How far do you live from a park?

[Curlewwoohoo]

Inspired by another thread about what age you let your kids go to the park alone. Several posts it sounds like the park is very close, which means kids can play alone at an earlier age.

We live in the centre of a market town, we have 3 parks but they are all 20 minutes walk, with some main roads. I can't imagine letting the kids go alone until maybe the summer before senior school. They would need to have some street sense. And maybe a phone.

So, how close is your park?!

2 smaller parks within a 5-minute walk. One medium-sized 15 minutes away and a huge park 20 minutes away.

Don't have kids but have two parks very near me. (West London). One about 2-3 minutes away. I only see dog walkers in there but don't normally go that way. The other is about 20-30 minutes away and is a big park. Also another is off the high street and is full of kid friendly places.

10 minute drive down roads with no pavement. My kids can go there without me when they can drive!

Right next to us there is one.

I have 5 parks in easy walking distance but a bit far / over a busy road for U10s to go to alone.

When Dc were young the local park was at the end of the road and they went from about 9.

15 mins walk from an actual park(playground) but we are right by the countryside. There's a hill behind our house the kids can play on and burn off steam.

I live rurally so 2 fields away.

We don't have a really big park in our town but several playgrounds nearby. One is across the road, one about 300 metres away, and a couple of school/preschool playgrounds a similar distance that are open to all outside school hours. Kids go out to play from 6/7.

Less than 5 mins walk. DS 14 and DS 12 and their friends meet there to play football, basketball and tennis.

We also have a railway park 5 mins walk away which is nice to wander through.

And another 10 mins walk away - again with tennis courts and space for football.

And a much bigger park around 20 mins walk away including disc golf and park run. My DSs will often meet up there to spend a few hours with mates - especially in the summer.

25 metres, it's virtually the front garden! Village playground/open area. Other park in village is 10 minutes walk

Big park proper is 10 minutes drive in the town with big playground, cafe etc but I live in a touristy spot so there is plenty to do.

Five minutes walk and only one road crossing required, which has traffic lights.

2 minute walk.

We are in London where you are never far from a park and they are usually full of parents so safe enough from dodgy characters.

3 mins walk to small recreation ground and play equipment. No road to cross so DC probably went alone from about 9 or 10. Then 5 minutes to huge a playing field and small wildlife area ( pond with very steep sides so not allowed there until 11+) and then maybe a couple of minutes more to small park with table tennis tables. But a road to cross which would be perfectly safe if people obeyed the 20mph speed limit instead of gunning up it in their enormous Range Rovers. So that was another 11+.

5 minute walk, I let my DS go with friends from year 6.

5min walk. Only 1 road crossing and it's not too bad so assuming DD is reasonably sensible I would anticipate her being about to walk there about 9 or so.

One is 5 minutes away and another is 20 minutes away

15 mins walk will get you to three different parks.

Half hour walk to another three.

We are lucky to live near so many. My DC are only little though so dunno about them going alone. I don't think I went alone til I was in secondary school tbh, I grew up in the area and there was definitely less traffic on the roads then than now too.

About a minute's walk

We are there all the time, it's awesome

Literally across the road. I can send them out to play and stick my head out the window to check

6.2 miles. There are many acres of woods and fields between here and there.

Four minutes down the road, never let my kids go alone but they were never interested in hanging out at the park anyway.

We have three that are walking distance from our house.

Park A: 1 minute walk. Tricky crossing where I've had near misses with cars. It's a lovely nature reserve type park but it's still city and only safe to walk the main paths during daylight, preferably with a large dog. I've personally had to call 999 there on a man chasing a young lady in the middle of the day. There have been numerous rapes in off hours, several high-profile knife attacks during peak hours, there's a drug den near our entrance, and one of the boundary roads is a soliciting/dogging hotspot.

Park B: 10 minute walk. Several tricky main roads to cross. Also the location of the rape, murder and body disposal of a 12yo girl a few years ago

Park C: 15 minute walk. Several tricky main roads to cross. Drug users like to leave used needles in the Wendy house in the play area and the local peadophile hangs about to assault the school children in the afternoon.

Obviously, DC aren't allowed to go to any of them without adult supervision.

15 minutes walk, crossing a busy main road. I let my 14 go now with a friend but I didn't before this year.

Park with football pitch, playground, multi use games area is 15-20 mins from our house. From what I recall - DS would have been allowed there straight from school with friends during y6 and I would have met him later. He first went up on his scooter to meet friends summer after y6.

Very small park with games area over the road from our house - probably went over with friends in y5 but I would have walked them over the road .

DS had mobile phone from age 10 - which for him was end of y5.

Small park about a 5 minute walk away, larger park about a 15 minute walk away. Am on the edge of National Trust land so their woodland is minutes away.