Park of the week

25. Oxhey Park

This large Green Flag Award Park is on the edge of Watford. It was formed in 1924. It is a peaceful and quiet place, despite being next to a main road.

It includes a skate park and two large children’s playgrounds, one of which has the giant swings Jack likes. A boy aged about ten, waiting for his turn, asked me whether Jack was in his thirties (I’m guessing because of signs saying the equipment was for children under 14). I told him Jack was twenty-four and explained that, even so, he likes to go on swings (and that he wouldn’t take long). This was a refreshing change from the teasing and staring I am always on guard for. Most of the equipment looks to be ideal for those with disabilities of any age.

There are toilets, and a large, airy café which has a drinking fountain and bowl outside just for dogs, which are welcome on leads. There are tarmac footpaths throughout. The river Colne meanders through the park, and we walked along it. There are also woodland walks with mature horse chestnut trees providing shade. I like to tell Jack about plants and birds that we see, such as trying to get him to learn words like “convolvulus” (constant repetition seems to work) and explaining the difference between “petal”, “pebble” and “pedal”. I pointed out the “baby conkers” growing and we found one that a squirrel had opened and discarded, so you could see the inside. Sometimes we bring things home and put them on the living room mantelpiece. 

There are steep slopes, apparently popular for tobogganing in the snow, and the footpaths above and below the slopes are linked by a set of steps in the middle of the park. At the top of the steps is a conker that’s anything but a baby – it’s a two-metre-high wooden sculpture, the “Oxhey Conker”, placed there for the park’s centenary in 2014.

There's a car park next to the Eastbury Road entrance and you can also park on the main road and nearby side streets. 

Judith Field

Oxhey Park, Eastbury Road, Watford WD19 4RD