Darley Playing Fields
ENTRY
Free
WHERE
Derby
What it’s like
Free playground, tennis courts and riverside park walks, with a tea room for when everyone needs sitting down.
There's a playground to burn an hour on its own, tennis courts if you've brought rackets, and enough park to turn a quick visit into a proper walk along the river and through the gardens. It's free to get in, which makes it an easy choice for a spare afternoon rather than a big planned day out.
The paths don't run across the whole park, so if you've got a buggy or a wheelchair it's worth sticking to the routes near the car parks rather than assuming you can cut across everywhere. Four free car parks feed into the site, so where you park depends on which bit you want first, the playground or the river side.
The tea room is the practical bit to plan around. It's open 9am to 5pm in summer and a shade shorter in winter at 9:30am to 4:30pm, and everything here runs weather permitting, so a proper downpour might change your plans on the day. Toilets and an accessible toilet are on site too, which matters when you're out for a few hours with kids who've just discovered the playground.
Save the walk along the gardens for after the playground rather than before it, the kids will have more patience for it once they've had a proper go on the equipment.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Free parking at four car parks: Darley Park Drive (DE22 1EN), Darley Street (DE22 1DX), City Road (DE1 3RP), Old Chester Road (DE1 3SA)
- Food
- Darley Park tea room serving food, open summer 9am-5pm, winter 9:30am-4:30pm
- Free entry and free parking, so it costs nothing beyond food if you want it
- Pick your car park based on whether you want the playground or the river gardens first
- Paths don't cover the whole site, so plan your route if you've got a buggy or wheelchair
- The tea room's hours shift with the season, shorter in winter
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
Nothing, it's free entry.
Is there parking?
Free parking at four car parks: Darley Park Drive, Darley Street, City Road and Old Chester Road.
Can we get food there?
The Darley Park tea room does food, open 9am-5pm in summer and 9:30am-4:30pm in winter.
Is it buggy or wheelchair friendly?
There's an accessible toilet and wheelchair access, but the paths don't run right across the whole park, so some routes are easier than others.
What happens if it rains?
Opening times are weather permitting, so a heavy downpour could affect the tea room hours or how much of the park you'd want to cover.
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