Queen's Park is exquisite in all seasons. It has a bit of everything to suit everyone…read more The play park has loads to offer the kids as far as swings and slides go and lots of patches for parents to set up camp and have a natter. The cafe is in the centre of the play park and sells yummy cakes + sarnies, well earned cups of tea and ice lollies. It boasts a huge duckpond, with an island in the middle - home to some rather large geese. Be wary if you're feeding the ducks! I've been chased by the geese several times and I'm still as frightened as I was when I was 3! I'm a bit of a big girls blouse though... There's a huge bit by the clock tower - perfect for football and picnics. There are tennis courts, a wild herb garden and a dog walking section. Getting onto the dog walking section, there is a huge row going on with the dog walkers of queens park (check out their facebook page!) and the council at the moment about the amount of space there is for the dogs. They want the old bowling green to be handed over to the dog section to make it a larger space. It's getting heated! I enjoy coming here with my pooch every morning, whatever the weather it feels magical. It's an extremely beautiful and peaceful place to be. My sons favourite part of the park is the rockery. He spends hours in there exploring and making houses in the caves, playing hide and seek. I feel very lucky to have this place just on my doorstep.

I had a really weird experience last time I was in Queen's Park. It was New Year's Day 2009 and I…read morehad hopes of walking off my wretched hang over so took myself off to the park for a stroll. What confronted me when I arrived was bizarre. Someone had, in their New Years revelry, filled the pond with shopping carts and rubbish bins! Ok so that alone just sounds like a big old destructive mess, but the pond had frozen over night, creating quite an amazing spectacle! I was torn between self-righteous indignation and 'ugh, the youth of today' thoughts and thinking it actually looked like a pretty cool art installation. Anyway, enough with the storytelling. Queen's Park is a beautiful park bordered by Hanover on one side and Kemp town on the other. It's not massive, but it's perfect for a leisurely Sunday stroll before heading to 'Home' for brunch or the pub for a roast. As well as the aforementioned pond (which is usually quite normal and lovely looking) where you can feed the ducks, there is a wildlife garden, where a local herbologist holds workshops for anyone interested.

This park is home for hundreds of kids in the Mile Oak area and is always full of life. In the park…read morethere is all your expected treasures so that the kids are kept busy with football pitches along side for playing and walking dogs. I used to knock about here for as long as I can remember and was never let down. With the Sports Centre across the street this area although out in the suburbs of Brighton there is plenty going on.

I remember frequenting the ESSO garage for paraffin poi back in the day and think that the current…read moreuse of the land is a vast improvement. You really need to check it out in mid spring or summer to get the full aesthetics and it can appear to be a bit of a brown zone at other times. That being said, it really epitomises the Brighton community spirit and you will find a lot of activities and occasional film or music events taking place here. It would be nice to see the council step in and fund the site to save it from the claws of Tesco, but I guess time will tell how that one plays out. Seeing that Lewes road is always a bit dreary, I think that the garden injects a welcome lease of life into the area and deserves all your support if you are in the area. Power to the people in a horticultural fashion.

When I first saw Lewes Community Garden, I actually thought it was the exact opposite of what it…read moreactually is. I thought the fence was indicating 'Keep Out.' However, it's actually the most inclusive and community focused garden ever. The inside is a bit barren at the moment, with only the colourfully painted signs keeping it cheerful, but once summer comes, there's foliage and good-times galore. Last year, gardening classes were offered monthly, there were various musical performances, and yoga classes were held inside the garden every morning. I'm sure these will start up again once the weather is nicer, although I noticed a sign the last time I walked past saying there might be a Tesco Express going up. Perhaps it's worth looking into this further for people in the area - it would be a shame to lose the green space to another grocery store when there are already three in the immediate area.

Easthill Park is a large mixed-use park next to the Portslade Village, north of the A270…read more Formerly part of the park of Easthill House, built in 1851, now it is a public park cared for by Brighton & Hove City Council. It comprises a large grassy area with a football pitch, a small wooded area and a wildflower area, a delightful walled garden and a well-equipped children's play area. There is a small garden of remembrance next to the war memorial. The park won a coveted 'Green Flag' award in 2007. Practicalities The park has toilets, a car-park and is close to the 1/1A bus route, with frequent services to central Brighton.

This park built in 1851 has been around for centuries! It is the life and soul of the local area as…read moreit literally is completely surrounded by housing so that it is well sheltered from ouside noises. It has a top park with all sorts of climbing frames and swings, a football pitch and a historical memorial to give it some culture. It was awarded the 2008 green flag award which I assume means it must be good. I spent a lot of time playing man hunt and gladiators in this park. Also, there is a great place to play wembley as there are 2 trees the perfect distance apart and a wall 5 yards behind so you do not keep losing your balls. Dog walking is a bit part of the park with people walking dogs all day long and I am sure they often time it so that in the early evening a few people meet up and have a chat whilst doing so.

The Super Booster Ride is Brighton Pier's most death-defying ride…read more It takes punters 130 feet into the air then without warning, drops them at accelerating speed. I'm not really a stats girl but the phrase 0-60 in 2.5 seconds should give you an idea just how fast it goes. To crank up the tension, the Super Booster is a stand-up, floor-less ride that means your legs dangle under you whilst your ass is perched on a seat resembling a bike saddle. Of course, the force of gravity means you can't move as you're plummeting down towards the sea then vigorously swinging over it but I'm sure it's entirely possible to feel your stomach doing somersaults. Have I been on the ride personally? Do I look like a masochist to you?! I've seen the mixture of ecstacy and horror on hundreds of riders faces as they've clamboured off with shaking legs and that was more than enough! * The only downside to Super Booster and other rides on Brighton Pier is the price-tag. This ride takes 5 tokens so works out around £8 a ride. If you buy a book of 30 tokens for £20 however, it works out slightly cheaper.

This park is one of the biggest in the Hove area which gives lots of space for lots of activities…read more The land right next to the park that is now not in use is perfect for allowing the dog to go mental and burn off all their energy so I have added pictures of that but it isn't actually part of the park. The playground, a useful way to zap the energy out of your kids, will be getting re-done in January so I am sure there will be some new types of climbing frame for them to drool over! With public toilets in the park and a Sainsbury 5 minute walk for your ice creams you can make a right day of it in the summer. During the football season there are 2 pitches available for hire which are pretty good as far as Sunday amateur football pitches go, I should know I have played atleast 10 matches on both pitches as it used to be my home ground.

St Ann's Well Gardens is an attractive and traditional park bounded by Somerhill Road, Nizells Road…read moreand Furze Hill in Hove. There are entrances to the park from each road. Opened in 1908, the compact gardens have something for everyone: There's a wild woodland area, popular with dog walkers and wildlife enthusiasts, with different species of trees, birdlife and squirrels; two play areas for children (one for toddlers); a small pond; 8 tennis courts and a bowling green; an accessible sheltered 'sensory garden' with lots of scented plants, plenty of seats and a handrail around the perimeter; traditional lawns and flower beds; and a cafe, open 9-16.30h (depending on the weather - ring ahead on (01273) 735 187). Tennis courts can be booked on (01273) 292704 or online via the web-site. The gardens are named after a 'Chalybeate' (iron bearing) spring, famous for its health-giving waters. The well is supposedly known from Saxon times, although the dedication to Ann may reflect the popularity of dedicating wells to her after the return of Crusaders from the Holy Land from 1150 onwards. The iron-rich waters - which emerged with some force - were recommended as a tonic by Dr Richard Russell (1687-1759) and by Mrs Fitzherbert (1756-1837), the friend of the Prince regent, later George IV. Around 1800 an imposing pump room was built over the spring to accommodate the substantial number of visitors who came to 'take the waters'. Towards the end of the 19th century, artesian wells sunk locally meant that the flow of the waters had considerably declined and the enterprise closed. The Pump House on the site was demolished in 1935, and a small 'Wishing Well' now marks the spot. A small (and rather unreliable) spring now feeds a stream through the park. The gardens are busy all year round with families and dog owners, and especially so in summer. They were awarded a Green Flag in 2006 for their quality and the Council's commitment to nature conservation on the site. It's a favourite spot for mine for a walk, fresh air and a cup of coffee!

This park is somewhere we still travel back into Hove for. We moved to Worthing from Hove in 2006…read moreand instantly regretted not having somewhere as lovely as this within walking distance! Our children never tire of the extensive playareas with the biggest slide they know of. The cafe is always good for tasty wholseome food at very reasonable prices.

Preston Park is Brighton's largest and oldest planned city park. Funded by a bequest from a local…read morebookmaker, William Edmund Davies, the park opened on 8 November 1884. The park is located on the main A23 road from London to Brighton, a mile and half north of the city centre, and next to Preston Manor. The main park is over 60 acres in area and includes wide open spaces of parkland with trees, formal beds along the side of the A23 road, and at the south end is a formal rose garden. Next to this is the Rotunda Cafe, which is open Monday-Friday 9.15-16h and weekends 9.30-17h. Moving northwards are 4 bowling greens and 8 tennis courts, mutli-sports areas with basket ball courts, a 500m velodrome, a children's playground, 4 soccer pitches and 2 cricket pitches. In the centre of the park is the Chalet Cafe, open daily 10-17h. Despite the all organised sport provided for, many come here just to walk or for picnics, or for nothing in particular at all. Other items of interest include a clock tower and the Hansel and Gretel-like tiled house (sadly now with its windows protected with wire mesh). As well as general recreation, the park is the location for many events during the year. The largest is the event after the Brighton Pride parade, which finishes at the Park, regarded by many as the premier free Gay Pride event in the UK. It regularly attracts over 120,000. (It takes place on 2nd August in 2008). Other events are held during the year, including concerts and family days.

Very pretty park…read more I didn't see or step in any piles of dog shit. I believe I got talked into taking a BMF class here or I might have been laying around the lawns waiting for a friend to get done with a class. Either way, it's pretty and clean.