This is a little hidden gem just outside of Aylesbury. There is a decent sized playground area, football pitches on the main field, a fitness trail, basketball courts, skate park and even a beach!! All of these facilities combined mean that the Hub at Aston Clinton Park is very popular and was one of the first places I wrote a review for! There are a few walking trails you can do around and from the park but the ones on-site are fairly short.
They recently rebuilt the community centre and it looks fantastic. I’ll be keeping this review of the Hub Aston Clinton updated with their progress. Please do bear in mind the works may affect the facilities available.
The footpaths from the car park to the playground are good for bikes and scooters. There is also a footpath down to the beach area. During previous versions of my review of the Hub at Aston Clinton I’ve mentioned some of the playground equipment was broken. It had generally started to look a little bit shabby, but they have just updated large parts of it.
The playground at the Hub Aston Clinton
During the refurb they’ve kept quite a lot of the old equipment, the stuff that wasn’t in too bad condition. The swings are still there, the nest swing, see-saw, the accessible equipment and the play tower. Aston Clinton Park has good accessible facilities as well. They have two swings suitable for children with mobility issues and a level access roundabout as well.
However “they’ve completely ruined the playground” is Middle Child’s scathing opinion on the new equipment. I think it’s going to divide a lot of people. If you kids are under 10 (maybe even under 9 TBH) then the new playground at the Hub Aston Clinton is great. If they’re older than that then there’s not really anything for them now. This new frame is probably the bit most designed for them, but the fact that 5 year olds were scrambling all over it and he struggled to get through the hole to access the main slide shows it probably isn’t really for them.
The massive slide they had here has been replaced by one about half the height, ditto the rope pyramid. There’s also a new climbing dome which is cool, but still aimed at younger kids.
The new toddler play-frame is really good as well. Like I said, if you’ve got younger kids this playground is REALLY good. If your kids are older then, now, not so much. And that’s a shame because it used to be a real favourite of the boys.
The Beach at Aston Clinton Park
I’ve mentioned this a couple of times. Bucks being somewhat landlocked (apparently the furthest point from the sea in the UK but that’s disputed) it’s not an actual beach of course! There is a stream that goes through the back of the park and they’ve put lots of shingle down to make a beach. Relatively recently they added several benches too. Most of the shingled area is quite shallow, but do watch the very little ones because it does get deeper in places. You will get muddy here, not all of it is shingle and, of course, mud + water + children = lots of mud! My kids and their friends love this place.
Follow the footpath at the back of the playground to go to the beach. There is also a path through the woodland area of you fancy off-roading.
Your Cafe in the Park review
There is an onsite cafe at the Hub Aston Clinton called Your Cafe in the Park. They actually also run the cafe in Tring Natural History Museum as well. There is a cafe and a small soft play area. It’s got a bouncy castle and various soft play shapes to climb on. There’s no play frame though. This is normally very popular with local families. It’s relatively reasonably priced and serves a decent variety of food. Look out for the Chocolate brownies. They are huge and really good.
Your Cafe in the Park review update. We revisited the soft play area now that it has reopened post Covid. It all looked very clean and is separated from the main restaurant area. Soft play sessions are currently run for 2 hours each and cost £2.50 per child.
Our Aston Clinton Park Review
With decent facilities, plenty of space and even a beach Aston Clinton Park was also going to be popular. The playground area is good and there’s a nice variety of things to do. I can’t wait to see what all the new investment brings. I’ll keep updating this review of Aston Clinton Park as the building work progresses.
Make sure you check out the activities that go on at Aston Clinton Park. There are various different classes that take place during the week, including Story Frog that I went down to review. Click here to read my full review of the class.
Admission Cost
Entry is free
Parking / How to get there
Parking – this has recently been improved (less of the huge pot holes that were a big issue before). There is plenty of it and it’s free. When there’s a match on I imagine it can get pretty busy though, despite overflow car parks.
Address – London Road, Aston Clinton HP22 5HL
Food
There is a cafe on site. There is seating inside and out. There are also various picnic benches around the playground and beach area.
Toilets
These are within the cafe.
Please note, this review of Aston Clinton Park was originally written in 2018 and updated several times since. The local council are currently investing significantly in a brand new community centre which replaced the old cafe building. I think most of the work has finished now, but there might still be the odd thing.
Visit the Aston Clinton Parish Council Website for full details of all the facilities on site and any notices such as closures.
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook