Saltwell Park Reviews Summary

Park Facilities

Pros:

• "The lake is a great view and has boats on it again a delight to visit."
• "Lovely place to walk. Plenty of seats to rest if you need to."
• "Two cafes, both really nice, the indoor one accommodates well behaved dogs."
• "Has a lake with paddle boats to hire."
• "Beautiful, idyllic park. Whether it's walking the dog, watching the swans and ducks by the lake, or having tea and snacks in the rose garden, it's a lovely park to spend an afternoon in."
• "Great park, always clean, tidy and well maintained."
• "Play parks for little ones and bigger children too."

Cons:

• "The wildlife don’t even look happy in the cages and they look barely looked after."
• "Firework display was dangerously overcrowded."
• "Brids etc not been looked after correctly 😠 toilets are absolute disgusting bottles and cans lying all over the place was once a beautiful park but now it is a right mess."
• "Shame about the towers, states 10-3 opening but is actually 10.20- 2.30 if you want a warm drink as they turn machines off early."
• "Toilets near children's play area filthy."
• "The public toilets near the play area were terrible and in need of an urgent overhaul."
• "The bins were overflowing."

Accessibility & Parking

Pros:

• "A nice Victorian park. Wide paths well kept and free parking."
• "Though parking can be a challenge it is free to park on the adjoining roads."
• "One of the many excellent parks in the North East. Free car park is handy. It's kept on magnificent condition too."
• "Plenty of free public parking. Loads to do climbing frames, swings etc, he loved the maze."
• "A beautiful popular park with free carpark and on road parking."
• "The Go Ahead Northern bus services (No 53 and 54) will drop you off right outside one of the Parks entrances."
• "It's really huge and well maintained park by the Gateshead council."

Cons:

• "The only thing it's hard to find a parking on a busy bright day."
• "Only poor thing was trying to get the car parked."
• "The car park is small and a long distance from the play areas."
• "Only downside you have to park on Saltwell Road which is busy to cross, and there are always some chavs roaming round, so hide your watches and rings."
• "Needs a better car park as spaces were taken quickly on the one way road."
• "The castle/towers is a cafe with some history on the towers up stairs."
• "The “boating lake” had no boats for hire anymore and the little zoo had only one mammal, a rabbit."

Family & Pet Friendliness

Pros:

• "I love the park, there are peacocks to enjoy and it's great to walk around in nature especially during autumn."
• "The Enchanted Gardens are running up to Christmas with the house and gardens lit up."
• "Very good for dog walkers."
• "Amazing park for everyone, you can be with family, kids, grandparents, with your dog or with your friends!"
• "A large car park is available at the far east of the park itself and off road parking is Very restricted."
• "Lovely family Park with lots to do, play area for young and older children, toilets, boating in the lake, cafe and ice cream van."
• "Great place to take your dog for a run about with other dogs."

Cons:

• "The problem is the animals trapped in crowded mouldy cages eating mouldy bread the public throw in as they have no food or water."
• "Go to the park regularly with our dogs... a lot of owners with dogs off the leaders large and small, which with a lot of small children there some of them looked scared as dogs approached them."
• "Bark park to let the dogs run safe, but 2 entrances which make it a little difficult to watch those little fury faces and keep them in."
• "The boats you used to drive in are now abandoned and are left rotten near the wildlife."
• "Shame that the cafe is closed, as I'd promised her an ice cream."
• "Took a 17 month old to the play area and found litter in the area which I had too take to the bin to stop my grandson touching it."
• "The park itself is fabulous but was disappointed there was nowhere for tea coffee or icecream or anything so take a picnic with drinks as thankfully we did but we promised the little one ice cream so we had to go elsewhere for that."