Adventure playgrounds in London

Time Out suggests great playgrounds all over London

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground

Many of London’s parks have fantastically imaginative adventure playgrounds that will keep the brood happy for a whole day. Time Out picks the best ones in each area of the city. Think we've missed a great adventure playground? Tell us in the comments below

Adventure playgrounds in central London

Coram's Fields
The children's park on this beautiful walled garden site is simply the best for miles around. There's an enormous sandpit and all sorts of toddler climbing frames, plus an adventure playground for the older kids.
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground
This commemorative play area is easily the best bit of Kensington Gardens for a child. A huge pirate ship on its own beach takes centre stage (take buckets and spades). Beyond this lies the tepee camp.
Regent's Park
Regent's Park has several playgrounds, but the most interesting is at Hanover Gate where, in 2010, a new timber treehouse area for older kids was built within a large sandpit next to the boating lake and existing playground.

Adventure playgrounds in north London

Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill sports a state-of-the-art adventure playground, still looking spanking new after its award-winning refurb. The imaginative equipment is designed to challenge children rather than keep them boringly safe, and there's also a huge and popular paddling pool.
Highgate Wood
Highgate Wood has an excellent and well-equipped playground, complete with sandpits, climbing equipment of various levels of difficulty and a zip wire that gets very busy at peak times. Great thought has gone into providing fun and challenges for the various age groups, and there's a separate area for the under-fives to call their own.
Finsbury Park
The children's playground here will keep kids amused for hours. There are fast slides going into the sandpit and really tricky climbing equipment to challenge older children, plus lots for toddlers to enjoy. Kids of all ages also love the enormous wooden structure adjacent to the playground.
Highbury Fields
The children's playground at Highbury Fields in Islington is popular, combining old-fashioned thrills (such as a circular train requiring Flintstones-style propulsion, and an excitingly long, steep slide) with more recent additions, such as the flying fox and giant, web-like climbing frames.
Clissold Park
Clissold Park opened a new wheels park, all-weather table tennis table and basketball area early in 2011 - the surrounding landscaped hillocks making a great viewing platform from where families crowd around to watch the stunts on sunny days.

Adventure playgrounds in south London

Brockwell Park
The playground in Brockwell Park is a favourite, with its aerial slide, massive sandpit and sections for different age groups; nearby are the duck ponds and the huge new paddling pool. A revamp is due to continue anytime soon.
Peckham Rye Skate Park
The Peckham Rye Skate Park with its wide selection of ramps is popular with older children.
Goose Green
The new adventure playground at Goose Green in East Dulwich is a hit with all ages.
Battersea Park
The park's adventure playground is superb, with plenty of original and imaginatively-built features. The climbing structures, slides and high climbing nets present unusual challenges for children aged 5+, and there's a separate area for younger kids too.
Horniman Triangle
Just over the road from the Horniman Museum (SE23) is the Horniman Triangle playground. This was completely revamped in 2009 with a massive circular sandpit, a climbing boulder with a giant spider and rope 'web' attached and lots of other interactive sand-play additions. There's a new café onsite too.

Adventure playgrounds in east London

Mile End Park
The Children's Park here is the place to head for a colourful and imaginative space that has a rope slide, scrambling wall, complicated climbing frame, swings and a see-saw, as well as a dedicated area for under-fives that includes a vast sandpit.
Victoria Park
Vicky Park is wonderful for youngsters: the V&A Playground is equipped with swings etc, and the fantastically designed Pools Playground encourages creative play. Victoria Park is seeing multi-million pound improvements in preparation for London 2012.

Adventure playgrounds in west London

Queen's Park
Queens Park has a giant sandpit, a paddling pool and patrolling wardens, and plans are afoot to give it a naturalistic makeover when sufficient funds have been raised.
Ravenscourt Park
Kids are well catered for with a nature trail and four play areas which feature a paddling pool, a rope and post fitness circuit and an adventure playground with fort-style climbing frames, slides and a popular basket swing.
Dukes Meadows
Dukes Meadows is a great local addition to Chiswick, with a paddling pool and a variety of climbing and adventure play equipment constructed largely from wood and landscaped earth.
Holland Park
Not to be missed is the playground in Holland Park, with its extensive climbing equipment, zip wire, giant see-saw and tyre swing. There's also a fenced-in separate play area for younger children.

Staffed playgrounds in London

Glamis Adventure Playground
The idea behind this community project was to create a space where children can take controlled risks while they are playing - and this must be one of the few playgrounds in the country where children are actively encouraged to build and light a bonfire.
Kimber Adventure Playground
Kids can swing around on monkey bars, climbing frames, big swings, tyres and ropes at this recently-refurbished adventure playground; there's also a brilliant BMX track to zoom round.
Whitehorse Adventure Playground
Whitehorse is a recent addition to London's adventure playgrounds and was built to encourage digging, climbing, water fights, go-kart making, den building and breaking, cooking, dressing up and lots more.

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Comments

By Hannah - Dec 13 2011

There is another Adventure Playground in Richmond - Upon - Thames called Marble Hill Playcentres, We are an inclusive facility which has an informal family drop in centre for 0 - 5 year olds, a Toy Library and an Award winning Adventure Playground for 5 - 15 year olds. Please see www.marblehillplaycentres.com for more details.

Thanks

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By Hayley - Oct 24 2011

There is never any info about places to go with disabled children, something where they too can join in and interact. And we need playgrounds with wheelchair accessible swings, roundabouts etc. Please help disabled children feel included too!