The first time I wrote a review of Canal Fields in Berkhamsted I had a couple of issues with the playground area. It was really, really grubby and worn out BUT they’ve totally refurbished it and now it’s awesome! Canal fields is a park hidden between Waitrose and the trail line that has a playground, skate park and lots of green space to explore. It’s also right next to a river and the canal so there’s lots of ducks to see and boats to watch gently sail by.
Canal Fields Playground
The playground was the main reason that we visited Canal Fields. It’s a fairly large playground with various playframes for different ages. The equipment is all now all wooden (which I always find ages much better) and is in a gated area.
The biggest frame is brilliant for older kids, and quite challenging for them. You’ve also got to be patient because there’s no passing each other in certain areas! Particularly as you’re 6/7 feet up in the air. There’s a massive tube slide off here as well which Smallest Child was all over.
There’s another scramble frame at the back. What are these actually called BTW? As someone who writes reviews of playgrounds as a hobby I really should know what the kit is called! Anyway, one of these:
Other bits of playground equipment they had at Canal Fields for older children included a slide shaped like a castle, spinning poles, swings, a see-saw, nest swing and accessible round-about and seated round-about.
Equipment for younger children
The first thing you notice when you coming into the playground at Canal Fields is the MASSIVE sandpit. I do feel like maybe they missed a trick here (or ran out of money?). There’s some great equipment on site here, but the sandpit has nothing except two small pulley buckets that go nowhere. Unless you’ve remembered to take a bucket and spade with you, the kids were getting bored of this quite quickly with nothing to use the sand on.
That said, there’s plenty of other equipment for them to use. There’s a wooden train and tunnel, a small play tower with slide, a ship, rockers and toddler swings.
Some people will think this is good, some will think it’s bad, but there’s no set toddler / big kid areas. The equipment is fairly intermingled. The stuff for older kids does suit those up to very early teens so it might be something to bear in mind.
Canal Fields skate park
On the opposite side of the car park is the skate park. There’s a little shelter for people to hang out in (I imagine that gets a lot of action of an evening!!) and what looks like quite a decent skate park. There’s various ramps and rails and some steps. It has less jumps than somewhere like Vale Park in Aylesbury, but it’s a much larger area.
The canal
As the name would imply, this park is right next to the canal. When we visited there were several boats moored along the canal-side and plenty of wildlife. The tow path is quite well maintained and there’s a nice little walk along the canal that goes past a couple of locks. Most importantly it also goes past a couple of pubs! You can see the full route here. A slight detour will take you to the lovely Berkhamsted Castle which is free to visit.
What else is on-site
At Canal Fields there’s a Millenium garden, picnic area, a short toddler play trail near the skate park and an outdoors gym. The park is also home to a bowls club and a tennis club.
Just across the canal is Waitrose and the town centre if you want to get some lunch. It’s also worth mentioning that there’s a Treasure Map Trails for Berkhamstead so there’s plenty of things you can do to make it into a full, cheap day out. That’s actually what we did today! We started at the playground and did the top half of the map. All in (including playing at the playground and at the castle) we were out for three hours.
Our Canal Fields Playground Review
It’s a good sized playground and the equipment is good, particularly for the older kids. Canal Fields is a good starting point for to explore the local area. I looked back at my old photos of the playground at Canal Fields to update this review and the difference between the old and new equipment couldn’t be more different! It’s really great here.
My only concern is the flooring. There’s currently large sections of fine soil everywhere. I don’t know if this is waiting for something to be laid on it, waiting for the right weather to lay fresh turf or if it’s going to stay like that. If it is being left that this, I imagine this is going to get VERY muddy in winter!
Admission
Free to visit
Parking / How to get there
Address – Canal Fields, Broadwater, Berkhamsted, Hertforshire HP4 2AL
Free car parking on site for up to 4 hours. If this is full you can park in Lower Kings Road or St Johns Well Lane car parks
Toilets
None on site. The nearest public toilets are at Water Lane Car Park (behind Tesco) on the High Street. Customers of Waitrose can use their facilities as well…
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
