Black Park Country Park Reviews Summary

Parking

Pros:

• "Parking available for low cost inside the park - about 5.50 for the whole day."
• "Good parking facilities with card and cash for payment."
• "Free parking on the main road which is handy."
• "Good amount of parking, but gets busy.. the parking is cash, cards or via the parking app (RINGO) paying via the app means you skip any queues for the machine and can top up your time there as you walk around."
• "Plenty of space in the car park. £2.70 for 2 hours but some people park in the lay byes about 10 minutes away."
• "Parking payable - does accept card and parking app payments."
• "Tonnes of parking and pricing is reasonable."

Cons:

• "Huge lines for parking payment machines, not all of them work and no way to pay remotely by phone or app."
• "Parking is pretty expensive and the machines where all down today making paying for it a 20 minute process."
• "Charge for parking a little high but if it keeps the area maintenance to a high standard that is a good spend."
• "£5.95 for parking is a bit on the expensive side really."
• "Parking is expensive, around £5 for the day."
• "Parking prices are quite high."
• "A shame about parking costs though."

Cafe and Food Options

Pros:

• "Snacks and meals available at the cafe."
• "The cafe serves a good selection of sandwiches, soup, baked potatoes, ice cream and drinks."
• "Has a great cafe by the river, you can buy ice cream and coffee and snacks there."
• "Stop in the café for a snack and coffee. Great food and drink at reasonable prices."
• "The cafe is great, reasonably priced and quick, with good choices for vegetarians and vegans."
• "Cafe had decent food, but highchairs a let down as most of the safety harnesses were broken plus they were sticky and filthy."
• "Cafe available and toilets."

Cons:

• "Speaking of which, don't bother, what a rip off. 4 ice creams cost £14."
• "The area near to any toilet, ice cream van, tea or restaurant for food and drinks is absolutely shocking."
• "The tree top net park is great fun for the kids but is a bit pricey at £21 per person (kids and adults, at the time of this review) for 2 hours."
• "Bloody great big lines for food though and not enough places to sit."
• "The only down side was the extortionate prices for hot drinks from the ice- cream van - £19 for 4 hot chocolates and 2 filter coffees!"
• "Don't expect anything better than weak coffee and just about edible sandwiches."
• "The food is abysmal, unfortunately, but to be expected given the seasonal nature."

Park Maintenance and Cleanliness

Pros:

• "The whole place is very well kept and litter free."
• "The loo's were very accessible and really really clean which was good!"
• "The main parts are well maintained and accessible."
• "The whole place was beautifully clean, very little litter despite all the picnics."
• "Stunningly beautiful park which didn't feel crowded."
• "Simply fantastic therapeutic woodland. Superbly maintained."
• "The car park is pay and display, the patches are well made and the whole area is beautifully nurtured."

Cons:

• "It was sad to see that people hadn't respected the common ground rules just so that we can keep a nearby park preserved for our own enjoyment. Really disappointing."
• "Some visitors left their rubbish in the forest. Please could visitors refrain from ignorance and keep their rubbish with them."
• "Some areas the ground is covered in brambles, these ripped at my jeans and trainers somewhat."
• "The area near to any toilet, ice cream van, tea or restaurant for food and drinks is absolutely shocking."
• "Unfortunately during recent weekend visits we have met a number of antisocial, out of control dogs being walked off lead, resulting in stressful family dog walks."
• "Hated it... ill maintained place with too many natural hazards.. enter at your own risk."
• "However some of the kids aren't managed properly by parents sometimes so be careful if taking very small children."

Activities and Attractions

Pros:

• "Kids swings and other activities."
• "A beautiful space. We visited the family zone around black park lake, which has a cafe and playground area."
• "The children had the most amazing day learning and exploring in the outdoors, a perfect way to end the school year."
• "The kids play area is great for younger kids."
• "They have a GoApe in the park as well."
• "Today we done the dinosaur trail which the kids enjoyed."
• "The park has a cafe, go ape kids adventure playground, a visitors centre and a lake."

Cons:

• "Gets busy in the holidays, warmer days and weekends."
• "It's a bit crowded in places probably due to Go Ape."
• "The tree top net park is great fun for the kids but is a bit pricey at £21 per person (kids and adults, at the time of this review) for 2 hours."
• "Bear in mind the park is used for filming which can close off areas in the park."
• "Puts you off visiting, especially with small children."
• "Of course activities are not for free, online booking."
• "Careful with go ape, you do need to finish all sections of your tree adventure within the allocated time or they may limit the number of sections."

Accessibility and Family-Friendliness

Pros:

• "Lovely woodland. Wheelchair friendly 20 min walk around the lake to the cafe."
• "Definitely recommend it for a nice walk, cycling or jogging."
• "The park is large with a range of different settings including a field area which was good for ball games and picnics."
• "Really lovely park, with lots of dog walkers and people with children."
• "There is a circular walk around the lake which has a solid wheelchair friendly path so it's a great place for the disabled."
• "This place also offers a lot of activities for kids and kids at heart."
• "A beautiful park with loads to do with the children."

Cons:

• "Only criticism is that people don't seem to understand the need to socially distance, or what 2m looks like."
• "The paths are good for walking /cycling but to rough for children's scooters."
• "It's such a nice quiet park. If you want to spend a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of London, just go to that park straight away."
• "Would not currently recommend during this pandemic situation. Way too busy, too many people."
• "Black Park is a brilliant place for kids, but beware if you use a pushchair or wheelchair as the paths are a bit rough."
• "While there is a lot of parking, it can get really busy and a challenge to find parking."
• "Only downside is that it gets very busy during hot weekends and you will struggle to find parking."