I took my two near old niece and nephew to this park and they loved it. Goldenhill is perfect for…read moretheir age group; it has an adventure set with a chute, roundabout, little see saw and swings. It also has a soft ground to help pad any falls. There is a jungle gym for older children which was unfortunately set on fire a few months ago by neds. However, it has now been rebuilt and will hopefully be left alone.

While admittedly, I'm not suggesting anybody packs a picnic and takes their young family for a day…read moreout to Hardgate, if you do happen to find yourself in this neck of woods with kids, Goldenhill Park is an excellent resource. With a wide selection of utilities for 1-3 year olds at the front and a mini-assault course and climbing frame at the back for older kids, this is one of the best free play areas this side of Great Western Road.

Bilco's is a soft play area in Hamilton, which is a real God send for rainy afternoons if you've…read moredone the kiddies films at the pictures and taken them to McDonald's. Bilcos houses a Soft Play area, a climbing wall and a restaurant and games room. The soft play is excellent for kids aged 3-12, with loads of different slides and even a ball cannon which looks a right laugh, even for the adults (or big kids like me!) The climbing wall is better for older kids, probably about 6 plus. If it seems a bit daunting at first then they have a traverse wall which is free for everyone to have a go on and helps ease the kids into the real thing. Toddlers are not forgotten and there is a small soft play area for them too, which is great if you have kids of all ages. Brilliant day out for all the family.

Nothing beats the sight of your one year olds eyes expanding to there full extent in an attempt to…read morefully take in the majesty of toys, play areas and "oh my God Dad....its a ball pit!!!!!!!!"....ok she didnt actually say these words but sometimes you can just tell. This place is real dream come true for kids who just want to roll about and create general havoc without actually doing any damage to themselves or your priceless gear, if you have any left! Situated not a kick in the arse away from Cowcaddens Subway station and priced at an ever so reasonably £12 for an annual membership, plus £1 for everytime you go. This is a truly affordable playgroup that offers a heavenly delight for all the small squishy type ones to enjoy......go Izzy GO! oh, and for all you parents/childminders out there, you can grab yourself a coffee for an ever so cheap 30p if your energy levels aint quite on a par with the small type ones.

Very cheap prices for zoo excellent park for kids and let us in for toilet after closing.read more

How have I not reviewed this place yet? Well by dammit, it's nearly midnight on a Thursday, the…read moreweek after I was actually there but hey ho, here goes. Calderglen is for any person in East Kilbride, a little slice of heaven. The town is, to be kind, a bit grey. It's a new town with not much new about it and frankly, dull. I commute to Glasgow every day and come home to sit and watch TV. So, Calderglen offers me that escape to a nature, and only a five minute drive from my house (or half hour walk). Honestly, once you're down on the nature trail, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in a completely different part of Scotland. The trees are high, the river is soft and flowing and you can hear the wildlife all around you. Although, at the moment, the main trail is closed because of rock falls but that was almost a week ago so hopefully it has been secured and re-opened. It's not quite as big as say, Chatelheraut but is very similar in terms of offering a nice circular walk to fill your lungs with fresh air. I love being half way round, right in amongst the trees and not being able to hear a car or many other sounds for that matter. Up at the castle grounds area of the park and across from the playing fields and cricket club, there is a botanical garden with an adjoining children's petting zoo. The zoo has various birds and small mammals, which my daughter Grace loves (obviously with a special fondness for the meerkats.) It's well worth a wee visit, particularly if you have kids. My only one gripe about Calderglen is the adventure playground. It really needs some TLC. There are no swings for kids and the zip slide thing for kids has no zipper (chair). The sand pit is also a bit suspect. So that's a shame because the place will be mobbed with picnicers this summer. There also used to be a duckpond and a couple of pig pens near the car park but these have been either closed or left to grow over, which again is sad because I loved them as child. Okay, that was two minor gripes but still, if you're ever in town, drive straight past the town centre shopping mall (it's pants) and go to Calderglen.

I have dogs so I visit parks. A lot of parks. There's not many parks i've not visited. Because I…read morehave dogs. Barshaw is 5 minutes away from me and is my absolutely favourite park. We're so lucky to have it right on our door step. The park has a great play area for children, lots of outdoor exercise equipment for little and big people, a great cafe selling everything you could wish for, an amazing pond full of ducks and swans and lots of dog walking areas. It even has a little train which goes round the middle of the park for kids to play on. It also has lots of dog walkers which are the main reason I love the park. My two pups sometimes have behavioural issues. They're rescues so they didnt socialise as pups and sometimes they dont behave like perfect angels (which they are to me!). This park was the first place I felt not only welcomed to walk them but where people were less interested in their barking and more interested in giving them cuddles. People make Barshaw? If you're ever in Paisley I really cant speak highly enough of this park. There's even some geocaches if you enjoy that!

When I was at primary school my mum used to take me and some friends to Barshaw Park during the…read moresummer holidays. Now that I think about it, it's a bit of a trek but it kept us amused for hours and out of her hair so I guess that's a good enough reason. There's a play park, skate park and some ramps for mountain bikes and such. We usually just played in the play park and spent hours on the massive slide here. I also have fond memories of the little animal corner where there was the coolest peacock ever. There's also a beautiful walled garden where you can spend hours in the summer having a relaxing stroll looking at all the pretty flowers.

An under utilised park situated in Govan, clean plenty of swings, climbing frames and the like so…read moreis gear for the kids. Plenty of seating for adults as well. Again a clean which is the byword for this park duck pond sadly colonised by the ever present city seagull. Grounds are in superb condition, small football pitch bouncy castles and food stalls at the weekend. Could just do with being blessed with better weather.

Elder Park is hidden away in plain sight in an area you probably wouldn't otherwise frequent unless…read moreyou were local to the Govan/Linthouse/Drumoyne vicinity. Until I changed job locations to the Govan area I would never have been here or even known about this park which is a shame, then again maybe it is because this feels like a park very similar to Alexandra Park in Dennistoun in that it is a local park for local people (we'll have no trouble here!) which is the purpose of them isn't it? Elder Park boasts such delights as a boating pond (no boats to see though, just ducks & the odd swans), 2 play areas with swings, slides & the like (a mini zip slide too!) and also holds some interesting sights one being the statue (and memorial gardens) of the lady who named & granted Elder Park to the people of Govan; Isabella Elder. Before this EP was originally Fairfield Farm. Isabella Elder sounded like one cool lady ~ she was a famous philanthropist of her time & was particularly interested in the education (especially of women) & welfare of the people of Govan. She is worth a look up on Wiki and to this day she should be recognised for the important figure she was in Glasgow's history. Although sadly, like most women History seems to have a great way of sweeping them under the carpet so that we barely hear anything about their great lives & achievements. Sad but true. Elder Park is quite an open feel park - not many trees but lots of the green green grass (of home) and paths leading various directions. Equally great for walking or cycling around. This place seems to get frequented mostly by dog walkers, local kids & (of course) the odd jakey or junkie; when you spot them that's when you're reminded you're in Govan! Elder Park makes more pleasant & a nice long cut when walking from Govan Subway to the Southern General Hospital and I must admit I wouldn't walk through this park after dark but then again I wouldn't feel safe walking through ANY park after dark nowadays sadly. During the day this is a very green and pleasant place to be away from the hustle & bustle of busy Glasgow/Govan. This place would be ideal for a game of Rounders, fairs or for multiple picnics/BBQ's in the Summer but I feel that unfortunately because of its location Elder Park misses out on a lot of these things that other parks such as Kelvingrove Park buzz with especially during the balmy Summer days & nights. I got excited last week when I spotted a fun fair had arrived in EP but after only a few days it was gone again...very sad. If you ever get the chance please take time to visit this park and pay your respects to Isabella Elder & also give her park some well deserved love.

This is another place that I came across while working as a child carer for a primary school's…read more'summer play scheme' one summer. A promisingly stressful day spend keeping beady eyes on a litter of running children was rather less stressful due to this little number. The children, still ran right enough, but at least the younger ones were suitably entertained and mesmerised by the castle like play structure, so ran around that for an hour or so. Meanwhile, the older children were entertained and mesmerised by watching oh-so-cool teenagers in the skate-park. Now for the history. This skateboard park seems to have been here forever. In a way, it has - well since 1951. Since then there has been a roller skating/skateboard arena here with renewed versions being unveiled in 1978 and finally 2004. There is also a substantial play area with slides, swings and a whole variety of hide-y wholes in a multicoloured wooden castle structure. There's a soft play artificial surface below for safety precautions too. All areas covered, so it's all good for the kids!

This is a nice quiet park off Dumbarton Rd. There are a lot of grassy areas around the playground,…read moreplus 3 picnic tables and 2 benches (outside the playground). Several paved paths within the park are good for scooters and kids' bikes. It's pretty quiet here. It has never been crowded when we've played here. The playground has baby swings, a tire swing, slide, merry-go-round, see-saw, and large climbing pyramid all set on a recycled rubber (soft) surface. There are also benches inside the playground area. The hedges shield the park from the busy road below and the other 3 sides are surrounded by tenement buildings. It always feels very peaceful here!

Well this place isn't going to win any beauty awards, but in an area almost entirely devoid of…read moregreen space, its existence is vital for the kids of Thornwood. Sporting the sort of climbing frame I quite fancy a go of myself, the area has a nice wee playpark and plenty of room for running around. Being near Partick police station it should be safe, however it can be a little shady at night and is best avoided after dark.