwhelmed by the rest of the house. Sometimes children just need to learn to forbear whilst other people get to do things they want.

Additionally Greys has an ice house and a donkey wheel which was used for drawing 

water from the well. The children were actually interested in them. 

Greys is a National Trust property so it is really well looked after, there are loos, a tea room and plenty of people to ask for help. 

Pictures: 

More garden walls, hooray:) 

I have climbed this tower but I didn't fancy it with my children, rucksacks and my very precious camera. 

Lovely gardens.

 



I'm not sure if this is an arboretum, but there's a whole garden filled with trees like this and  wooden structure where the trees upper branches twist around. It looks bewitching. 

There's something alluring about little doors leading off into gardens. 

Yay - more walls! 

The pond is in yet another enclosed garden so easily avoided. 

The house was once crenellated. This is an old part of the castle. 

The new castle!

The tree fort has quite a lot of standing area. My son spent ages up here. 

An unexpected surprise!

(Sadly) his is more my home from home, haha:) 

I saw really small children playing with these. It's apparent that the NT have made an effort to engage visitors of all ages. 

12th Century! Woah. This was used for over 700 years then. Totally amazing!

I really wanted to see the ice house as I have a bit of a fascination with them after seeing an amazing one on the telly a while aga. Some are beautifully tiled. This one isn't but it's still briliant:) 

When we arrived the cows had made their way into the ice house enclosure, eating the thatch and leaving presents for visitors. 

The light inside the house is solar powered and on a timer. I loved this juxtaposition 

Another labyrinth. We spent a long time here, too. 

View from the front of the House. 

Is there ever a need for a an excuse for pretty flower? 

Greys Court – Review By Jessica Mallows, Age 8.5.

Well it was a very good place although scratched myself on a tree I climbed and it grazed the back of the leg badly. On the bright side the children’s play area was epic!!! I really enjoyed the fort, it was up in a tree.

The gardens are beautiful. We had to wait to go in the ice house because the weight on the gate had broken and a herd of cows had wandered in, eating the thatched roof of the ice house.

Greys House is interesting. It has children’s activity sheets in most rooms - all you have to do is ask a lady in one of the rooms. The kitchen is nice.