Ideally I would have liked to visit Bennett’s recreation ground to review the splash park but every time I went to go it had broken down! When was super annoying. And then some idiot set fire to the playground! It looks like all the teething issues have been sorted and the playground has been re-built so we went back to check it out.
Bennett’s Recreation Ground Splash Park
In the summer Dunstable’s free splash park at Bennett’s recreation ground is really popular. It’s not massive (16 jets apparently, but who’s counting?) but it’s decent enough. There’s a couple of self-filling water buckets to dump a ton of cold water over the kids’ heads. I definitely didn’t guide my children under the buckets at exactly the “wrong” moment a couple of times. Nope. Not me!
The splash park at Bennett’s recreation ground has also got a water cannon that’s surprisingly strong, and goes really far. Some little kid absolutely soaked me even though I was half way across the splash park. Middle Child, bless him, came running over to ask if I was ok. Well, yeah, you don’t go to a splash park without the risk of getting wet!!
Other than that there’s your usual range of jets but nothing particularly special. It’s got enough features (ands water!) to keep the kids happy, and that’s all that matters.
We visited on a very hot Saturday in the summer. It’s really hard to get photos of a splash park without other people’s kids in, and the one at Bennett’s recreation ground was a particular challenge. Don’t think it’s not popular because it isn’t rammed in the photos, I was just being careful. We arrived shortly before they turned the pumps on at 10 am and bagged ourself a bench. Even on a really hot day there’s only so much fun the kids can have. 90 minutes, and one trip to the cafe to utilise their first aid kid, later we were done. It was starting to get VERY busy and there’s no control over the numbers. With anything like this when the weather is nice, it’s usually better to go on a term time week day or as early or late in the day as you can.
No running in the splash park!
Oh, little side note. Kids get excited here and run around chasing each other. On the actual splash surface itself that’s OK. On the astro-turf that’s OK too, although there’s a surprising amount of dried bird poop! But on the circle of concrete paving the goes around the splash surface that’s a no-no. Biggest Child did a particularly impressive skid on both his knee and his shoulder. He’s now the proud owner of severl very large and deep grazes!
The playground at Bennett’s recreation ground
When I talk about the plaground at Bennett’s recreation ground, I should say playgrounds! There’s a decent sized traditional playground that normally I would say is pretty good. It’s got a playframe, swings, nest swing, slide, rope play frame, play trail, spinning cups and more. The fact that we walked straight past this wihtout a second glance tells you how good everything else on offer is!
This particular playground is mainly soft play surface so it’s good when it’s been wet.
The wooden playground
The wooden playground was the one that we were most drawn to. It might be slightly smaller than the other one but it’s all about clambering and climbing. And that is absolutely my kids’ favourite kind of playground! This part of the playground has got an amazing play-frame with two slides on it and loads of bridges.
There’s also a rope swing, trampoline, double zipline, climbing wall, various rope bridges to balance on and a play trail. It’s such a good playground, I really wish we had one like it in Aylesbury.
The other thing I quite liked about the playground at Bennett’s recreation ground is that it’s right next to the splash park. That means if the older kids don’t want to play in the splash park / get bored, they can disappear to the playground and you can still keep an eye on everyone. Result!
What hours is Bennett’s Splash Park open?
Bennett’s splash park is open from 2 May 2022 until 11 September 2022. No pre-booking is required. The jets are operational from 10am – 6pm and the cafe takes last orders at 5.30 pm. They may have to close due to weather conditions. Check their website for the latest updates before travelling.
Our Bennett’s Recreation Ground Playground and Splash Park Review
The playground at Bennett’s recreation ground is so good, and the splash park is great as well. The fact that you’ve got the cafe, toilets, playground and splash park all right next to each other is really useful. There’s also plenty of green space to play games in. The only downside? Minimal shade. Because it’s free there’s also no control over numbers. We went on a very hot summer weekend so we arrived at 10am. By 11:30 the kids had had enough fun and it was starting to get busy so we’d timed it right. Apparently it also starts to get quieter after about 2.30pm.
Admission cost
Free
Parking / How to get there
Parking – Ashton Square Car Park is nearby (LU6 3BE). Is free on Sundays an after 1pm on Wednesdays & Saturdays. Charges start at 50p for up to 30 minutes right through to £7 all day. Cash or app payment.
Address – Caneword Road, Dunstable, LU6 3AQ but for parking see postcode above
Toilets
On-site
Food
Picnics allowed, cafe on-site
What else is there to do nearby?
Dunstable Downs is just down the road and is also free to visit. Also the Dunstable version of the Treasure Map trail is based just around the corner so you can combine the two. You can buy your own map here (affiliate link).
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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
