Abbey Park Reviews Summary

General Park Experience

Pros:

• "Awesome experience."
• "Absolutely gorgeous park. Very relaxing and soothing."
• "The park is always so clean and very well maintained, flowers everywhere."
• "A wonderful place to relax in - simply wandering around the paths within the Park looking at the attractive flower beds, the various mature trees, the birds."
• "It's calm. You can sit by the lake and enjoy the smell of nature."
• "A very nice spot near the centre of the city to walk."
• "A pleasure and delight remains after sixty years of visiting for me."

Cons:

• "The only thing that lets this place down are the toilets, they badly need a refurb."
• "Extreme nightmare to park anywhere near Abbey park on bonfire night."
• "The only shame is that the café is currently closed and awaiting new ownership so there is nowhere to buy any food or drink."
• "Slight shame that Pet's corner was closed."
• "The park overall needs to be maintained more often."
• "However....the toilet facilities are a disgrace and had obviously been left, for some time I'm sorry to say!😭🤨"
• "The only downside is the toilets were filthy and I was completely over powered by the smell of urine in the toilets."

Facilities and Attractions

Pros:

• "Amazing facilities. Has petting zoo and also a Park Gym."
• "Great for a bike ride, tennis courts are also available."
• "Throughout the year they have funfairs and events, though I don't go."
• "Plenty of open spaces to relax or play, go for a walk around the Abbey ruins, and for the younger children there's a playground and a pets corner to interest them."
• "For children there is also the pets corner, with rabbits, goats, hamsters and an aviary."
• "The secret Japanese gardens in the middle are gorgeous."
• "Abbey ruins is the major attraction."

Cons:

• "The ice cream van is a ripoff, stay clear in my opinion!"
• "The lake for the small yacht and boats is nothing short of a disgrace. Full of green weed, and not possible to sail the boats."
• "The park is great but the council has ruined the access since the redesign of the road...there is limited parking inside and this is causing problems."
• "The water was sadly full of plastic bottles etc, the cafe looked run down and wasn't very inviting."
• "The Japanese garden area was a little run down with peeling paint and clogged water areas."
• "Some areas left to grow wild which were full of bees 🐝 & butterflies 🦋."
• "The only thing I was really disappointed about was the state of the water it was thick alge and lots of rubbish im surprised the birds can swim in it."

Accessibility and Parking

Pros:

• "Parking from just £1 for up to 2 hours..whats not to like..love it!!"
• "Great link to the city centre, space centre and Abbey pumping Station."
• "10 minutes walk from city centre approx."
• "Only £1 parking on Sunday for all day."
• "Plenty of parking on site. Disabled bays are provided for those that need them."
• "Good car parking facilities - both free and paid options available."
• "Parking is free after 6pm and on Bank Holidays."

Cons:

• "Watch out for the car park entrance and exit at gate B...The incline out of the car park is very sharp and can scratch the underside of your front bumper."
• "Chargeable please be aware that since the road outside the main entrance has reopened after installing a new bridge and carrying out road upgrades, there are now Bus Lanes...and parking restrictions."
• "Parking is an issue in the summer months due to how busy it gets."
• "Small car park on entrance to the park which is pay and display."
• "Mainly parking can be an issue."
• "The only downside is the parking: the minimal amount you can pay for is two hours which isn’t really needed when you visit regularly or are just walking the dog."
• "Parking machines not working today but would only be £1 for 2 hours. Bargain."