…in Bath and North East Somerset

Places to play

Places to play in Bath and NorthEast SomersetVisiting parks and outdoorspaces like woodlands is a great way to enjoy familytime together. We’re verylucky to have so many parksand green spaces in Bath and North East Somerset. This leaflet and map showsjust some places that youcan go and play that arecompletely free to use. There is almost certainly one near your home.

Getting out of the house andplaying outside in the fresh air is a great way for us all to stayhealthy, discover nature, developa sense of adventure and makenew friends.

Why not find out as a family what parks and places to playthere are near you? Follow yourpublic footpaths to see what’sout there. Or you can askaround, put your postcode into the Council website(www.bathnes.gov.uk), or call the Family Information Service(contact details are on the backpage). You might be surprisedhow many places there are thatyou can use to play in.

Play RangersBath & North East SomersetCouncil funds CommunityPlay Rangers to work in parks across the area.

They run fun activities thatencourage children to makethe most of parks and openspaces, and to enjoy playingin a safe environment.

Some parents feel happierletting their children out toplay if they know there aresupportive adults around.

You can find out more by contacting the FamilyInformation Service (see back page).

Deta Gottschling from Shoscombeand his wife Libby have six childrenaged between 7 and 19 – five boys and one girl.

“My time with my family is precious – I always try tofind the time to do as muchas I can with my children on my days and evenings off.

We enjoy playing outdoorsand we use the park inRadstock because we canwalk there along the cyclepath from Shoscombe. We often go out for the daywith a picnic and we also go fishing as a family, sometimes to Avoncliff.”

Olivia Bird and her husbandNick live in Larkhall, Bath,with their two children,Matthew, aged ten, andeight-year-old Leon.

“We’re very lucky to live in thearea that we do – there is sucha wide variety of open placesfor the children to play andexplore.

We’re really lucky as our housebacks on to a playing field and I love the fact that they can justgo out and have unstructuredplay. They meet up with otherchildren in the area and makeup games, without adultintervention – something that isvital in developing theirimaginations and inventiveness.

We use Alice Park a lot as it isjust a five minute walk away for

us. It’s a great family park withloads to do; it has a playgroundand a sandpit, which my boysloved when they were little.There’s a café, tennis courtsand best of all a pond – greatfor catching, studying (and thenreleasing!) tadpoles in thespring/summer. It’s also theplace where my boys like toplay football and cricket.

We also use Victoria Park – myboys love the long enclosedsilver slide and the zip wire –and Alexandra Park because I love the views!

Henrietta Park is very prettyand peaceful. Leon learnt to ride his bike here; sadlyMatthew is yet to learn to ride a bike as he has special needsand can sometimes haveproblems with his balance andco-ordination, and so, althoughBath has lots of lovely places to ride bikes, it’s not somethingwe do as a family yet."

“Apart from the knownbenefits of sunshine andfresh air, I feel it’simportant to encouragemy children to just go outside and play.”

Play is for everyoneFinding places outdoors to relaxand play can be tricky for somefamilies, especially if they havechildren with special needs. Bathand North East SomersetCouncil funds two Family PlayInclusion Workers to supportschool aged children who needhelp or even just a confidenceboost to get out and play. JamesBeattie is the Family PlayInclusion Worker for Bath AreaPlay Project, based at Odd DownCommunity Centre in Bath.

“I work with children who aren’t, for whatever reason, playing, orhave little opportunity for differenttypes of play. It may be that theyhave low self-confidence, aphysical disability or additionalneeds. I help families to overcomethese barriers and get familiesplaying together.

Play is vital to the happiness anddevelopment of children, it is howthey learn and without it there arefundamental gaps in theirdevelopment.”

James is also a big fan of theCelebrating Fatherhood campaign,which is being run by the Council.

“Play is an area that dads are reallygood at and a way they can reallyhelp their children and have a lot of

fun. There are lots of regularopportunities for play and outdooractivities aimed specifically atfathers and their children – thatmeans dads, uncles, step dads,brothers and grandfathers – acrossthe area.”

The Council also runs a Wheels forAll scheme which makes cyclingaccessible and available to childrenand adults who may not be able toride a conventional cycle. Aselection of tricycles, hand cyclesand easy to balance scooters areavailable through the scheme.Contact the Family InformationService to find out more (see back page).

Sophie and Simon West livein Midsomer Norton andhave three boys: George,ten; Henry, seven; andJonti, aged three.

“Going outside to play as afamily is so important. Ourthree boys really need openspaces to run and jump andhave fun,” says Sophie.

“We use the Adventure PlayPark in Midsomer Norton,which has plenty to entertain allthree, despite the age range.There’s so much to do there.

“If we want to go somewherequieter we go to the park in

Wellow – I think that’s myfavourite park. I often meetfriends there. We take a flaskand can sit and chat, while the older boys use the playingfields and Jonti plays on thesmaller play equipment. The way it’s designed is sochild-friendly – it means thechildren can play independentlyand do their own thing, which I think is really important.

“We also use Alice Park on the London Road in Bathsometimes; again this is greatbecause parents can sit andhave a coffee whilst thechildren can run around andhave fun with other children.”

Things you could do with your family in the park:

Make a den

Have a picnic

Play hide and seek

Throw a frisbee

Collect leaves

Run your own Olympicgames

Make new friends

Get muddy

Pretend you’re asuperhero and act out an adventure

Make a daisy chain

Fly a kite

Look for animal tracks

Play tag

Hold a treasure hunt

What else would you do?

Jim Phillips lives in Weston inBath with his wife Rachel andtwo daughters, Mali, who’salmost one, and Mair who is two.

“Spending time playing with my daughters is soimportant. We usually go to our local park offBroadmoor Lane but we also use the RoyalVictoria Park in Bath. Mair and Mali both like the swings and Mair loves the slide.”

We would love to hearwhat you think

There are hundreds of parks and green spaces in Bath and North East Somerset and we can’t include them all, but we hope you find this leaflet useful and that it gives you some ideas for playing outside and places to go.

We’d like to know what you think of this leaflet. If you haveany comments or suggestions to make it better pleasecontact PlayOut_HangOut@bathnes.gov.uk or telephone 01225 396240

Photography © Play England and Oliver Edwards Photography. Front cover pic shows Edward Leigh-Woodof Swainswick Explorers.

Prepared by Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Family Information Service and published by Bath & NorthEast Somerset Council’s Print Services, Dartmouth Avenue, Oldfield Park, Bath BA2 1AS

This leaflet about play and parks in Bath and North East Somerset can be madeavailable in a range of community languages, large print, Braille, on tape, electronic and accessible formats from the Family Information Service.

If you want to know more about play and parks in your area,please contact Bath & North East Somerset Council’s FamilyInformation Service on 0800 073 1214, fis@bathnes.gov.uk or visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/fis

Bath & North East Somerset Council looks after around 70 parksacross the area; others are looked after by local parish councils,and some by Curo (formerly Somer Community Housing Trust).There are also areas looked after by the Woodland Trust, theNational Trust, and many other organisations, that are free to use.

Hopefully most people will be able to walk or cycle to theirlocal parks but most of the sites have street parking nearby.

Please keep your dog out of fenced play areas and away fromplay equipment. There are many other open spaces and parkswhere dogs can be exercised (please remember to clean upafter them). Please also remember some people, especiallychildren, can be scared of dogs, even friendly ones.

1 Bath, Alice ParkGloucester Road, Bath BA1 7BLLarge, historic park with parking, toilets andrefreshments. Fenced play area with sandpit.Tennis courts for hire. Open flat grass areasand flower beds. Ideal for a family picnic.

2 Bath, Bath City FarmKelston View, Bath BA2 1NWCommunity-run farm with animals, pond,woodland and lots of play space. Café andtoilets. Innox Park is next to the farm andBrickfields and Rosewarn park nearby.www.bathcityfarm.org.uk

3 Bath, Kensington MeadowsRingswell Gardens, Bath BA1 6BNLarge flat open meadow bordering naturereserve, next to River Avon (no barrier or fence). Some play equipment and goalposts. Great for picnics and dog walking.

4 Bath, Moorfields SandpitsMonksdale Road, Bath BA2 2JDPopular park with a stream running throughit with fun, challenging crossings. Sand play,plus kick-about area and shelter. Toilets and disabled parking.

5 Bath, Pennyquick Park and CarrsWoodlandNewton Road, Bath BA2 1RWPennyquick is a large flat green space withbike track and basketball hoop, plus fencedplay area. Next to Carrs Woodland, whichhas uneven paths to walk.

6 Bath, Royal Victoria ParkUpper Bristol Road, Bath BA1 2NQLarge, beautiful park with botanical gardens,ponds, and lots of flat open space. Largefenced play area with equipment for all agesand skate park. Toilets and refreshments.

7 Bath, Springfield Park, FoxhillMeare Road, Foxhill, Bath BA2 5PXLarge hillside park bordered by smallwoodland area. Gravel paths to play areas.Play equipment includes 5-a-side goals and basketball hoop. One play area fencedand gated. Bike track.

8 Bath, The Tumps/Odd Down Playing FieldsChelwood Drive, Odd Down, Bath BA2 2NXLarge site with a number of sports pitches.Next to large competition-level BMX track.Woodland area with uneven informal paths.

9 Bath, Weston Recreation GroundSouthlands, Bath BA1 4DYLarge, mostly flat, open space with fencedplay area with a variety of equipment andfootball goals.

10 Bishop Sutton, Cappards Road Play AreaCappards Road, Bishop Sutton BS39 5PSSmall fenced local play area with good path access and play unit with slide and springers/rockers.

11 Chew Magna, Norton LaneNorton Lane, Chew Magna BS40 8RXSmall fenced local play area with 5-a-sidegoals on neighbouring grass area andbasketball hoop.

12 Clutton, Burchill CloseBurchill Close, Clutton BS39 5PRSmall fenced local play area tucked behindthe houses. Play unit for juniors withdifferent ways to climb and play.

13 East Harptree, Coley RoadColey Road, East Harptree BS40 6BQSmall fenced local play area with parking.Variety of equipment including aerial runwayand sandpit.

14 Farmborough Church Lane Church Lane, Farmborough BA2 0ANSmall play area in field beyond the church.Play unit for juniors plus some trim-trail typeagility items and swings.

15 Hinton CharterhouseHigh Street, Hinton Charterhouse BA2 7SNSmall local park next to the pavilion with green space and fenced play area.Equipment includes play house and basketball hoop.

16 Keynsham, Kelston RoadKelston Road, Keynsham BS31 2NWLarge, flat open space with football goals,bike track, basketball hoop and climbingframe. Fenced play area with a variety of equipment, with easy access paths.

17 Keynsham, Keynsham Memorial ParkBath Hill, Keynsham BS31 1HLLovely town park on the hillside next to theriver. Fenced play area and small skate parkall easily reached via good paths. Café.

18 Keynsham, Manor Road CommunityWoodManor Road, Keynsham BS31 1JTWoodland and meadow. Mostly levelground with clearly-marked, though uneven, paths.

19 Midsomer Norton, Silver Street NatureReserveSilver Street, Midsomer Norton BA3 2EYSmall nature reserve on a hillside below the restored railway station. Lovely walksthrough trees and around a pond. Goodgravel path with some steep steps.

20 Midsomer Norton, Somer ValleyAdventure Play & Skate Park Gullock Tyning, Midsomer Norton BA3 2UGLarge adventure play and skate park. Sandand water play, double-width slide, basketswing and trampolines. Next to one of thetop skate parks in the country. Toilets.

21 Paulton, Paulton Memorial ParkFarrington Road, Paulton BS39 7LWLovely green space with play area next tothe village hall. Good variety of equipmentand easily accessed by paths.

22 Peasedown St John, Beacon Field French Close, Peasedown St John BA2 8SNLarge play area next to community hall andcar park. One fenced play area plus largegrass area with basketball hoop and otherplay equipment.

23 Pensford, Publow Lane RecreationGroundPublow Lane, Pensford BS39 4HWSmall fenced play area with a variety of equipment. Small bike track nearby, plus parking.

24 Radstock, Tom Huyton Play AreaSomervale Road, Radstock BA3 3TXPopular play area with car park, toilets andrefreshments. Good variety of equipmentincluding a swing for wheelchair-users. Nextto Norton-Radstock Greenway cycle path.

25 Saltford, Claverton RoadManor Road, Saltford BS31 3ABLarge green space with a fenced play areawith a good variety of equipment. Footballgoals and basketball hoop.

26 Timsbury, Timsbury Recreation GroundNorth Road, Timsbury BA2 0JQFenced play area with variety of equipmentby Conygre Hall car park. Next to recreationground with football goals.

Just some of the places to play in Bath & North East SomersetAbout this mapThere are over 100 parks and green spaces across the area –this map shows just some of them, to give you an idea of what’s out there. Why not mark your favourite park on this map?

The parks marked with thislittle flag have beenawarded The Green FlagAward. This is given byKeep Britain Tidy andrecognises and rewards thebest green spaces in thecountry.