Friday, June 26, 2009

Banfield Park Playground- Vic West, Esquimalt



Banfield Park is tucked behind the Vic West Y on Craigflower Road. Right on the edge of the Gorge, it's the second of the Gorge playgrounds that we are going to review and it's a blinder. I've been meaning to go there for ages and now that we have been we will definitely go again because it's one of the best play structures that we have come across, even though it might not strike you as that on first glimpse.



We parked a couple of streets over and took one of the trails that runs through Banfield Park, arriving at the playground from below. Split into the usual big kid/small kid mix, the playground, which is on woodchips, is well-kept and well thought out. The small kid side roughly resembles a ship and has really cool low wiggly steps for the little ones to climb aboard. 'A' loved these steps and it's always nice to see new things, although you can now guarantee that they will be at every playground we visit for the next week now that I have said that. There are a bunch of good climbing options on this frame, two tunnels and a short wobbly plastic slide.

The big kid side features high wiggly steps, a whole big bunch of things to climb up, down, hand off and climb across, as well as a higher wobbly plastic slide and a plastic curly slide. It is really this structure that I am raving about- it doesn't look all that flashy...well, okay, it looks kind of flashy, but I am convinced that it's what kids want. 'A' is only 2.5ish and he can't use this structure to it's full extent, but there were things he could do and things to strive towards and he was very excited.



There is the usual double big kid, double toddler swing combo and there is one picnic table next to the playground though I am sure there must be more around in this pretty park. I didn't see washrooms but assume that the Y has some. There are lots of trees to find shade under and lovely rolling grassy areas that would be perfect for those not afraid of renegade beetles to roll down.

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