ARTS & CULTURE Simple pleasure T
Lush green grass, trees in full leaf and early summer blooms – they’re all on offer, entirely free of charge, to visitors. So why not take a picnic and enjoy a family day out in the fresh air.
Our guide lists some of the top rated parks on Trip Advisor – Certificate of Excellence holders – and includes those close to Huddersfield as well as slightly further afield. There’s a park for everyone, including boating enthusiasts, animal lovers and culture seekers.
Most parks also have an extensive calendar of summer events. We’ve highlighted everything from live music dates and historical re-enactments to tree climbing sessions.
This urban park, one of the largest in the world, covers 700 acres and has a scented garden for the blind, canal gardens, lakes, the Monet and Alhambra gardens, as well as Tropical World, an indoor attraction packed with exotic plants and animals. Entry to the park is free and parking is free but there’s an admission charge of £3 to £6 for Tropical World, which is open from 10am until 6pm every day. There is full disabled access to all attractions and catering on site. Coming up: The North Leeds Food Festival on July 22 and 23 promises two days of food, drink, children’s entertainment and live music.
With 500 acres of rolling parkland and five indoor galleries, this free attraction (pay only for parking) has plenty to offer. Even if contemporary art isn’t quite your thing, this park is worth a visit for the landscape alone. Dogs are allowed on leads in the park and there’s a rolling programme of familyfriendly events - details from ysp.org.uk. There’s a lovely cafe and plenty of spaces to picnic. Open daily from 10am until 6pm. The park is running Outdoor Sculpture Building: Come Rain, Come Shine sessions every Tuesday during school holidays. This large park on the edge of Huddersfield town centre has been a popular venue for families for more than 130 years. Today it boasts tennis courts, a skate park, bowling green, paddling pool, ornamental lake, petanque terrain, cafe and a miniature railway that operates at weekends in the summer months. A focus for many local groups, including Nordic walkers and Parkrun competitors, it’s open from 7am until 10pm (until end of August). Coming up: Open air concert of jazz, hip hop and pop by Deadbeat Brass on Sunday, June 18, at 2pm.
There are miles of trails around scenic Ogden Water reservoir as well as places to picnic. Follow the A 629 out of Halifax to find it. Parking has to be paid for, but entry to the reserve is free. Volunteers man a visitor centre with maps and guides, snacks and souvenirs for sale. One for bird watchers and orienteering enthusiasts. Open from 8am until 8pm in summer. The venue runs regular Friday morning guided health walks – five miles round Ogden Water - from 10am. For details call 0740 399 2642.
are 400 acres of unspoilt woodland to explore at this National Trust site. Pay to park at one of the two car parks and it’s free to ramble. Picnic by the river and meet members of the Northern hairy ant family that have famously taken up residence there. If it rains then Gibson Mill, a visitor centre, provides shelter and a cafe (there’s a charge for admission to the exhibitions). The 24km of footpaths are open from dawn until dusk. Coming up: The Great Big Tree Climbing Co is hosting a tree-climbing day for ages six and above on Friday, July 28. For details visit nationaltrust.org.uk/events
A jewel of a park on the fringes of Kirklees, Oakwell Hall has 100 acres of beautiful countryside for rambling and roaming. There’s a network of footpaths, some of which have disabled access, a visitor centre and cafe as well as two free car parks. The Grade II listed hall recently re-opened after a major refurbishment. There’s a small entry charge to the hall. Coming up: Living History Weekend on July 8 and 9, with military re-enactors preparing for the Jacobite rebellion.
Beaumont Park, Huddersfield: Another of the town’s grand Victorian parks, it has a bandstand, grottos, outdoor play area, woodland walks, visitor centre and nature trail. There’s ample parking all around the perimeter. Coming up: A Night of