NOW CLOSED: Tell Britax your favourite Buggy Friendly Places - you could win £100 of Love2Shop vouchers

[AnnMumsnet]

We've been asked by the folks at Britax to help with their new campaign where they "want to unearth the UK's best buggy (and baby) friendly locations for a new guide to help mums and dads share their favourite places to take the family".

So, please do tell all on this thread about the places that you actually enjoy going to with your baby - places that welcome your LOs and make getting out and about with your pushchair easier?

For example, do you know a coffee shop with a buggy parking section? Or a pub with spacious seating and a climbing frame out back? Or maybe you want to recommend a library that's littered with lifts and has a dedicated toddlers? reading corner (that doesn?t have noise restrictions!)?

Please tell Britax your favourite buggy friendly locations and they'll possibly be included in the guide (MN nicknames will not be used). Everyone who adds a location on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win £100 of Love2Shop vouchers (which can be spent at over 20,000 stores - including Argos, Debenhams, Boots and Toys 'R' Us).

When posting please say

a) The name and description of the venue

b) Its location

c) Why it is so good

For more information on Britax's campaign to create the "Ultimate Guide to Buggy Friendly Britain", visit their Facebook page

Thanks and good luck.

MNHQ

[twotesttickles]

Blenheim Palace Pleasure Gardens

Woodstock, Oxfordshire

Parking right outside with flat surface to entrance. Train up to palace happy to take buggies (can take one unfolded if no wheelchair requires the space).

Ramps down to lowest bits. Cafe staff will prop open doors to let buggies in/out. Baby change at floor level.

(There are two bits, namely the maze and the butterfly house which are not strictly buggy friendly but you can navigate the latter with a small buggy if it's not too busy).

[twotesttickles]

Also, can I nominate the Oxford Park and Ride scheme which has parks at Seacourt, Redbridge, Pear Tree and Water Eaton. All the buses have dedicated buggy spaces as well as buggy holders for folded buggies. Drivers will wait while you get settled and if you have your hands full they have helped me fold a buggy too before. Children ride free as well. Buses all 'kneel' to allow easy access.

[TheLimeFairy]

The Forum in Norwich is great. It has big baby changing rooms that will fit buggies in and the children's library is on the ground floor.

There is a cafe that is child friendly and a lot of local mums neet there and there is a Pizza Express upstairs (accessible via a lift), which has loads of rooms for buggies and is very child freindly.

AND you can park in the car park below!

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

Ikea and John Lewis in Cardiff are graeat. They're thoughtfully laid out, have easy lift access and helpful staff, and the car parks both have generous spaces (especially John Lewis).

I'd also like to nominate the Cardiff Bay area:

Pizza Express, Wagamammas, and the cafes in The Millenium Centre are all very welcoming to families.

There is now a good multi storey car park with easy lift access.

The whole bay area is easy to explore with ramps as an alternative to steps all the way around.

The Cardiff Bay Barrage is good for all the family - completely flat all the way across to Penarth with a park and ice cream cabin half way, and a skateboard park near the Cardiff end where the little ones love to take their scooters . The barrage lock gates are a great source of entertainment for the kids with boats of all shapes and sizes going in and out of the bay. There are toilets at either end and some mid way across too.

[missorinoco]

Zinc cafe bar and grill in Manchester. Doesn't look like it will be buggy friendly from the outside, but they are very helpful and are (messy) toddler friendly too.

[jenniferturkington]

The main library in Brighton, Jubilee Square. Enough parking spaces for pushchairs within the children's section (which is useful if you want to leave a sleeping baby in the buggy while you use the library with another child). The children's area is spacious, it has toys aswell as books, it is comfy with rugs for crawing babies and sofas to sit and read together. All this is ground floor access and there are loos which are big enough to get the pushchair into.

[YaMaYaMa]

John Lewis in Liverpool - cafe is huge, with lots of room for buggies/prams so you never feel like you're obstructing people. Staff are really nice and friendly. If you buy food for yourself, the jars of baby food are complimentary. The parent room is good and clean, the loo is huge and can fit a buggy + bags etc.

[surprisearrival]

All the way down here in Cornwall ... The Hub in St Ives. It's right on the seafront with wide doors to get in, children welcome all day, highchairs, buggy manovering room, toys, baby changing facilities, kids menu is something an adult would actually eat too (and comes with an ice lolly), staff happy to warm baby food (and hold baby when you need a hand free!). AND..amazing cakes :-)

[BikeRunSki]

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park on the edge of Wakefield is very buggy friendly. It's in a large rural setting, but there is a decent path from car park to visitor centre, wide aisles in visitor centre and shop, lift out of visitor centre to get into park (main access here is steps) and easy walking round the grounds and galleries with a buggy. The restaurants and cafes on site are doable with a buggy too.

[janx]

The science museum in London. It has a buggy park and lifts to access all floors. Area to bring your own picnic too

Bethnal Green museum of childhood has a Huge area to leave buggies if you want too. Lots of things for all ages

[cherub59]

Peter jones in sloane square.

We know it as "mummy central" in west London as it is so baby and mummy friendly and even toddler friendly! Fab parent rooms with rocking chairs for breast feeding. Great food on the 5th floor fir toddlers and they will carry your tray fir you if you are pushing a buggy. And the kids/baby department us brilliant.....

[MegBusset]

V&A Museum Of Childhood
Bethnal Green
Big buggy park, lifts/ramps to every floor, and a nice child-friendly cafe. Plus an indoor sandpit and loads of hands-on stuff for the kids to do.

[Fuzzled]

Union Square Shopping Centre in Aberdeen.
It has good parking for parents (even normal spaces aren't too bad for getting buggies out), it has excellent baby change facilities in the centre itself, including family toilets! All the restaurants take buggies and again have baby change facilities. And it has lifts at either end of the centre so you don't have to walk for miles to get to another level.
I always park in there even if I'm going shopping somewhere not in the centre - but I usually end up having coffee/lunch specifically because it makes shopping with a buggy almost effortless

[BikeRunSki]

I could say similar things about John Lewis (Cole Brothers) in Sheffield, as previous posters have said about other branches of John Lewis/Peter Jones, so maybe the John Lewis Partnership stores as a whole should be put forward ? At least the dept stores, I have little experience of Waitrose.

I love that in Sheffield there is a huge cubicle loo in the Parent and baby room, so you can take your pram in with you! Never used to know what to do with it when I was bursting and have often had a wee with the door open and pram outside in a public loo!

[moonbells]

Like AlmaMartyr I am going to say the Eden Project in St Austell.

I went there with two grandparents (one disabled) and small boy and buggy. Seriously impressed - they not only have a completely wheelchair and buggy accessible place, they also supply said wheelchairs for folk who can't manage hills but don't normally have one (like Mum) and also a wheelchair pusher!!!

Everywhere has ramps and circular walks, or lifts. Everywhere is wide enough for two buggies to pass each other (how often do you find somewhere accessible but without places to pass?).

The chap who wheeled Mum about was a seasoned volunteer and he took us everywhere and with a guidebook knowledge too.

Will have to go back with DS when he's a bit older, so he can do the hands-on stuff.

Another place is the London Wetlands Centre where we went a few weeks ago. DS is not in buggy any more but even if he had been, the hides were all accessible and the place full of places to change babies, wide walks and lots of wildlife. The car park has quite wide spaces so getting in and out isn't too bad, and one of the loos is right next to the car park so you can go even if you haven't yet paid to get in!!!
The restaurant is also easy to get in - tables not too close together.

And to make a third recommendation, any John Lewis store. Dedicated baby rest/feeding room separate from loos and again restaurant with enough space to wheel the buggy without clobbering others.

[moonbells]

(seems I'm not the only one who likes John Lewis! )

[welliesandpyjamas]

a) Cosmeston Lakes Country Park

b) Penarth, near Cardiff

c) Lovely, peaceful place for family walks. It's massive so there are plenty of routes (so lots of varied return visits). There are easy paths (for all buggies), rougher paths (for the bigger wheeled buggies or those not afraid of puddles and mud aftere rain), and forest paths (for the offroading buggies). There is a very very cool playground with something for all ages. There are ducks and swans to feed, squirrels to harrass observe, and cormorants to watch. There are blackberries galore in late summer and autumn. You can barbeque overlooking the lake for free (if you bring your own kit) or you can hire one of their big bbq grills. Parking is free, there are acceptable clean toilets, and a cafe serving hot/cold food, drinks, and ice cream.

[beautifulgirls]

a) Bluewater Shopping Centre
b) Greenhithe, Kent
c) Really easy parking all free, easy access for buggies to both levels of the shopping area via lifts, plenty of toilets and baby changing areas, also feeding areas too. Lots of lovely shops and places to eat and sit with buggy space, especially in the John Lewis Cafe area.

[cather]

The Trafford Centre, Manchester is great as they have parent and child toilets so you can take the buggy into the toilet and there are also child size toilets for young children. There are plenty of lifts in the shopping centre and in the stores and all the shops have plenty of space to manoeuvre a buggy. There is a large food court and the staff are always very helpful and will carry your tray whilst you push the buggy.
There are also water features which entertain young children.

[maxybrown]

Ikea - Ashton Under Lyne (Manchester) Loads of room, a doddle - you could prob get 3 pushchairs in the toilet! There is a changing station, adult toilet and child toilet.

[planetpotty]

Costa coffee shop

Chippenham (but all are good!)

All costas have room to get buggies round, loads of high chairs, they support bf mothers by displaying the blue sticker, staff kid friendly, have nappy change facilities.... Starbucks pip them with the ents though as they have books and colouring for kids

[gilliancd]

The St Ives estate in Bingley is great! Plenty of well surfaced paths to explore, a great play area and good parking.

[TheGhostNotMe]

a) The name and description of the venue
John Lewis Bluewater

b) Its location
Bluewater Kent

c) Why it is so good
Just all round - big toilets you can get buggies in, big changing area with sofas for feeding or quiet time tucked away, bottle warming machines, helpful staff - if you are in the cafe with the buggy they will bring your tray to your table for you. The lifts are always working and accessible, and the shop is laid out really well so you never seem to be blocking an aisle or crashing into things.

[Monstermuncher]

Another nomination for John Lewis here! My local store is Glasgow which is very easy to get around, has lots of spacious lifts and the customer collection point has an automatic door so you can just push the buggy through. Oh and they have baby bottle warmers in the baby change area.

[wompoopigeon]

Oh dear, I am going to say John Lewis as well. Their Oxford street branch has a toilet cubicle you can wheel the buggy inside easily and then there are two toilets side by side- one adult sized, one toddler sized. Also if you are pushing a buggy in the cafe, they will bring your food to your table, including free baby food.
I tried hard to think of anywhere else which welcomes buggies and babies. The fact I simply cannot is a bit depressing! London Zoo- tells you off if you leave your buggy unattended and has no buggy parking. Kew Gardens, still no lift to one of their main attractions (treetop walk). London aquarium, too dark and crowded. Most shops and cafes, no space.