How often do you go to the park with your kids?

[scoobysnax]

Our local parks aren't usually very busy, and for some reason seem to have more tourists or visiting foreign academics than local people!

Just wondering how often people take their children to the park nowadays - or if different venues have taken their place in the world now?

I loathe going to the park. One of the (many?) things I do purely for my daughter. The nearest one is very, very good but it is all over the place so you can't just sit down with a book and let them get on with it. As soon as you sit down, she wants to go to another bit of the place. Thanks God winter's coming with all those rainy days

Thanks jimjams - I know where it is, never knew about the horses though. Swanley park is very good too.

jimjams - left the 6th form in 1982, and it only seems like yestermillennium. I was a sad person and never went to the Bedford Arms as I didn't discover boys & alcohol until I went to uni.

We go to the park nearly every day - sometimes for a quick visit on the way home from school sometimes longer but its practically across the road from home

Ahh before my time helenmc- I used to frequent the Bedford Arms in 1988. It was very under age at the time (and almost certainly very sad). Do you ever go back to Tavistock? I was there on Monday

Ha! Spooky, Jimjams, so was I!!! I like to pop into the fabric shop there every now and again.

We have a great park near us,really just over the road,I love it all year round. It has massive playing fields, goes alongside a river, and has a cycle path through it, that you can walk miles on in either direction.
It has two completely seperate,play areas for, older and younger children.
It was one of the many reasons,why DH and I bought this house.

haven't been back to Tavy for 3 years - discovered a Macdonalds!! I used to go to Tavyside in Russell st is now a doctors, and the comp has both primary and seconday kids now. and we used to go swimming in Bannawell - fantastic new place. Is Tavy textiles still there opposite the co-op???

That is spooky Oakmaiden! I thought of you when I drove past Horrabridge as well.

Oh this has all turned a bit South of Englandish.... well way up here in the North of Scotland things aren't much different. We have our range of broken down and vandalised parks however no-one has tried to burn anything yet. However there are plenty well maintained ones around too. I take ds and dd about once/twice a week either to the wee one across the road, a bigger one in the nearest town or a bigger one yet in the city. ds has only just stopped doing marathon sprints away from me in open spaces so it is a bit easier although dd is now learning to run so making up for it.

We also go for walks to the beach regularly as we live near the sea and go swimming often too (not in the sea though!). We do occasionally go to soft play areas but they can tend to be hot and crowded.

I think some people have become a bit soft and worry about kids hurting themselves or dirty old men asking if you want to see their puppies. I remember as a child everything was horribly dangerous in the park - we used to have a maypole sort of thing with metal rings on chains which would whack you in the face.

I know what you mean, eulalia. I found, as a child, that the most fun playground features were also seen as the most dangerous by adults. Anyone remember the spinning witches hats?

YES they were great!! There used to be one by Grandmas house which had loads of smashed glass on the concrete underneath, which used to worry my mother a great deal Can anyone remember those reall really tall slides? God I would hate mine going up one them-yikes