It’s been ages since I’ve had an epic day out with my kids and we absolutely loved Leavesden Country Park. Recommended by Bucks editor Vicki, Leavesden Country Park is in Abots Langley, Hertfordshire. With two great play parks, a heritage trail, lots of wide open space, a cafe and toilets it ticks all the boxes for a great family day out. What I couldn’t believe is that it’s all totally free, even the parking!
We needed a halfway meeting point with friends from London and Leavesden Country Park was perfect.
Next to the car park is the first of two great playgrounds at Leavesden Country Park and just outside is this wonderful covid snake community project. The decorated stones have all be set as a long snake into concrete with lots of fascinating designs from local Abbots Langley children.
Leavesden Country Park is long and thin with a playpark at either end and the Heritage Trail in between. It’s worth noting that you need to cross a couple of roads if you’re doing the full length. However, there are passing points and traffic lights so easy to keep an eye on kids if they’re running ahead.
Leavesden Country Park Playground
The play park is pretty cool with lots of unusual features. It was also the most busy so my photos aren’t great as it was almost impossible to get photos without other people’s kids in or they’ve been blurred, but hopefully you’ll get the idea. I would imagine that on a warm sunny weekend this place would be heaving.
The main play around centres around a large mound with a rope bridge to get up, a super wizzy slide and tunnels to clamber through. It’s not a huge park but everything about it feels different and exciting especially on a first visit.
We loved the wooden airplane, there was once an aircraft factory and airfield close by so it’s a great nod of remembrance. The factory is now home to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter studio which we passed on our way in. That’s another review I’ve been meaning to write up for ages.
Woodland Café at Leavesden Country Park
If you need a treat, hot drink or a toilet stop this is the place to go as there are no other facilities along the way. Despite the cold temperatures, my boys happily devoured an ice cream.
Sensory Garden
Next to the main play area and café is a little sensory garden with a bug hotel and benches. It was closed due to covid when we visited but looks perfect to chill out in with a toddler in hopefully not too distant future.
Leavesden Country Park Heritage Trail
Once you’ve had your fix of running around loopy in the playground, don’t miss out on the Heritage Trail. It has a smooth path running from the car park to the other end of the country park so perfect for scooters, pushchairs or wheelchairs.
There’s an amazing variety of sculptures along the heritage trail, each unique and each one my kids wanted to explore. They’re not spaced too far apart so it keeps little ones walking and ready to run to the next and all nestled in the wide open space. The first one is definitely worth stopping to check out. With a movie theme, crouch down to look through the slits and spin so see a series of images come to life.
Not to be missed are the mirrored panels. My kids and their friends spent ages making funny faces at each other, running around them and then just as we were about to leave, a local mum in the know showed us that you could actually push and swivel the panels. Excuse the lockdown hair, we can’t wait until the barber reopens. My eldest point blank refuses to let me anywhere near him with a pair of scissors and I don’t blame him after my last haircut attempt.
If you just want a run around or somewhere to put down a picnic blanket and chill out, there are plenty of little spaces to spread out in.
Langley Lane Play Park
Once you get to the end of the Leavesden Country Park heritage trail, don’t stop. Through the passageway at the end and over the road (there’s a crossing point), there’s another great park. This one was much quieter than the first, probably because it’s furthest from the car park and there are no toilets or other facilities here.
It was impossible to capture the full feel of this park on camera as there were children dotted around everywhere and it’s well spread out but still surrounded by a low fence to prevent escapees. It’s much larger than the other park and there are lots of different slides, tunnels, and playframes dotted about with little mounds in between. My kids bypassed everything to start and headed straight to the parkour area.
There’s also everything from swings, nest swings, climbing frames, slides and a sandpit area with great diggers that will keep a range of ages from toddlers to tweens happy. There are plenty of benches and the odd picnic table here too.
If you’re looking for a great fun family day out in Hertfordshire, Leavesden Country Park will be a hit and I know I’ll definitely be back again. I asked my boys for their verdict and they said it was sick – apparently that means it was brilliant!
