Easter Weekend: Your Guide to Liverpool's best Parks

Easter weekend is just around the corner and as it falls before the kids finish for two (very long) weeks its becoming increasingly difficult to keep the whole family entertained without needing a lottery win!

Well, before you trawl through the endless what’s on lists, trying to work out what’s age appropriate and more importantly what you can afford…..how about making the most of the fabulous spring weather, save yourself a few quid and head to the park instead?

With over 25 parks across the city from Camp Hill in Hunts Cross to Windsor Gardens in Walton we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to fresh air and ice-creams. Here’s our top 5 play parks for a sunny Easter Sunday run about.

Croxteth Park: What’s not to love about Crockie? The huge wooden play-frame, tire swings, toddlers gated play area, a coffee shop, clean toilets and the added bonus of fully a kid-friendly hands-on experience, Home Farm. Croxteth also hosts Parkrun on Saturday mornings so why not dust your trainees off and race the kids around a muddy 5k trail? Stick the free parking and an ice-cream van on top and you’re in for a belter afternoon out!

Sefton Park: This play park is always bursting with 100mph little ones! But fear not, with two play areas to choose from plus tennis courts, a huge boating lake, cafe’s, countless ice-cream vans, grade ll listed tropical Palm House, aviary, miles of pathways to explore and mountains of space for a championship Frisbee competition…..a turn on the swings can wait! There’s loads of free parking dotted around the park and it’s only a hop, skip and a jump across to tonnes of brilliant restaurants and deli’s for lunch on Lark Lane.

Calderstones Park: Nestled in between the leafy suburbs of Allerton and Woolton, Caldies is a real gem. Home to the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament, Calderstones is a great all-rounder, with a Mansion, stable block and coach house bursting with locally sourced art and a beautiful walled garden alongside a thousand year old oak tree for the little ones to run around. The café and toilets are right next to the modern play park and ample picnic area so why not pack some butties and a footy and let the kids (and big kids) let off some steam? Jumpers for goal posts!

Otterspool: Our waterfront is second to none, but for those who think the best views are at the historic Albert Dock or Liver Buildings….you’re miles off! Otterspool, just five mins drive away, boasts green, rolling hills (you can literally roll all over ‘em) a big old play park, high ropes, café, skate park and some of the best views of the River Mersey. There is no better place in the city for kids to fly kites or ride their bikes along the river path…and no benches more comfortable for watching the world go by.

Stanley Park. No run down on green spaces would be complete without a nod to the lushest grass in the city at both Liverpool and Everton football grounds. But in between these two giants sits the jewel of north Liverpool, Stanley Park. Not just a match day thorough-fare, this Green Heritage Award winning site is home to the stunning Isla Gladstone Conservatory (great for bride spotting), lakes (people watching), a bandstand (bit of a dance), play-park (keep the kids happy) and some of the city’s most beautiful, and well-tended flower beds….ooh think of all the Instagram pics!