I had originally intended to do a review of Oxhey Activity Park in Watford, Hertfordshire when it opened in September 2020 but something happened and I just forgot about it. It’s recently reappeared on my radar so I took Smallest Child down to check it out. Could this be the best skate park / playground in Hertfordshire for school aged kids / teenagers? Quite possibly. Heck, it might well be the best one for adults too. And younger kids won’t get bored either!
Overview
There are no less than seven different types of bike and skate park here. I genuinely didn’t know that this many types existed and, if it wasn’t for the handy map, I would have no idea what the difference is. At Oxhey Activity Park you’ll find; a junior bike trail, junior skatepark, jump box, BMX bike trail, flow park, pumpscape and skate plaza. The first two are mainly for younger children but when we visited Oxhey Activity Park to do this review there were some adults using the junior skatepark and some younger kids using the main skate parks. And it was all completely fine. There was actually a really nice atmosphere here. There were several groups of teenagers hanging around and having fun but there were none of the problems you might sometimes expect. They were just there to have a laugh and it wasn’t at all intimidating. Adults, kids and teens were all skating together, all quite happily.
As well as the seven bike/skate parks there’s also play areas suitable for younger and older kids and table tennis tables. There’s also the wider Oxhey Park to explore which has riverside walks and another (significantly less impressive) playground area.
The skate parks
I’m sure that there’s someone who can tell my why all these different park layouts make a difference. I’m certain that the different types of lump and bump does, indeed, make a big difference. The plaza looks like a shopping plaza so I’m guessing it’s to stop the kids from skating around Watford city centre! I was watching some of the people on their bikes, boards and scooters and it really is quite impressive some of the tricks they can do. All of which would have resulted in me breaking at least one bone if I’d tried to copy them.
It’s incredibly rare that somewhere has so much stuff you need to see that I struggle to limit the number of photos I add to any one section. This review of Oxhey Activity Park has exactly that problem. Sorry for all the pics but you really do have to see this place!
One thing that’s really nice is that people of all abilities were skating together. Although I’m making it sound a bit like a hippy commune for skaters, what I’m trying to say is that, no matter what their ability, the kids don’t need to be worried they’ll be laughed off the park.
They actually do BMX and skateboarding after school clubs here. You can find out more on their website. You can also see some pretty amazing aerial photos on their website.
Junior skate park and bike track
If it had just been the big five tracks then there would have been no point in taking Smallest child to Oxhey Activity Park today. Well, other than the playgrounds but I’ll get to those. Younger children are catered for with their own bike track (which Smallest Child spent hours on) and a easier skate park. This one was much more at my skill level! It still has all the bumps, ramps and drops, but they’re much shallower.
The bike track is too cute! It’s a little circular track with various lumps and bumps for small kids (balance bikes, three wheeled scooters etc) and they just love it. It’s a one way system and the kids were all so good at only going the right way around.
The adventure playground
The are two main areas to the adventure playground. There’s a massive high ropes frame which I originally thought would be too hard for Smallest Child. Actually it’s ok because the scramble nets have quite small holes. It’s perfect for bigger kids though. The boys would absolutely love this.
There’s also a little fitness trail, which is mostly about balancing on stuff! A range of swings including an accessible one.
Right next to the big frame there’s a smaller frame for younger children. This one is accessed by ramps and is quite wide so you could get a wheelchair along parts of it. You’ll also be able to access the ship’s steering wheel via the ramps (which speaks when you spin it). The rest of the playframe has got various slides, scramble nets and a fireman’s pole.
I really liked the musical pipes. Mainly because they’re not in my house! It reminded me of the ones at Clarence Park in St Albans. Turns out I could play quite a good tune on them. The toddler area has a spinning pole, nest swings, accessible roundabout and some other stuff.
Oxhey Park
Oxhey Activity Park is relatively new, and it’s part of the bigger Oxhey Park. If you cross the river then there’s lots of open green space, a riverside walk and another playground. It wouldn’t be right to do a review of Oxhey Activity Park and not have a look at the other playground. It’s old. Really old and incredibly tatty. I think it was probably pretty cool once, but it’s past its prime now. There’s a decent zip line but the button is falling apart and it sags a lot (happens to the best of us).
There’s a little teletubby hill with a plank between two hills (which became the troll’s bridge for a very loud reenactment of Billy Goat’s Gruff. Because this part is so tatty it was deserted at times – which was good because we could be as silly as we liked.
If you’re not into skating/boarding/scooting then it seems to be a fairly decent place to wander.
Our Oxhey Activity Park review
OMG. This place is amazing. Yes it’s good for little ones, and it’s nice that there’s somewhere safe for them to play on their bikes, but it’s really for older kids and teenagers that this place is outstanding. Like I said, there does seem to be quite a good little community spirit here. My boys could spend hours here. There’s loads of seating around so you can just sit back and let them get on with it. Yet again I’m so jealous that we don’t have something like this locally.
Admission cost
Free
Parking / How to get there
Parking – There’s a very small car park, only 35 spaces, but that’s deliberate. They want to encourage people to use public transport etc. Up to an hour is free. 1-2 hours (£2), 2-3 hours (£4), 3-4 hours (£6). Max stay 4 hours. You can pay at the machine or use ringo.
Address – Wiggenhall Road, Watford. WD18 0HS
Apparently you can also park at the retail park where Pets at Home is and walk over. Obviously I couldn’t condone doing that! Lol.
Toilets
On-site including baby change
Food
Cafe on-site. Picnics welcome
What else is there to do nearby?
Leavesden Country Park is nearby, as is the Harry Potter Studio tour. Rickmansworth Aquadrome isn’t too far away either.
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
