Family

Riverside Park, Durham Review For Families

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Riverside Park, Durham

Sometimes it’s the unplanned stops that turn out to be the best, and Riverside Park in Durham was exactly that. We called in on the way back from a Scottish Borders trip during the February half term. Durham was a brilliant stop-off point, and as a vibrant, outdoor city, we knew it would have a good park. With a fantastic play area and riverside walkways, it’s definitely worth knowing about if you’re ever near Durham or fortunate enough to live in the city. 

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Middleton Park Review For Families

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Middleton Park

We’ve been meaning to do a proper review of Middleton Park for a while now. You might already know it as the giant green space that wraps around the Leeds Urban Bike Park (which we’ve raved about here), but it’s much more than just a spot for cycling.

This place is huge, varied, and full of the sort of outdoor family fun we love. It’s a fantastic spot for families, dog walkers and runners with trails, play areas, tennis facilities and a lovely cafe. Best of all, it’s completely free.

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Camping for Kids: Why It’s More Important Than Ever in the Modern World

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Modern childhood often looks very different from a generation ago. Many kids today spend hours glued to screens and stay cooped up indoors, missing out on the free outdoor play that once defined youth. Children now spend about 50% less time playing outside in unstructured activities than their parents did in the 1970s

It’s a worrying trend – one reflected in health statistics: kids aged 8–18 average 7.5 hours per day on screens,  and only around one in four gets the recommended hour of physical activity daily. As parents, how can we counter this sedentary, digital drift?

For our family, as well as actively promoting an outdoor lifestyle in everything we do, the answer has also been camping. Good old-fashioned camping trips in the great outdoors.

We’ve long been a cycling-crazy family, but we’ve learned that camping offers something even bigger: a way to get kids moving, learning, and thriving outside. It doesn’t matter if you have a tent, caravan or stay in a lodge as part of a campsite; the campsites themselves are where the magic happens.

They provide the adventure and freedom kids crave, with benefits that last far beyond the holiday.

In this article, we’ll explore why camping is so important for kids today. From the core life skills it teaches to the joys of unstructured outdoor play, here’s a definitive look, backed by research and experience, at what makes camping such a fantastic gift for children in the modern world.

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Woolley Park, Wakefield Review For Families

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Woolley Park For Families

If you haven’t yet stumbled across Woolley Park, tucked away in the gorgeous little village of Woolley near Wakefield, then pop it on your list. It’s one of those parks that surprises you with how much it offers in such a small footprint – perfect for a chilled weekend with the kids, especially if you’re local.

We’ve been coming to the park for years, but with our new school location just 5 minutes up the road, it’s a great spot for after-school play and some quick outdoor time.

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Hathersage Swimming Pool & Park Review

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Hathersage Swimming Pool

We’d had Hathersage Swimming Pool on our family list for a while. Something about an open-air swim surrounded by the hills of the Peak District just kept calling to us. So when a Friday inset day aligned with an unusually sunny forecast, we finally made it happen, and we had a fantastic day out. Not only did we love the Swimming Pool, but the cafe and park scored highly too!

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Newmillerdam Country Park Review For Families

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Newmillerdam Country Park

We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been to Newmillerdam over the years. It’s just 1.5 miles from home, close enough to cycle with the kids, and familiar enough that we rarely stop to take photos anymore. It’s the kind of place that is the place you go if you have a couple of hours of free time on a weekend morning. That’s our favourite time as we tend to beat the crowds, and it’s peaceful. 

Whether it’s a Sunday roam or a full afternoon of woodland wandering and gnome hunting, Newmillerdam has become our family’s go-to for fresh air and fun when we want to stay local and leave the car at home. 

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RSPB Dearne Valley – Old Moor Review For Families

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RSPB Dearne Valley - Old Moor

We’ve visited RSPB Old Moor a few times now, and it’s firmly cemented itself as one of our favourite family-friendly nature spots in South Yorkshire. It’s the kind of place that ticks all the boxes: open space for the kids to run wild, engaging activities like pond dipping and birdwatching, a nice, welcoming café, and genuinely peaceful views across the wetlands. We usually spend about 3–4 hours here, and could easily stretch it longer on a warm day.

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Sherwood Pines Campsite Review For Families

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Sherwood Pines Campsite Review

We spent Father’s Day weekend under the trees at Sherwood Pines Campsite, and honestly, it was everything we hoped for. Fresh air, forest trails, happy kids, and zero need for the car once we were set up. We arrived on Friday straight from school and managed to thankfully meet the rush and were shown straight to our pitch. Once set up, pizza consumed, we were able to enjoy everything this outstanding location has to offer. For Family Cyclists like ourselves, it was perfect.

If you’re looking for a family-friendly campsite next to brilliant cycling routes and woodland play, then Sherwood Pines Campsite is the one for you.

This was one of our first proper outings in the new tent, and it couldn’t have been a better start. This is the second review of our Campsites near Biking Trails section,n and we hope to produce many more. 

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Rivelin Valley Park Review For Families

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Rivelin Valley Park

We recently spent a crisp February afternoon at Rivelin Valley Park in Sheffield – and it really is one of those places that ticks all the boxes for a family day out. We’d previously visited in early autumn and loved it so much we came back again. With its woodland trails, river stepping stones, play park and café, it’s a great spot to enjoy the outdoors.

It’s more of a walking place than bikes, and on our two visits, we didn’t manage the splash park as it wasn’t open, but we’re already planning a return visit in summer to try the splash area and explore more of the surrounding valley trails.

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Free Public Play Areas Within the Sheffield District

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Endcliffe Park Sheffield

Sheffield boasts a wealth of free outdoor play areas suitable for families. From expansive parks with diverse facilities to charming neighbourhood playgrounds, there’s something for everyone. We have visited approximately 5 of these parks, but shamefully have only written up two of them. We plan to write the rest up shortly. We can vouch for the two we have written up, though. They are both excellent parks.

The beauty of our location in Wakefield is that you can venture into Barnsley, Leeds, Huddersfield, Sheffield, Bradford (to name a few) quite easily and enjoy the amenities they have to offer. Our weekends are typically spent venturing around parks and spaces throughout the county. Sheffield is just 30/40 minutes away so we can sample all the parks they have to offer with just a short drive into South Yorkshire.

Below is a summary table to help you compare the parks at a glance, followed by detailed breakdowns for each one.

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