It’s also got a great coffee van and a big playground with sand pit
The splash paddling pool at St Andrews Park in Bristol(Image: Sophie Grubb/Bristol Live)
With the removal of the Fountains in The Centre and the closure of an “unsafe” splash pad at a park in Thornbury, families in the Bristol area have fewer places to cool down in this summer. There’s the big water park near Bradley Stoke but entry is not cheap and you have to book ahead, as is the case with Clifton Lido too.
One of the best-rated locations for a family-friendly splash is the Water Adventure Play Park in Weston-super-Mare, but that’s a 50-minute drive away.
If you’re looking for a free place that’s far closer to home, one of the city’s best-rated neighbourhood parks could be an ideal option. St Andrews Park has a big playground, an expanse of green space for picnics as well as a massive shallow pool that’s perfect for paddling in on a hot day.
We visited on a weekday and saw plenty of parking spaces on the residential roads surrounding the park, though I doubt the neighbours would encourage that – they’re one of the Bristol areas campaigning for permit parking zones. It’s within walking distance to Gloucester Road, however, so getting the bus is feasible for getting there too if you’re on the right route.
There are several entrances to the park and my first impression when stepping through was the impressive number of mature trees towering over the grass. Lots of people were unfurling blankets in the shade they provide, setting up for the day with a six-pack of beers (the students) or a bag full of snacks (the parents).
A smooth winding path carves a route through the green space and there are plenty of benches along the way to enjoy the views. If you’re bringing a wheelchair, pram or an accident-prone toddler, though, be warned that the ground is quite sloped in parts.
Through the foliage there are glimpses of the impressive period houses around the park’s perimeter – a view that has stayed unchanged for decades, aside from the vans and modern cars parked in between. The coffee van serving up flat whites probably wasn’t there in Victorian times either, though it is a welcome addition especially if you can nab one of their bargain bags from the Too Good to Go app.
File image of people enjoying the sunny weather in St Andrews Park(Image: John Myers)
The park is dog-friendly apart from the fenced-off picnic area and playground, where children can happily run around without needing too much supervision. The play area has a big sand pit, climbing frames, swings, slides, monkey bars and other equipment.
Our toddler enjoyed exploring all it had to offer, and it was easy to keep an eye on her either from the playground or on the other side of the fence where there is more grass to sit on. On the other side of the field, we caught a glimpse of turquoise and made our way over to the pool.
From a distance it looks like a proper swimming pool, but it’s just a couple of inches deep so ideal for paddling. It was looking a little mucky during our visit but that was just after the heatwave weekend so it was bound to have been very busy the previous day.
A few children were running around with water guns so we didn’t stop long in their firing line, but I’m sure it would have been great fun for slightly older kids. Unusually for Bristol’s public spaces, St Andrews also has toilets, having avoided the cuts that some other parks have previously.
If you combine a park visit with lunch on Gloucester Road and a mooch around the many independent shops that famously line the same street, it’s a lovely way to spend a day during the summer holidays.