Allensford Country Park

Allensford Country Park ticks all the boxes for a simple family day out: children's adventure playground with a range of cool equipment? Check. Picnic areas and sheltering? Check. Good access, good parking, modern loos? Check!

We've also had reliable intel that there's a cafe open daily in the grounds near the play area which does sit in and takeaway snacks and drinks. So if the cat's sleeping in the picnic hamper then leave him be and treat yourselves instead!

There are beautiful riverside woodland walks and magnificent views of the Derwent Valley, plus you're only only minutes away from the North Pennines themselves. If you fancy really putting your boots to the test then there's the gorgeous but admittedly 12 mile long Derwent Walk which you can pick up right outside the park! If you're not quite up to that then the 9 mile Waskerley Way is equally beautiful and can also be joined nearby. There are also an Art and Glass Gallery and a children's farm nearby to help extend your day out a little further, so long as they're behaving of course!