Sunday afternoon.
Reclining in an eagle’s nest in the redeveloped Avondale Park.
I’ve been meaning to write about this park since it was redeveloped a month or so ago as it is brilliant.
As crazy as it sounds to say (so near to Holland Park and Kensington Gardens and full of communal gardens) Notting Hill is really short on small local parks where you can sit on some grass, kick the footy and relax. You see crowds of people every sunny day coming off Portobello Road searching for a scrap of grass and ending up on someone’s front doorstep: there’s not a lot of public grassy spaces around here.
Avondale Park has always been a park that was a bit unloved and ignored with a couple of seats, mangy grass and an air of uptightness and ageing fragility. Not anymore.
The new razzle dazzle playground is divided into two distinct areas: toddlers, housed in a giant fenced sandpit; and older kids. I’ve not spent much time in the toddler’s area but the older kids section has an interactive giant climbing spider (yes, spider), a climbing eagle’s nest and lots of whizzing, turning things that make me nauseas. There’s also undergrass netting to prevent erosion which also gives the grass a good firmness for riding.
If your child doesn’t climb, spin or ride a bike this park is not for you.
My boisterous, kamikaze, Labrador-esque child does and this is our new favourite.
Older kids section
Toddlers section
