Our favourite place to go to let both our dog and child run around!
Donnington Recreation Ground is a large multipurpose grass area. It has a very large secure playing field to let your dog to run around, and a brilliant play area for children. It has two gates at either end of the field so dogs and feral children like mine cannot run off, and around the perimeter are fences and shrubs.
The grass is always kept short so it is suitable for buggies and there are a few benches dotted around for a rest. The sports field is occasionally host for various football matches and cricket games at weekends. There is free parking right next door and bonus, a pub opposite!
The children’s play equipment includes a new large wooden castle-climbing frame. This structure has two bridges and four turrets, with various hidey-holes underneath. It has a slide, and netted climbing frame, a fire mans pole, and two climbing walls.
The play area also has a zip wire, another slide, swings, and netted seat swings. There is a wooden climbing wall and another hidey-hole wooden house structure. There is a fenced off under 5’s area with baby swings, roundabout, and sea-saw.
This is a great place for dogs and children alike. Its lovely to meet other doggy friends; there are always a few people with dogs to play. Although dogs use it, it is always very clean, there are two dog poo bins, and so you do not have to worry about your child accidently walking in dog poo!
If you have even more energy to get rid off, from here you can walk to Donnington Castle and access various other footpaths. If you walk through the gate on the other side of the field there is a footpath that goes through a wooded area (great for Gruffalo hunting!), past the golf course and takes you up to the castle. Or you can carry on walking through the wood and across the golf course, on a footpath that will take you across the A34 and into Bagnor village. This is a very beautiful and picturesque village, through which the river Lambourn runs (a chalk stream). From here, if you are feeling even more adventurous, you could walk further along a footpath that takes you into Snelsmore Common Country Park.
After a play in the park and a walk up to the castle my son always falls asleep, and the dog is quiet for about 10 minutes too!
