Give your seniors a breath of fresh air and take them to these top recommended local parks and gardens in Cambridge.
As you get older, keeping up an active lifestyle becomes more and more important for helping your joints and muscles to keep their strength. Getting seniors to maintain a physical aspect to their daily routines can be tricky at the best of times, a daily or weekly park visit is an easy and very effective way to get them out and about.
Cambridge has a range of outdoor spaces, we’ve created the following list of our favourite local parks to explore with your seniors.
Cherry Hinton Hall is a house and park to the south of Cambridge. With a stunning duck pond and playground, this park is a wonderful day out with the family. Wheelchair friendly with plenty of places to rest, eat and play. The Hall also hosts the annual Cambridge Folk Festival which draws thousands to these lush grounds.
If you want to enjoy a relaxing walk away from the bustling city centre, Ditton Meadows are a great choice. Perfect for a relaxing picnic by the river, the ducks are very friendly and always on the lookout for snacks. A lovely wild place in the summertime, with thousands of blooming flowers and butterflies, and cows along the riverside, a very peaceful place for a walk. However, please note, there are not many shops and facilities nearby.
Stourbridge Common, home of the Stourbridge Fair, is a large open space in northeast Cambridge. Part of the common has been classified as a local nature reserve. The extensive riverside floodplain is part of a wildlife corridor that links a range of habitats from the Cherry Hinton chalk pits to the River Cam, which flows out into the fens. The riverside pathway is suitable for wheelchair users.
On the Gog Magog Hills, just south of Cambridge, this beautiful countryside estate offers miles of wonderful walks through woodland and wildflower meadows grazed by Highland Cattle. A fantastic setting for a picnic or a BBQ, to watch wildlife, or take a gentle stroll. Enjoy refreshments at a pop-up cafe or hire the stables for a special occasion. On the remains of a circular Iron Age Hillfort, steeped in myth and legend, and an 18th century house, stables, and gardens.
Lammas Land is a popular park in southwest Cambridge, about half a mile from the city centre. It is bordered by Fen Causeway and Newnham Road. The park has a pool, a large play area for children of all ages. The grass is kept short in various areas, making it an ideal spot for a picnic. There is also a tennis court, a table tennis table, and a bowling green, which is home to the Newnham Bowls Club. The area has many ancient willows, which are managed by pollarding, a form of pruning that enables regenerative growth. There is a bridge from Lammas Land to Sheep’s Green, another recreation ground with a local nature reserve.
As you can see, Cambridge is abundant with open spaces and stunning countryside, plenty of places to take your seniors out for a healthy walk away from the noise and clutter of town. Whether you’re looking for community events, aimless rambles or just a pleasant place to sit and watch the world go by, your seniors will be spoilt for choice.