We recently made a new discovery - the most amazing children's playground I've ever seen - and it is less than 10 minutes drive from my house. It's located in a small village near where my mother in law lives which is how I first became aware of it, but behind the hedgerow I had no idea of the full extent of it.

We always used to go to a playground in our little town, it is pretty good with swings, a climbing frame with slide, seesaw and merry go round - but its pretty much like every other playground in the area - as if the county council has a blueprint for playground and creates them all as more or less in the same image. It is quite small and is always busy so you quite often had to queue to go on the equipment - particularly the 2 swings.

One day, I decided to go and take a look at the new playground with Cotswold Kid. I knew they had a big slide, swings and a play frame with slide but when we finally went in and had a proper look around I was surprised by the amount and quality of the play equipment.

Park Play equipment:

2 x baby swings
2 x standard swings
Basket swing
3x climbing frames 1 for toddlers, one for slightly older children, and a much taller one for older children
3x 'rockers' including the horse pictured above
Monkey bars
Obstacle course (logs to climb on etc)
small playhouse/shelter
an angled 'wheel' that turns as you walk on it
2 large xylophones (1 of wood, 1 with metal tubes)
3 small 'stepping stone' style platforms that make different sounds when you step on them
1 very large sandpit (gated and elevated to try and prevent cats etc getting in) full of old buckets and spades etc.
Skateboard style board on springs



There are picnic tables too and we have had at least one picnic there so far and if the weather remains nice we may have more.

All equipment is well maintained, the grass is kept neat and trimmed - the whole park is maintained by the local village community and the flowers are regularly weeded etc.




It's so beautiful and there is a huge football field so Cotswold Kid can run wild as as he can't get onto the road without going through a gate which puts my mind at risk.

The other day after passing a happy hour here it was time to leave. I told CK we were going 'home' a word that he now recognises. His face fell, he shook his head and refused point blank to leave throwing a huge tantrum and I basically had to drag him out.

I can understand why he didn't want to go, after all it is probably the best playground I've ever known - I certainly don't remember anything anywhere near as good when I was a child.

I don't want to say where this place is - it's so quiet and lovely and I know that sometimes when playgrounds have makeovers they get very busy and I like not having to queue to use equipment.

Do you have anywhere like this where you like to go? Maybe you have a special memory of somewhere like this from when you were a child and you still take your kids there now all these years later. Please let me know in the comments below.