Is your local play equipment any good?

[ParkyMcParkerton]

I’m trying to get some ideas together for new play equipment that could be purchased for our local park, mainly for kids aged 8+ (but also items that most appeal to kids of that age but that can be used by all ages). What are your local parks like? Are there any bits of equipment that you’ve seen that have been really cool/unusual? Are you jealous of other parks? (Why?!)

We currently have all the usual (swings, rockers, see-saw, small roundabout, couple of little climbers and a small slide) but I thought Mumsnetters might be a good source of ideas to mix it up a bit and make it appeal to older kids. What we have is really most suited to kids up to age 6 imo. If you have kids ages 8+ what do they most like to go on? I have my own ideas but would love a range of opinions so that I can put a proposal together that has a chance of success!
TIA

We are blessed with a decent park in walking distance, and an awesome one a 10 min drive away.
Usually found in the toddler area, but sand diggers are adored by my two.
Variations on monkey bars
Obstacle courses or balance courses.
A wild area - the wooded area round the edge of the park is a magnet for lots of the kids.
BIG climbing structure - we have one in a pyramid type shape, with little baskets about halfway up, and horizontal paths between them.
Any vertical walls have rock climbing holds screwed in.

I'd say just by joining a couple of simple things together you can exite the older kids because it feels bigger!

I can’t think what these are called but I always go on them!

Those funnels wheere one talks and one can listen.

Proper climbing tower. Crap photo, but like this one.

Water screws, channels, wheels, sluices.

Do you have a skate park? An area to do scooter or bike stunts is popular with that age group.

One local to us has this one, which is amazing

Mine love the swings. There's never enough swings in any park and too many seem to just have baby swings. Also like a decent high climbing frame, a zip wire and a trampoline.

There's a park in West bay, Dorset that is for ages 0-99 and includes equipment for wheelchair users, climbing tower, log swing, trampolines, big swings for 2-3 people and musical equipment, it's great fun!

Monkey bars (especially high, arched or sloped ones) and more challenging / higher climbing frames are good for older kids. We have some fake rocks to climb up locally, which are also good.

Thank you, zip wires are definitely a good call. @Filmbuffmum that park looks amazing! Will also look up the Dorset one. Inclusive equipment would be great. Unfortunately I think the budget will only stretch to one or two items rather than a whole play structure so I want to make sure we get it right!

@muddledmidget just looked and the West Bay play area is really impressive!

As a PP said, a big climbing structure and perhaps a slide down.

Having spent many an hour with DD in various local parks, a good roundabout is really popular - there's one which is low to the ground, has nothing to get hold of and goes really fast (made DH quite ill) which is popular with a range of ages.

Those rope bucket type circle swings which can hold several children at a time are always popular with older ones.

Shugborough National Trust playground has 3 tall thick tree trunks close together with climbing holds embedded. A good challenge! It also has large construction pipes raised at one end as a type of enclosed slide.