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Stratford has far more places to play than most visitors find. As well as the big riverside playground at the Rec, there are a dozen council play areas tucked into the town’s neighbourhoods, a free skate park, two playgrounds with zip wires, outdoor gyms and miles of traffic-free paths. Use the map below to find the nearest one, filter by what your children like, and get directions.
Find a park or playground near you
Choose who’s playing (toddlers, children or teens), tap a filter to narrow the list (choose more than one to combine them), or press “Nearest to me” to sort everything by distance from where you are. Your location stays on your phone; we never see it.
13 council playgrounds
15 more on newer estates
1 free skate park
Free paddling pool, May–Sept
Who's playing?
Tick more than one to find places that suit all of them. Our guide, based on the equipment the council lists at each place (toddler units, junior units, zip wires, skate ramps); only the Rec has an official age range, 1 to 11.
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Playground Skate park Park & nature Neighbourhood play area WCToilets
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Playground · ages 1 to 11
The Rec playground and paddling pool
Swan's Nest Lane, by the river · 6 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forToddlersChildren
The town's big playground, reopened in March 2026 after a £250,000 rebuild with a forest and river theme: more than 75 play features, room for 150 people at once, an accessible sensory play area, a sandpit with running water and a shaded picnic area. Next to it are a natural play area, a free paddling pool, a children's cycle track laid out like the town's streets (redesigned for 2026), an outdoor gym and mini golf.
- 75+ play features
- Accessible sensory play area
- Sandpit with running water
- Paddling pool with water play
- Natural play: cableway, embankment slide, rope swing, balancing logs, totem poles, trim trail
- Children's cycle track with traffic lights
- Outdoor gym (6 machines)
Good to know
- Paddling pool: free, daily 1 May to 30 September, 11am to 7pm, weather permitting (it can be drained for up to six hours for cleaning)
- Toilets with baby changing by the play area entrance: 8am to 8pm in summer, 8am to 6pm in winter
- No dogs, glass, food or drink in the paddling pool area; no skateboards, rollerblades or BMXs
- Recreation Ground car park next door; from the town side, cross the Tramway footbridge, or the chain ferry when it's running
-
Skate park
Stratford Skate Park
Behind the leisure centre, Bridgeway · 7 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forTeens
A free concrete skate park behind Stratford Leisure Centre, with ramps installed in 2011 and an outdoor multi-gym unit alongside.
- Double half pipe
- Quarter pipe with grind rail
- Corner quarter pipe
- Pyramid
- Curb table
- Grind rail
- Jump box
- Outdoor multi-gym unit
Good to know
- Free and open access
- Public toilets with baby changing in Bridgeway multi-storey car park, 8am to 8pm
- Bridgeway car parks are a minute away (first hour free in the multi-storey)
-
Playground
Avenue Farm play area and outdoor gym
Orrian Close, Bishopton · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forChildrenTeens
One of the best-equipped neighbourhood play areas, with a zip wire and a free outdoor gym for grown-ups.
- Zip wire
- Multi-play unit
- Play trail
- Roundabout
- Swings
- Outdoor gym: arm pedal bike, cross-country skier, cross trainer, chest press, pull-down
-
Playground
Shottery Fields
Shottery Road · 20 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forToddlersChildrenTeens
Refurbishment due to finish by the end of July 2026: check before you go
Playing fields given to the town in 1937, with a playground, a full-size football pitch, a table tennis table, new oak trees and a wildflower meadow. Under a mile from the town centre.
- Sail climbing wall
- Junior multi-play
- Toddler multi-play
- Seesaw
- Swings
- Table tennis table
- Football pitch
Good to know
- Parking on Shottery Road
- The council closed the play area for a refurbishment due to finish by the end of July 2026: check it has reopened before you go
-
Playground
St Peters Way play area
Bishopton · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forChildren
A good all-rounder with a carousel and a net climber.
- Carousel
- Net climber
- Junior multi-play
- Play panel
- Seesaw
- Swings
-
Playground
Trevelyan Crescent play area
Bishopton · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forToddlersChildren
Small, with a zip wire and a basket swing that little ones can share.
- Zip wire
- Basket swing
- Swings
- Bike rocker
-
Playground
Worths Way play area
Bishopton · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forToddlersChildren
- Junior multi-play
- Spring rocker
- Swings
-
Playground
Burbage Avenue play area
Lower Clopton · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forChildren
A fortress-style climbing frame and a balance trail.
- Fortress multi-play
- Balance trail
- Three-seat seesaw
- Swings
-
Playground
Hodgson Road play area
Lower Clopton · 22 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forChildren
- Slide
- Trim trail
- Swings
-
Playground
Packhorse Road play area
West Stratford · about 2.5 miles from the town centre
Best forChildren
- Junior multi-play
- Seesaw
- Swings
-
Playground
Cottage Lane play area
Shottery · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forChildren
Handy after a visit to Anne Hathaway's Cottage.
- Junior multi-play
- Activity trail
- Seesaw
- Swings
-
Playground
Knights Lane play area
Tiddington · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forChildren
- Agility logs
- Junior multi-play
- Seesaw
- Swings
-
Playground
Wellington Drive play area
South of the river, off Banbury Road · 24 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forToddlersChildren
Good for little ones, with a play shop and hopscotch.
- Toddler and junior multi-play
- Play shop
- Hopscotch
- Rocker
-
Playground
Addison Drive play area
South of the river, off Banbury Road · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forChildren
- Junior multi-play
- Seesaw
- Swings
-
Park & nature
Bancroft Gardens
Waterside, by the RSC · 1 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forToddlersChildrenTeens
The riverside gardens in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, around the old canal basin, with the Shakespeare statue, the fountain and wide lawns. Over a million visitors a year, open all the time, with step-free paths throughout.
- Lawns and 36 benches
- Shakespeare statue and characters
- Country Artists Fountain
- Canal basin
Good to know
- Award-winning Waterside toilets with baby changing, 8am to 8pm
- No cycling, camping or barbecues
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Park & nature
Stratford-upon-Avon Nature Reserve
Riverside, north of the leisure centre · 13 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forToddlersChildrenTeens
71 acres of riverbank, meadows, reedbeds and wetland a short walk from the town centre, with a nature trail, bird hide and picnic spots. Surfaced, step-free paths make it good for buggies.
- Nature trail
- Bird hide
- Wildflower meadow
- Picnic areas
Good to know
- Park at Riverside car park (by the leisure centre) or Fisherman's car park on Warwick Road
- No cycling, camping or barbecues
-
Park & nature
Welcombe Hills and Clopton Park
North of the town centre · about 1.5 miles from the town centre
Best forChildrenTeens
148 acres of hills, grassland and woods with the best view in Stratford from the Victorian obelisk. Great for older children who like a climb; not for buggies, as the paths are informal, steep in places and muddy in winter, with kissing gates.
- Victorian obelisk
- Woodland and grassland walks
- Audio walking trail
Good to know
- Parking on Maidenhead Road and at Clopton Road car park
- Not suitable for buggies or wheelchairs
-
Park & nature
Stratford Greenway
Seven Meadows Road car park · 20 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forToddlersChildrenTeens
The old railway line to Long Marston, now a flat, wide, traffic-free path for bikes, scooters and buggies. From the Stratford end it's about 2.5 miles to Milcote, where there's another café in an old railway carriage.
- Traffic-free path
- Picnic area
- Café in a railway carriage
- Bike hire
Good to know
- Car park and picnic area off Seven Meadows Road (A4390)
- Bobby's Café at the Stratford end; check opening times in winter
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Park & nature
Firs Gardens
Rother Street, town centre · 9 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forToddlersChildrenTeens
A quiet garden in the middle of town, saved for Stratford by the novelist Marie Corelli in 1910, with the Peony Pavilion, a 2019 gift from the city of Fuzhou in China. A calm spot for a sit-down.
- Peony Pavilion
- 12 benches
-
Park & nature
Bridgetown Community Woodland and orchard
Trinity Way, south of the river · 25 min walk from Bancroft Gardens
Best forChildrenTeens
Young woodland, wildflower meadow, ponds and a community orchard of 300 fruit trees planted in 2014. Wild and open; the paths aren't surfaced and get muddy in winter.
- Community orchard
- Ponds
- Wildflower meadow
Nothing matches all of those. Try fewer filters.
Neighbourhood play areas on newer estates
These smaller play areas aren't on the district council's list, so we don't have equipment details for them. They're shown as grey dots on the map.
- Bishopton: , , , , ,
- West Stratford:
- Tiddington: ,
- South of the river: , , , , ,
Public toilets near the parks
- Recreation Ground play area 8am–8pm summer, 8am–6pm winter · baby changing
- Waterside 8am–8pm · baby changing
- Bridgeway multi-storey car park 8am–8pm · baby changing
- Avonbank (Dell Forest Garden, Old Town) 8am–6pm · baby changing
- Bell Court (Changing Places toilet with hoist) 10am–5pm
Free, run by the district council. Tick "Public toilets" to see them on the map.
Equipment lists from Stratford-on-Avon District Council's play area pages; green spaces from its "Our Green Spaces" page; neighbourhood play areas and nearby skate parks from OpenStreetMap. Walking times are approximate. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Checked 31 October 2026.
Quick picks
- Best all-rounder: the Rec on Swan’s Nest Lane, by the river, rebuilt in 2026 for ages 1 to 11, with a sandpit, accessible sensory play and toilets.
- Water play: the Rec’s free paddling pool, open every day from 1 May to 30 September, 11am to 7pm, weather permitting.
- Zip wires: Avenue Farm (Orrian Close) and Trevelyan Crescent, both in Bishopton.
- Toddlers: the Rec, Shottery Fields (check it has reopened) and Wellington Drive have toddler equipment.
- Skateboards and scooters: the free Stratford Skate Park behind the leisure centre.
- Bikes and buggies: the flat, traffic-free Stratford Greenway, and the step-free paths of the riverside nature reserve.
- A proper walk: the Welcombe Hills, with the best view in town from the obelisk.
The Rec: Stratford’s biggest playground
The Recreation Ground, known to everyone as the Rec, is the big open space across the river from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Its playground closed in January 2026 for a £250,000 rebuild and reopened in March in time for the Easter holidays. The district council says it now has more than 75 play features on a forest and river theme for children aged 1 to 11, room for 150 people at once, a dedicated accessible sensory play area, a revamped sandpit with running water and a new shaded picnic area.
Next to the playground you’ll find:
- The paddling pool: free, open daily from 1 May to 30 September, 11am to 7pm, weather permitting. It has new water play features and non-slip surfacing. It’s for young children only, every child needs an adult with them, and nappies aren’t allowed (swim nappies are fine). It can be drained for up to six hours for cleaning, so it’s worth checking on a hot day.
- A natural play area with a cableway, an embankment slide, a rope swing, balancing logs, totem poles and a trim trail.
- A children’s cycle track, redesigned for 2026 and laid out like a small version of the town’s streets, with road signs, crossings, a mini-roundabout and working traffic lights. It’s a safe place to learn before riding on real roads.
- An outdoor gym with a chest press, leg press, cross-country skier, arm pedal cycle, bike and pull-down machine.
- Toilets with baby changing by the play area entrance (8am to 8pm in summer, 8am to 6pm in winter), and a defibrillator by the sports pavilion.
- Mini golf and a café at the Golden Putter, plus a bandstand and, in season, the 1937 chain ferry across to the theatre side.
Parking: the Recreation Ground car park is right next to it, or walk over the Tramway footbridge from the Bridgeway car parks in about 10 minutes. See our parking guide for prices. The council’s rules for the paddling pool area: no dogs, glass, food or drink, no diving or running, and no skateboards, rollerblades or BMXs.
Stratford Skate Park
The free skate park sits behind Stratford Leisure Centre on Bridgeway, a minute from the Bridgeway car parks. Its concrete ramps were installed in 2011, and the district council lists a double half pipe, a quarter pipe with grind rail, a corner quarter pipe, a pyramid, a curb table, a grind rail and a jump box, plus an outdoor multi-gym unit. The nearest toilets are in the Bridgeway multi-storey car park (8am to 8pm, with baby changing).
There are more skate parks in the towns and villages around Stratford, from Meon Vale to Henley-in-Arden:
| Skate park | Where | From Stratford | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Quinton | The Close | about 6 miles | Directions |
| Meon Vale | Wellington Avenue | about 7 miles | Directions |
| Barford | Church Lane | about 7 miles | Directions |
| Alcester | Vallet Avenue | about 9 miles | Directions |
| Henley-in-Arden | Warwick Road | about 9 miles | Directions |
| Shipston-on-Stour | Darlingscote Road | about 12 miles | Directions |
| Upper Lighthorne | Leam Road | about 12 miles | Directions |
These are mapped by OpenStreetMap volunteers rather than listed by the councils, so we can’t vouch for their condition.
Neighbourhood playgrounds
Most of the district council’s play areas are on the residential streets around the edge of town, so they’re quieter than the Rec and handy if you live nearby:
- Bishopton and Lower Clopton (north): Avenue Farm at Orrian Close (zip wire, roundabout and an outdoor gym), St Peters Way (carousel and net climber), Trevelyan Crescent (zip wire and basket swing), Worths Way, Burbage Avenue (fortress climbing frame) and Hodgson Road.
- Shottery and the west: Shottery Fields on Shottery Road (sail climbing wall, toddler and junior equipment, a table tennis table and a football pitch), Cottage Lane (near Anne Hathaway’s Cottage) and Packhorse Road.
- Tiddington and south of the river: Knights Lane in Tiddington, and Wellington Drive and Addison Drive off Banbury Road.
The council closed the Shottery Fields play area for a refurbishment that was due to finish by the end of July 2026, so check it has reopened before you go. Newer housing estates have their own smaller play areas too: they’re the grey dots on the map.
Parks, gardens and nature walks
- Bancroft Gardens, in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre: lawns, the Shakespeare statue, the fountain and the canal basin, with step-free paths and award-winning toilets with baby changing at Waterside.
- Stratford-upon-Avon Nature Reserve: 71 acres of riverbank, meadow and wetland just north of the leisure centre, with a nature trail and a bird hide. The paths are surfaced and step-free, so it’s good with a buggy. Park at Riverside or Fisherman’s car park.
- The Welcombe Hills and Clopton Park: 148 acres of hills and woods north of the town, with the Victorian obelisk at the top. Brilliant for older children, but the paths are steep in places, muddy in winter and have kissing gates, so leave the buggy at home. See our winter walks guide.
- The Stratford Greenway: the old railway line from Seven Meadows Road towards Long Marston, flat and traffic-free, with cafés in old railway carriages at the Stratford end and at Milcote, about 2.5 miles along.
- Firs Gardens on Rother Street: a quiet garden in the middle of town with the Peony Pavilion.
- Bridgetown Community Woodland off Trinity Way: young woodland, ponds and a community orchard of 300 fruit trees. Wild and muddy in winter.
Outdoor gyms
There are free outdoor gyms at the Rec and at Avenue Farm (Orrian Close), and a multi-gym unit at the skate park. They’re free to use.
Public toilets and baby changing
The district council’s free public toilets near the parks are at the Rec play area, Waterside (by Bancroft Gardens), Bridgeway multi-storey car park and Avonbank in Old Town, all with baby changing, and there’s a Changing Places toilet with a hoist at Bell Court (10am to 5pm). Tick “Public toilets” on the map to see them.
Something broken?
To report a broken swing, damage or an accident at a council play area, contact Stratford-on-Avon District Council on 01789 267575 or email leisure@stratford-dc.gov.uk.
For more ideas, see our guides to things to do with kids in Stratford and what to do on a rainy day.
Parks and playgrounds in Stratford: quick answers
What’s the best playground in Stratford-upon-Avon?
The Rec on Swan’s Nest Lane, by the river. It was rebuilt in 2026 for ages 1 to 11, with more than 75 play features, accessible sensory play, a sandpit, a free paddling pool in summer, a cycle track and toilets.
Is there a splash pad in Stratford?
No. The council looked at a splash pad for the Rec but decided it wasn’t feasible next to the mature trees and the sandpit, so it refurbished the paddling pool instead and added water play features to it. The paddling pool is free and open daily from 1 May to 30 September, 11am to 7pm, weather permitting.
Is there a skate park in Stratford-upon-Avon?
Yes, a free concrete skate park behind Stratford Leisure Centre on Bridgeway, with half pipes, quarter pipes, a pyramid, rails and a jump box.
Which playgrounds have zip wires?
Avenue Farm at Orrian Close and Trevelyan Crescent, both in Bishopton, according to the district council’s equipment lists.
Can I take my dog?
Dogs aren’t allowed in the Rec’s paddling pool area. Elsewhere, look for the signs at each play area, and keep dogs out of children’s play areas. Our dog-friendly Stratford guide has the best dog walks, a secure dog field and the pubs and cafés that welcome dogs.
The Rec is also home to Stratford’s Saturday 5k and Sunday junior run: see our guide to parkruns near Stratford.
Alex Harrington
Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.
