Nice but mostly dirty and the pool was good and all but the floor was dirty.it was a nice…read moreexperience tho

I am an avid swimmer and of all the pools in Bedford, this is my favourite…read more It may not be the biggest or have the most facilities but it certainly the quietest when it comes to wanting a swim without lots of other people in the water. It is a 25 meter pool and is often split into three lanes. It has recently been shut for 3 months to have the roof refit so it should look all lovely and new! In half term the pool has a giant bouncy castle type feature in the water (which I remember being great fun!). Prices are competitive here, especially if you own a Bedford Leisure card. There is a small gym on site as well although i've only used the pool so can't comment on that.

Leisure World is the perfect place for wet school holidays. The complex houses ice skating, bowling…read moreand a water park. It's possible to buy a day ticket and do all three activities. The bowling is much the same as anywhere else. The ice rink is quite small which is great for beginners (not too far from one side to the other). The place is very noisy .There is loud disco music with people screaming and shouting to be heard above the noise. The ice is very 'wet' with big puddles of water so falling means getting soaked. However, it's cheap and cheerful. (Take a change of clothes and gloves) The water park is great fun. Again, there is very loud music so it is impossible to talk. There are a number of really good flumes. As you can imagine there are long queues for each ride. There is a shallow lagoon area for toddlers and a café/ spectators area. The water park needs a really good clean. There is fungus growing in places, discarded plasters on the floor and grime in the cracks. If you can ignore this you can have a good day out.

When my family and I visited the Leisure World, we only really experienced the water park which I…read morewas seriously impressed with in general. Some great slides to mess about on, a nice safe area for younger kids and the "rapids" which flow around in a circuit seem to keep people amused for ages. We visited on the Saturday of a bank holiday weekend early in the afternoon and I expected the whole place to be totally packed solid. I was surprised to see that it wasn't too bad at all and, once having gone into the pool area, it was still relatively quiet for an hour or so. There were queues for the bigger slides (up to 20 minutes or so) but some of the smaller ones were minimal. By the time we left a couple of hours later it had become a lot more crowded and slightly less suitable for much younger kids. However, this is not a criticism but rather an observation and something worth knowing - it's worth taking this into account and adjusting when (if?!) you visit accordingly. I found it all to be clean and safe with a sufficient number of staff at all times. It cost close on £20 for 2 x adults and a 5 year old which could be considered a bit pricey for a swimming pool. However, bearing in mind all the facilities, it's not comparable to a swimming pool and therefore reasonable in my opinion. Other than the water park itself, you can see from the website that there is also a cinema, skating rink, bar, various amusements, a nightclub and a bowling alley as well as a few places to eat. The perfect place to spend a few hours whatever the weather. After messing about in the water park we tried the Pizza Hut. Nothing special but as expected apart from the pizzas could have done with being a bit hotter. No big deal to be honest. The service was friendly but I'd imagine that it could suffer a bit if it was a lot busier. All in all Leisure World in recommended :o)

The soft play in the leisure centre is a former topsy turvy world. Its fantastic! Their prices are…read morevery reasonable. We had our child's birthday party here and it was £150 with food and 20 children. They prepared enough food to feed 35 kids! They have 3 party rooms in the softplay and 1 in the leisure centre for really big parties. The cafe serves hot and cold food. There is a separate toddler/baby area.

Birchwood leisure centre is not one of the best leisure centres in Hatfield…read more it does have a kids soft play area which is probably the best part. There is an cafe for parents to sit and keep an eye on the kids while they run riot up and down the play equipment but it is in a seperate room so the noise is minimalised. The gym in the centre is old and small. It really needs updating but if you don't want to join a fancy expensive gym with lots of modern facilities it is suitable for need. they do offer a good range of exercise classes and there is a large football field outside too. There is also a children's holiday club running during the school holidays which is reasonably priced and seems to offer a good range of activities to keep the kids happy.

In the middle of an enjoyable group cycle ride, we stopped for a break in Garston Park!…read moreI was beholding God creations....lovely green bright grasss, with a beautiful backdrop of trees, that I found out was Bricket common is behind it. Garston Park has picnic tables near the playground which I good for younger kids. It also now has an outdoor gym, which the equipment is as good as an indoor one. You can also have picnics here as well. Garston Park was a delightful discovery basking in the sun and I'm sure I will be back.

This is a lovely little park in the centre of Garston. It is always clean and well-kept, with some…read morelovely flower beds visible in summer. There is a well equipped and enclosed playground for the younger children. There are football goalposts for playing too. For families there are also picnic tables located close to the playground, so that mum and dad can continue their meal while the children play close by. A very nice little park. Recommended.

The swin centre in Hatfield has undergone numerous changes and refits over the past few years. it…read morestarted out simply as an indoor swimming pool but gradually has become a fully fledged leisure centre. Not only does it offer two swimming pools but also a very modern gym with personal fitness training. It runs a wide range of exercise classes both at the swim centre and at the Hatfield leisure centre site in south Hatfield. The classes run daily and have a good number of classes right through from beginner, the young and ederly to expert classes. There is a creche and a bar area which is also modern and bright. They offer a variety of membership packages which are very reasonably priced, much cheaper than some of the privately run health clubs locally. This is certainly my leisure centre of choice in the hatfield area due to facilities and price.

I took my child here for the mum and baby swim. It was lots of fun and a good way to meet other…read moreparents. You have an instructor who tells you what to do and you sing little rhymes. The change rooms are average and are mixed so this may make some people uncomfortable. There are quite a few baby change units which is useful and plenty of lockers. The childs splash pool is lovely as well and a good temperature. I don't recommend bringing a buggy in as its a hassle.

The Playground is better known as Snakes & Ladders and under this title has been providing fun and…read morefrolicks for children under 10 for years. They have three main areas for different age groups ranging from toddlers to 10 yrs, including soft play, swings, slides, ball pools and go-karts. There is also a cafe providing reasonably priced snacks and drinks and also a little toy shop. The entry prices for children are fair ut they do charge for adults which I do not feel is correct. It is in the middle of a industrial estate which is a bit wierd to find but plenty of parking.

I have reviewed this elsewhere under Snakes & Ladders. I had a great time with my daughter and…read morewould recommend it.

If you're ever stuck for somewhere to take your kids on a rainy day this is a great place…read more It's an indoor play area at the top of John Warner Sports Centre in Hoddesdon, and attached to the Strikers Café. On entering you pay for your child and they get a coloured sticker, sometimes with a time written on it - this is the time that they are allowed to be in there until, but to be honest, unless it's heaving in there they can stay in as long as they like. This is a 'play barn' type place, with huge climbing areas etc. They're all covered with primary coloured padding that makes it really safe for your children. Each section has a set of arrows to follow - I think this just ensures that kids don't pelt into each other all of the time! Each pathway takes you somewhere different - and yes, you can go on with your kids if you don't think they can manage it on their own ;-) After clambering up some platforms you come across a darkened section full of twinkly lights, and toughened perspex hollow sphere that is like a pirate lookout over the seating area below, a rope-bridge, spinning columns, moveable shapes, net-climbers (like the rigging on a ship) and my favourites, a big bumpy slide and a huge ball pit! For the smaller children there is a separate area with large padded shapes. If going in with them isn't your thing you can sit below and have a cuppa and a chat with the other parents, there are some comfortable sofas and some normal tables & chairs. They also do parties here, and supply all of the food, invitations etc; at something like a tenner a child it won't break the bank. As an inexpensive rainy day activity this is hard to beat.

If you are a twelve year old in need of a venue for your birthday party,this is a good bet,My son…read morewent here for a birthday recently and had a great time.,I don't know what it cost for the party package but it included a choice of meal and various drinks including something resembling a slush puppy plus two games of laserquest. The venue is (as many laserquests are) at the top of several flights of steps ,above shops in the main shopping street in Hemel Hempstead. Although there is plenty of parking in the town centre during the day , I didn't feel comfortable parking in the multi storey at night so I opted for the open air car park a bit further away.Boys need to let off steam and this is a perfect choice to appeal to their need for 'shooting' people and making a lot of noise.It is dark,grubby and just what boys get excited about.