Denham Country Park
BEST FOR
Up to age 12
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Uxbridge
What it’s like
Free country park with an Adventure Zone playground for under-12s, sand to dig, and a flat 1.3 mile walk that takes a pushchair.
The Adventure Zone is the bit that buys you an afternoon: an obstacle course, equipment to climb over, and a sand digging area, all pitched at kids up to 12. Under-fives get their own soft play indoors at the Lakeside Café, which is handy if the weather turns while you're halfway round the walk.
Entry to the park is free, which is the good news, and parking isn't. Blue Badge holders and motorcycles park free, everyone else pays, all year round. Keep that in mind before you decide you've had a cheap day out. There's no parking on Denham Court Drive either, and the car park entrance has a 2 metre height restriction, which rules out taller vans and anything with a roof box on.
The walk is 1.3 miles on easy access paths through wetland meadow and woodland, past two rivers and the canal. It's pushchair friendly. Two things to know before you plan a loop: the path to the canal tow path is shut for bridge repairs, and the bridge between Denham Station and the north end of the park is closed too, so the route you remember from a few years back may not work. Cyclists can still pick up the Colne Valley trail from the Grand Union Canal.
Food is one café, the Lakeside one by the main car park, doing coffee, cake and hot and cold snacks. The car park currently closes at 6pm daily, though that shifts with the seasons, so don't bank on a long summer evening. Toilets are next to the car park and include an accessible one with baby changing, but they only open 9:30am to midday on Thursdays and Fridays outside bank holidays, which is a thin window if you're arriving after lunch.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- 2 to 12; under-fives get soft play, older ones the Adventure Zone
- Parking
- Charged all year. Blue Badge holders and motorcycles free
- Food
- One lakeside café with coffee, cake and hot/cold snacks, plus indoor soft play
- Picnics
- No stated picnic policy. Indoor café and soft play available
- Pushchairs
- Easy access 1.3 mile walk suitable for pushchairs
- Wheelchairs
- Accessible toilets at the park
- The 2 metre height barrier at the car park entrance stops vans and roof boxes
- Toilets on Thursdays and Fridays shut at midday, so go before lunch
- The path to the canal tow path and the Denham Station bridge are both closed at the moment
- The Adventure Zone tops out at age 12; older teenagers will want the bikes instead
- Car park closing time moves with the seasons, so 6pm isn't fixed
Plan your visit
Is it really free?
Getting into the park is free, and so is parking for Blue Badge holders and motorcycles. Everyone else pays for parking, all year round.
How much is parking?
The site says charges apply all year round but doesn't list the rates. Blue Badge holders and motorcycles go free.
Do we need to book?
No booking, you just turn up and pay for parking on the way in.
What ages is the playground for?
The Adventure Zone suits kids up to 12, with climbing equipment, an obstacle course and sand to dig. Under-fives have soft play at the Lakeside Café.
What if it rains?
The Lakeside Café has indoor soft play for under-fives, so there's somewhere to sit it out with a small one. Older kids will be outside either way.
Is the walk pushchair friendly?
The 1.3 mile easy access route works with a pushchair. Two routes are currently closed though: the path to the canal tow path, and the bridge between Denham Station and the north of the park.
Can we park a campervan or a van with a roof box?
The car park entrance has a 2 metre height restriction, so taller vehicles won't fit under it. There's no parking on Denham Court Drive.
What time does the car park shut?
Currently 6pm daily, with closing times changing seasonally. Worth checking the board on the day if you're going late.
Can we eat there?
The Lakeside Café by the main car park does coffee, cake and hot and cold snacks. It's also where the under-fives soft play is.
Are the toilets open all day?
Not on Thursdays and Fridays. Toilets, including an accessible one with baby changing, are next to the car park but only open 9:30am to midday on those days, excluding bank holidays.
Featured in 3 Huddlepin lists
See all Country Parks & Nature Reserves in Northwood · Things to do in Northwood
MAKE A DAY OF IT
