Cambridgeshire park named amongst the top 10 best in the UK

A Cambridgeshire park has been named as the second best family park in the UK as part of a new top 10 best parks survey. Ferry Meadows in Peterborough has woodland, gardens and an adventure play area for kids.

The new research has revealed the 10 best family parks in the UK for outdoor play - with Ferry Meadows making second place. Kids Planet Day Nurseries, one of the leading providers of early years education in the UK, delved into the best-reviewed and most Instagrammed parks to give parents some direction this winter on where to take children for outdoor play.

Ferry Meadows in Peterborough came out with a 4.5 Trip Advisor rating and 24,400 tags on Instagram. One of the largest parks in the Cambridgeshire region, it has plenty of woodland, gardens and an outdoor adventure play area for children. It also has a full event programme that runs the whole year.

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Top of the list is Windsor Great Park, with a large outdoor play area, woodland and gardens for the family to enjoy. It has over 1,600 reviews on Trip Advisor with a 4.5 rating and over 73,400 tags on Instagram.

Some online reviews describe it as "Large enough to never feel really busy" and "Such a great day out for all the family". The top 10 list comes following Kids Planet’s Outdoor Learning Report which found that 64 percent of parents said playing outdoors improves the mental wellbeing of their children.

Results also showed that parents believe outdoor play is vital for enhancing young children’s physical health and ability (72 percent), developing a love for nature (70 percent) and improving social skills (51 percent) and animal knowledge (46 percent).

Following Ferry Meadows, in the third spot is the award-winning Mote Park in Maidstone, boasting 450 acres of parkland. It has a 4.5 Trip Advisor rating and 22,200 tags on Instagram.

This is followed by Harewood House in North Leeds, described as "a nice place for a family day out" in a recent TripAdvisor review, where it has a four-star rating. Harewood House is a really popular place for family days out during autumn with 46,700 tags on Instagram.

Fifth is Raby Castle Park and Gardens in county Durham with the only five-star Trip Advisor rating on the list, and sixth is Cragside House and Gardens in Northumberland. Bedgebury Pinetum and Forest in East Sussex is in seventh place with a four-star trip Advisor rating and over 24,475 Instagram tags, and Pittville Park in Cheltenham is in eighth with a 4.5 Trip Advisor rating and over 14,100 tags on Instagram.

Of the parents polled, 41 percent said spending time learning outdoors has created a closer family connection for them. Engaging in outdoor activities as a family not only means spending more quality time together, but also creates lasting memories and encourages a shared appreciation for the natural environment.

Rhiannon Mountain, head of outdoor learning at Kids Planet said: “Time in nature during daylight hours develops a healthy immune system and increases concentration. It is a natural source of mood boosters too, creating a more meaningful play time in contrast to technology use.

"Our top 10 parks list will be fantastic guidance for parents during the autumn winter seasons for some guidance on where to let the little ones run around even when it’s muddy and wet. At Kids Planet, we value outdoor learning at all of our nurseries across the country and believe it’s integral for early years development.

"No matter the weather, the right clothing will ensure children can benefit from the positive effects of outdoor play all year round.”

The 10 best outdoor parks in the UK are: