A friend of mine recommended Herschel Park in Slough to me as somewhere that was worth a trip with the kids. Situated not far from the city centre, it’s a short walk to this surprising historical location.
I’m not overly familiar with outdoor spaces in Slough, but we needed somewhere that the boys could get out with their scooters and get a bit of fresh air, even though the weather wasn’t great. After all the rain and many muddy walks, we wanted somewhere paved and easy to park. That is exactly what we got. Its also perfect to bring dogs along too.
Formerly known as Upton Park, it is split in to two areas – the nature reserve and the more picturesque grade II listed park. Its slightly hidden away so from the main road you wouldn’t know it was there and tends to be a quiet hidden gem in Slough.
The park has a smooth paved track round it so perfect for scooters, bikes, wheelchairs and buggies.
As you meander through the pathways, there are a number of wooden sculptures to spot as well as it being a haven for wildlife. We caught sight of many squirrels jumping through the trees.
The main part of the park has a beautiful pond with a cute bridge, ideal for feeding the ducks. Its surrounded by grassed areas, trees and wild flowers. With some stunning Victorian style lampposts dotted around plus the character apartment blocks in the background, the view is very pretty.
The grassed areas are perfect for picnics in the warmer months. There is a large range of trees and wildflowers to admire. A lot of the trees have plaques so you can learn their names.
To extend the walk and make it more interactive for children, there is a family tree trail online which can be accessed and printed off here Both sides of Map 21 AUG A2 size 420 x 594mm (slough.gov.uk)
The map also encourages children to spot a variety of wildlife such as butterflies, woodpeckers and minibeasts.
Easily accessible on foot but if you are driving, there are two places to park – one is signposted but only has a couple of spaces available within a housing complex. They strongly discourage you to park outside of these two spaces so we drove round to the other entrance off Datchet Road, SL3 7NR which had many more spaces available and is still part of the Herschel Park site.
They did have a park kiosk for refreshments onsite however this was closed when we visited. We also spotted a public toilet by the kiosk.
I really was quite surprised at how pretty Herschel Park was and how I didn’t know it existed despite being based in Berkshire all my life. It’s a great place for a quiet picnic or for kids to burn off some energy and explore nature.
There’s a stay and play with Trinity Tots Baby & Toddler Group here on a Wednesday morning. Find out more.
