Parks are both cheap (if not free) and a great way to get your little one out into the fresh air.  The main issue us that they rarely offer little more than space and some basic equipment to play on, so finding a good one is a bit of a jewel.  Abington Park is just that and for parents in Northampton it can be a god-send in the summer months. It is big enough and varied enough to make walking round worthwhile.  The aviary gives the little ones something different to look at and the colourful birds in it, from peacocks to canaries, is a great addition to the ponds with ducks and geese to be fed.  The play area is quite big – swings, climbing frames, slides and a play-train – and is enough to take up a good 45 minutes.

  After all that there is a great café actually in the park as well that is very child-friendly, with a Santa’s grotto on Sundays in December and an ice cream ‘bar’ in the summer: never eaten there but if the coffee is anything to go by it is more than up to scratch.  There is also the actual park building which is home to a museum / arts centre for something different to all that play.

From picking up to conkers to showing my daughter the weddings that sometime happen in the church in the park, ‘Abi Park’ as my little one calls it has been a top spot and if it comes round to the end of the month and trips out of town to paying attractions are a no go because of cost, it is well worth a visit.

- Crawford Warnock

If you've had fun on your family day out to Abington Park, tell us about it your visit, so other people will know it's a great place to go as well.