West Yorkshire

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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Ryan

Hello. I am Ryan and along with my wife Beth and our two children Matilda and Barney, we love all things cycling and exploring. We spend our weekends exploring fun places to cycle and discover and wanted to help other people do the same too. There’s no better way to travel than via bike and it’s an amazing activity for the whole family to enjoy.

familycycling.co.uk

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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Ryan

Hello. I am Ryan and along with my wife Beth and our two children Matilda and Barney, we love all things cycling and exploring. We spend our weekends exploring fun places to cycle and discover and wanted to help other people do the same too. There’s no better way to travel than via bike and it’s an amazing activity for the whole family to enjoy.

familycycling.co.uk

Huddersfield and the wider Kirklees area are packed with brilliant free outdoor play areas that families can enjoy all year round. Whether you’re based in the town centre or in one of the surrounding villages like Holmfirth, Meltham or Mirfield, there’s no shortage of parks to explore. From large Green Flag country parks to community-supported green spaces, this list rounds up the very best free play areas for children of all ages.

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. Sands Park in Holmfirth is just half an hour away and feels like a different adventure.

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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Ryan

Hello. I am Ryan and along with my wife Beth and our two children Matilda and Barney, we love all things cycling and exploring. We spend our weekends exploring fun places to cycle and discover and wanted to help other people do the same too. There’s no better way to travel than via bike and it’s an amazing activity for the whole family to enjoy.

familycycling.co.uk

As a West Yorkshire based family, we’ve loved venturing into Barnsley to explore the free public outdoor play areas across the borough. All the parks listed here are completely free to access and open to the public year-round. We’ve included a variety of options – from large country parks with themed play features to small neighbourhood playgrounds – to appeal to families in Barnsley’s town centre and surrounding villages like Wombwell and Cudworth.

These sites are managed by Barnsley Council or community groups, ensuring they are welcoming and well-maintained for residents and visitors alike. 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.

Below is an overview table of the play areas, highlighting each park’s pros, cons, and our overall rating based on family-friendly amenities and reviews. Further below, you’ll find a brief description of each location with details on facilities, pros and cons, and why it made our list. If there are any parks we have missed then please feel free to comment below and we will get them added!

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Ryan

Hello. I am Ryan and along with my wife Beth and our two children Matilda and Barney, we love all things cycling and exploring. We spend our weekends exploring fun places to cycle and discover and wanted to help other people do the same too. There’s no better way to travel than via bike and it’s an amazing activity for the whole family to enjoy.

familycycling.co.uk

Leeds boasts various free outdoor play parks, from sprawling country parks with adventure playgrounds to hidden neighbourhood gems. Below is an overview of some of the best free public play areas in the Leeds (LS) postcode region, followed by detailed descriptions for each.

As a Wakefield-based family who were originally based in both North & South Leeds, we love to explore the free public play areas within the West Yorkshire area. The recurring theme with all the recommended parks is that they are completely free of charge and are open to the public.

We have chosen a breadth of options located within a 10-mile radius of the city centre, so they appeal to all families within the district.

We will continue to work through more extensive reviews of every park so you can get the lowdown before visiting. We understand that people’s interests are very different, so by giving you the insight before visiting, you can see if the park is right for you. It’s also worth noting that this is not an exhaustive list but should give you some ideas. If you have any to contribute, please feel free to comment. It’s appreciated.

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Ryan

Hello. I am Ryan and along with my wife Beth and our two children Matilda and Barney, we love all things cycling and exploring. We spend our weekends exploring fun places to cycle and discover and wanted to help other people do the same too. There’s no better way to travel than via bike and it’s an amazing activity for the whole family to enjoy.

familycycling.co.uk

A beautiful spring weekend called for an outdoor adventure, and Sands Playground in Holmfirth delivered! With blue skies and sunshine (a rare treat in March), we jumped into the car and headed off to explore. I wanted to head back to Holmfirth for some time. We really like this part of Yorkshire and I hadn’t been with the kids so the Sands Playground seemed like a nice spot to enjoy. We went without any expectations and it was far better than we imagined.

Spoiler alert: It’s a fantastic spot for families, and there’s way more to it than just a playground!

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Ryan

Hello. I am Ryan and along with my wife Beth and our two children Matilda and Barney, we love all things cycling and exploring. We spend our weekends exploring fun places to cycle and discover and wanted to help other people do the same too. There’s no better way to travel than via bike and it’s an amazing activity for the whole family to enjoy.

familycycling.co.uk

As a Wakefield-based family, we love to explore the free public play areas within the district. The recurring theme with all the recommended parks is that they are completely free of charge and are open to all of the public.

We have chosen a breadth of options located within a 10-mile radius of the city centre so they appeal to all families within the district.

These spaces are managed by the local council and community organisations, ensuring accessibility for residents and visitors. Below is a detailed table of the identified play areas, their pros, cons, and overall ratings, reflecting their suitability for family outings. These ratings are based on our own experience. All free play areas are an asset to the community however some are better updated than others which is reflected in the reviews.

We have also included detailed information on each park as well as links to our reviews of specific parks. This is more extensive with photography from our own visit to the park. Even though we live here there are still parks we are yet to visit so stick with us!

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Ryan

Hello. I am Ryan and along with my wife Beth and our two children Matilda and Barney, we love all things cycling and exploring. We spend our weekends exploring fun places to cycle and discover and wanted to help other people do the same too. There’s no better way to travel than via bike and it’s an amazing activity for the whole family to enjoy.

familycycling.co.uk

I can’t believe we haven’t reviewed Sandal Castle – we have been here so many times and have so many memories here! It has been so nice looking at all our photos and choosing some to add to the article. 

We live close to Sandal Castle and there are a few walking/cycling routes we can take to get there. We have visited at various different stages of our lives since we moved here…when we had Matilda and she was in a sling, then a pram, then running around, and then on her bike. We then had Barney and did all of the same but as a family of four. It is somewhere we have met with family and friends and I would say it is quite special to us for all of these reasons.

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Beth

Hi I am Beth, mummy to Barney & Matilda and wife to Ryan. I love to do many things – explore, exercise, spend time with loved ones, read – to name a few. For paid work I teach primary children, I teach Bikeability, I work on our businesses, and we are always dabbling in something together. I like to write for our blog, and I am here for our children every day wherever they need me, and for that, I am very happy. We love to experience new and old adventures, whether that’s on our bike or via foot or further afield. Whatever you do in life, try to do it with passion, care and kindness.