Black Park
Black Park
4.5
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
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4.5
537 reviews
Excellent
325
Very good
168
Average
26
Poor
10
Terrible
8
laurajj52
Milton Keynes, UK81 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
We visited because we had booked a Go Ape activity. Arrived over an hour before our activity time as the website says parking gets busy.
The car park was full with at least 50 cars circling looking for spaces. There is no one way system or signposted route round the car park, and so cars kept coming to a ‘face off’ in the middle of the narrow rows with no way of progressing/reversing. This caused lots of stress for lots of people, we saw several arguments.
In between all of this there were also loads of pedestrians and kids weaving between all the circling cars - we felt this was very dangerous and it made for a high alert situation where you were both looking for a space, trying to avoid getting into a face off with another car coming the opposite way down the row you were in and constantly stopping/scanning for people in your route.
We had an activity booked which we would have lost out on if we had done what The Black Park website recommend, which is to turn round and go home (!!) if the car park is full. Eventually, out of desperation, we parked up on a verge between some trees, it wasn’t a proper space but we were out of the way and not causing any obstruction.
It gets worse.....weaving our way between increasingly frustrated drivers, we then queued for 40 minutes (observing several more vehicle ‘face offs’ for the privilege of paying £4.50 for 3 hours (without a proper space). The queue moved so slowly as many people seemed to be a little bemused about how to work the machine, there were instructions clearly placed above the machine and we didn’t struggle, but many others did, making paying for parking a very long winded process.
In the middle of a pandemic we were also surprised that you couldn’t pay by phone/on line - you have to touch the keypad multiple times to get your ticket - there is no other choice. How is this justifiable when paying by phone/app/on line is so accessible?
Finally we made it to activity, 15 minutes late, stressed and frustrated.
This is obviously a popular place with partners such as Go Ape creating additional visitors. With no parking available on the roads approaching this site, the car park is not fit for purpose.
If it cannot increase its capacity, at the very least it should reduce risk to users by introducing clear signage for drivers to avoid ‘face offs’, separate pedestrians and drivers and introduce pay by phone/on line to avoid queues, frustration and potential contamination.
I cannot (unfortunately) comment on the park/woods as the 90 minutes we spent on parking meant that we missed our opportunity to have an explore before our activity. The kids ate our picnic in the car while we were queuing to pay for our parking.
I can only hope that my £4.50 has been put towards these essential improvements. We will not be returning, the whole parking experience spoilt our day.
The car park was full with at least 50 cars circling looking for spaces. There is no one way system or signposted route round the car park, and so cars kept coming to a ‘face off’ in the middle of the narrow rows with no way of progressing/reversing. This caused lots of stress for lots of people, we saw several arguments.
In between all of this there were also loads of pedestrians and kids weaving between all the circling cars - we felt this was very dangerous and it made for a high alert situation where you were both looking for a space, trying to avoid getting into a face off with another car coming the opposite way down the row you were in and constantly stopping/scanning for people in your route.
We had an activity booked which we would have lost out on if we had done what The Black Park website recommend, which is to turn round and go home (!!) if the car park is full. Eventually, out of desperation, we parked up on a verge between some trees, it wasn’t a proper space but we were out of the way and not causing any obstruction.
It gets worse.....weaving our way between increasingly frustrated drivers, we then queued for 40 minutes (observing several more vehicle ‘face offs’ for the privilege of paying £4.50 for 3 hours (without a proper space). The queue moved so slowly as many people seemed to be a little bemused about how to work the machine, there were instructions clearly placed above the machine and we didn’t struggle, but many others did, making paying for parking a very long winded process.
In the middle of a pandemic we were also surprised that you couldn’t pay by phone/on line - you have to touch the keypad multiple times to get your ticket - there is no other choice. How is this justifiable when paying by phone/app/on line is so accessible?
Finally we made it to activity, 15 minutes late, stressed and frustrated.
This is obviously a popular place with partners such as Go Ape creating additional visitors. With no parking available on the roads approaching this site, the car park is not fit for purpose.
If it cannot increase its capacity, at the very least it should reduce risk to users by introducing clear signage for drivers to avoid ‘face offs’, separate pedestrians and drivers and introduce pay by phone/on line to avoid queues, frustration and potential contamination.
I cannot (unfortunately) comment on the park/woods as the 90 minutes we spent on parking meant that we missed our opportunity to have an explore before our activity. The kids ate our picnic in the car while we were queuing to pay for our parking.
I can only hope that my £4.50 has been put towards these essential improvements. We will not be returning, the whole parking experience spoilt our day.
Written 22 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback, we have been working on getting RingGo installed in all of our Country Parks car parks, unfortunately it took rather longer than we had hoped.
The good news is that RingGo is now available in Black Park, Langley Park & Denham Country Park. We look forward to your next visit.
The Parks have attracted a lot more visitors during recent times, leading to our large car parks reaching capacity.
The Country Parks Team
Written 7 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Zahra
London, UK33 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
I have been visiting here for many years but will not be going back. The lake itself is beautiful however the parking situation ruined the experience. It took 30 minutes to pay for parking, the people in front of us all had difficulty using the machine to the point where another visitor was helping them. The instructions are not clear and do not correlate with what is shown on screen, the machine refused to take chip and pin and instead was contactless payment only. There is no pay by phone or online option which in the current climate would ensure social distancing and eliminate the risk of touching the machine buttons that everybody else has also touched. Walking around the woodland area was ruined by having to constantly avoid the long lines of Segway groups that did not make an attempt to slow down when passing. Overall, the park itself is beautiful but this is overshadowed by the problems encountered.
Written 30 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback, we have been working on getting RingGo installed in all of our Country Parks car parks, unfortunately it took rather longer than we had hoped.
The good news is that RingGo is now available in Black Park, Langley Park & Denham Country Park. We look forward to your next visit.
The Parks have attracted a lot more visitors during recent times, quieter areas can still be found away from the main visitor areas
The Country Parks Team
Written 7 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
GlobetrottingViking
Thatcham, UK3,242 contributions
May 2021 • Family
The experience starts with finding a place to park. The car park is quite big but on a busy weekend it fills up. The centre of the park is around the lake, and a walk around the lake is well worth it. There is an adventure playground with activities suitable for children from about 3 years old. The café kiosk today was busy and not well organised but the ice-cream van was popular and not overpriced. Generally a good place for a family outing, but small children must be kept away from the lake.
Written 31 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HCGX
London, UK5 contributions
Sept 2020 • Friends
NIGHTMARE PARKING! Avoid until they get a parking app like Ringo. A queue of 30 people, the machine gives NO instructions so no one even knows to input the last 3 digits of their car reg first (a blank screen doesn’t even ask for that!) COME ON Black Park, this is ruining an otherwise beautiful experience. ...
Written 7 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback, we have been working on getting RingGo installed in all of our Country Parks car parks, unfortunately it took rather longer than we had hoped.
The good news is that RingGo is now available in Black Park, Langley Park & Denham Country Park. We look forward to your next visit.
The Country Parks Team
Written 7 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stormchaser86
Shepperton, UK5 contributions
Nov 2020 • Solo
I come near and now again on the bicycle and the park is great for cycling. I can't fault the park for it's views however I would like to comment on one area that could be improved.
Around the lake there is a section of path marked no cycling. Please could the signage be improved so that it is clear to walkers that you are allowed to push bicyles through here - I am assuming that is the case but please correct me if not. Though the signs do say 'no cycling' and not 'no bikes' so I think this is right?
Unfortunately everytime I visit at least one person shouts at me and points out that there are signs clearly showing no cycling and I then have to explain that you are allowed to walk bikes through the area.
Please improve the signs and make this clear as it's pretty upsetting having to go through this each time I visit and spoils what is otherwise a great day out.
Thank you.
Around the lake there is a section of path marked no cycling. Please could the signage be improved so that it is clear to walkers that you are allowed to push bicyles through here - I am assuming that is the case but please correct me if not. Though the signs do say 'no cycling' and not 'no bikes' so I think this is right?
Unfortunately everytime I visit at least one person shouts at me and points out that there are signs clearly showing no cycling and I then have to explain that you are allowed to walk bikes through the area.
Please improve the signs and make this clear as it's pretty upsetting having to go through this each time I visit and spoils what is otherwise a great day out.
Thank you.
Written 22 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kezzapezza
Watford, UK12 contributions
Apr 2024 • Family
We visited Go Ape and although expensive, the kids had a ball and took a good hour and a half enjoying it, we definitely got our money’s worth. We went to San Remo cafe too and wasn’t expecting to find any gluten free food, but to our surprise they sell gf bread, panini and two type of cake. They also had a gf lasagna as a main course. Our party of 8 all ate toasties, omelette, paninis or baked potatoes. The food was lovely, no frills but tasty and reasonably priced considering you’re a captive audience! But to have more than one choice of gf food was a very welcome surprise. Would defo go back!
Written 8 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TBull01
Aylesbury, England, United Kingdom17 contributions
Mar 2022 • Friends
Great lake, lovely cafe with reasonable priced food. The dog loved his doggie sausage for 50p!
We had a great time. Parking can be paid for using the ring go app
We had a great time. Parking can be paid for using the ring go app
Written 22 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Parent
Cliveden, UK48 contributions
Jan 2020
Can be pleasant to walk by the lake but parking is not cheap.
Go Ape and people on segways overcrowd what was once a really natural beauty spot.
Dog walkers with too many canines can ruin the enjoyment.
Not great quality food but gorgeous view of the lake from the outdoor seating area. Toilets always disgusting. Especially the baby change facilities
Go Ape and people on segways overcrowd what was once a really natural beauty spot.
Dog walkers with too many canines can ruin the enjoyment.
Not great quality food but gorgeous view of the lake from the outdoor seating area. Toilets always disgusting. Especially the baby change facilities
Written 29 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ryan H
1 contribution
Jan 2024 • Solo
An okay place to take a dog for a walk, but nothing special. I couldn’t believe the parking was over £4 for 2 hours!! Especially as it only takes half an hour to walk around the lake! I would have only paid an hour if I could, but it doesn’t even give you the option. Disgusting public prices for a park that probably gets a lot of money from the onsite cafes, go ape and film/tv projects!!!
Won’t be returning.
Won’t be returning.
Written 14 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew
Welwyn, UK1,496 contributions
Oct 2020
This is a lovely park. It is really picturesque with the autumn colours. The lake is lovely and peaceful. The grounds is extensive. On the day we visited, the ground was quite wet so welly boots is recommended. Our dog had a great time but absolutely filthy at the end, so a big towel is a must. For the adventurous, there is a go ape here too. Parking was ok. We went on a rainy day so there was no queues at the parking machine and there were plenty of spaces. Getting there was simply enough following the satnav. We had a great time and will definitely be back.
Written 15 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can we book a barbeque space for Sunday 15 May please.
Thank you.
Written 11 May 2022
I would like to get a season ticket for black park please
Written 7 January 2021
I would like to buy a season pass for black park hoe much do i pay
Written 7 January 2021
What do you all do with roof mounted bikes and the height restriction? Its a beautiful place to cycle but i don't know how I'd get in there.
Written 10 August 2020
Hi, the height barrier at Black Park car park is currently open, please do check before driving through as it may on occasion be closed for security reasons.
The Country Parks Team
Written 12 August 2020
Can you bring your own canoe/kayak to use on the lake? TIA
Written 23 May 2020
Hi, thanks for your enquiry, only organised groups with special permission, public liability insurance, risk assessments, qualifications are permitted to use the lake under special licence agreements.
The Country Parks Team
Written 28 May 2020
Me and my friend are discussing the last time people were allowed to swim at black park lake I’m 43 and remember it as a child but can’t remember when it was stopped .
Written 21 October 2019
Hi, it was 2001. I too can remember swimming in Black Park Lake & breaking the ice on Boxing Day
Written 23 October 2019
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