Browning Park Playground- Saanich

We haven't been this excited about a playground in ages! Every time we drive up Shelbourne Street during the last two years we have looked over towards Browning Park and laughed at the old old little playground hidden in the long grass. I've always meant to visit there, fully expecting to give it a poor quality review as the type of playground where a child might need a tetanus jab. But those who snooze, lose. Because recently I was driving up Shelbourne, glanced over and almost crashed my car in excitement. Because not only was there a brand-spanking-new playground being built, but the entire park, which frankly had been overgrown and nondescript, was dug up and being redeveloped.

Kudos to the CRD and Saanich here because this is part of the Bowker Creek development project and if this part of Bowker Creek turns out as nicely as, or even nicer than the Oak Bay part then it will be a wonderful place for locals. And even in it's current unfinished state, it's looking amazing. Thanksgiving weekend finally gave us the opportunity to visit the playground and let's just say that when we tried to leave the kids kicked up a big fuss!

Located on Shelbourne Street and accessible from there or from either side of Browning St or from the Bowker Creek pathway that runs on the far side of the Creek, this lovely new park has smooth tarmac trails, a basketball court and a fantastic playground. Parking might be available on Browning St, but this is more the type of park that you walk or ride bikes to, and stop off at for a picnic. It looks like there will be nicely landscaped gardens and grassy areas but for now it's a bit of a mess with dirt and diggers- which hold their own attraction for little ones.


The playground has two main climbing structures, a small one for little kids and a big one for the bigger kids. The small one features various climbing options to a low tower and a double metal short straight slide. There is a double big kid, double toddler swing combo, a climbing frame car, a twiddly stem, and a rock feature for climbing over, under and across.

The larger climbing frame is the most exciting part of this playground according to my kids and my now 4 year old 'A' as the best climbing frame ever. It's a treehouse, and if I had my way this would be known as the treehouse playground- which it may well if it doesn't get called the frog park, but that's a different story. The treehouse climbing frame is built into a tree, and features several routes up which include a 'rope ladder', tree stumps, and tree climbing to the clubhouse up top. There is a long straight metal side down. It's beautifully made, fits in to the environment subtly and has great little touches such as a raccoon and squirrel hidden underneath.


So...the frog. Lastly, but not least, there is a giant frog squatting in the middle of the woodchip base in this playground. Oddly enough, my kids steered a clear path around it and my daughter definitely thought it was real. So whatever the local kids end up calling this fantastic playground, my betting is that it'll be between the frog and the treehouse and that the rest of this wonderful park, the creek and the bike trails will be forgotten in the playground excitement!

Community Park Water Playground- Parksville

Community Park Water Playground in Parksville is right next to the playground in the large, pretty park in the middle of the city's waterfront. Just as eclectic as the playground, the water park has a weird combination of features, though not as diverse as the at the playground.
There are two ways in, past the huge lion drinking fountain, or at the far end, where you can enter normally, or through a tunnel.

There is not a lot to say about this water playground other than it looked a lot of fun and was mobbed by happy children. Mine didn't have their swim stuff with them but were so distracted by the playground that they didn't seem to mind. If you want to know more about the park or facilities check out the review for the sand-based playground next door but in brief, the whole place is pretty well catered for with washrooms, parking, a concession stand and a great view.

Inside the railed off water site there are a collection of older water features, things that spray, squirt and bubble away while you run around screaming. The most popular feature seemed to be a long low water slide, but if you're a thrill seeker you might find it a bit of a let-down. Let's face it, it's for kids!

You could easily spend a day down at Parksville Community Park and between the beach, the water park and the playground there's a lot to offer.

Community Park Playground- Parksville

We've never been to Parksville before but this weekend we managed to sneak away from Victoria and finally got a chance to check out some of the things that Parksville has to offer. I'm not going to wax lyrical about the beaches and fantastic family friendly places to stay or visit, instead I'm going to do what this blog is all about and talk playgrounds. Well, one in particular- the Parksville Community Park Playground, located right on the water in the centre of town.

This park offers an almost bewildering array of playground equipment and without spending an hour documenting everything with a clipboard and pen I can't possibly list it all. I will, however, give a good overview. If you're thinking of going here and wonder if there is something for your child, I'm pretty sure that there is, although because the playground is more old than new and on a sand base, it's not very accessible and would probably not be ideal for kids in wheelchairs. There are facilities such as washrooms, drinking fountain and a food concession, which I expect are seasonal.

Located in the community park, there are large grassy areas, picnic tables, shady places to sit and the whole park goes right out to the beach and the sea. We have reviewed a few parks with glorious views and this is one of them, although because the playground is set back somewhat it doesn't reap the full benefit of the location so take a few minutes to walk out to the water and take it all in.

The playground equipment is a combination of old and new and looks like they have added to it over the years. Alternatively, they might have gone to a used-playground-convention...if there is such a thing...and bought a surprise bag and then planted it all down in the one park. There are literally restored vintage pieces here. There are a bunch of old metal bouncy things with restoration plaques on them, there are old fashioned diggers, a funky old fashioned merry-go-round and an array of old school metal climbing frames. There are some really interesting pieces here but they almost get lost in the sheer numbers. Mind you, with the number of kids around, it's probably a good thing. Our kids favourite climbing frames were the helicopter and the airplane.



There are some small scale climbing structures for the toddlers, and then there are several bigger ones that would suit all ages, but especially big kids. There is a multi plastic tubed slide feature that seemed to be the most popular and there is also a huge long continuous play style structure on the far side away form the parking behind the zip slide. Because, of course, there's a zip slide there too. Oh, and did I mention the water park? This large long climbing frame is a really good one for kids who like to climb because it offers a number of different climbing options to get from one end to the other, starting with low ramps and ending with a weird sort of climbing web hanging basket that I saw a few kids attempt but everyone gave up, not quite sure how to approach it.

There is too much to review the water playground in here so follow the links for more about that. In fact, there's so much here that I will leave the photos to speak for themselves. This playground is not the most glamorous around but it's got a lot to offer, especially when you figure in all the facilities around.

Cordova Bay Road Playground- Saanich

I have no idea if this playground actually has a proper name, so I'm calling it Cordova Bay Road Playground. It'll come as a surprise then, that it's a tiny little playground perched on the edge of Cordova Bay Road between the road and the beach. We have driven past this little park many times but have never managed to stop and so it was exciting to finally visit it. Good things come in small packages!

There is roadside parking and a wall which protects playground users from harm and the playground itself is surrounded by trees which provide some shade. If you peek through the trees you can see down to the sandy beach or out across the sea in one of BC's stunning scenic drive views.

On a base of gravelly sand, the playground has a small climbing structure, a climbing frame car and a swing set with a toddler swing and a big kid swing. The climbing structure is a sweet thing with steps, a short metal slide, an alphabet climbing wall feature and underneath it has an ice-cream style serving hatch. I took a photo through it but the light was too bright to capture the amazing sea view. They should trim the trees in line with the hatch so that anyone bored of pretending to serve ice-cream can sit back and admire the view.

There is a picnic table and bench here, some grass, some shade and of course, if this place isn't the challenge that your kids need, there is a path down to the beach. This playground is an adorable little pit-stop!

Fisherman's Wharf Park- Victoria

Fisherman's Wharf Park is the big piece of plain grass behind the Fisherman's Wharf carpark. Or I should say WAS. Because there are plans underway to extensively improve this area and change it from something completely nondescript to something rather beautiful. And they have started with the playground.

On first approach, you can't quite tell if the playground is finished or not, but after our play there I'm under the impression that it's done, but the landscaping is yet to be done. At any rate, the playground was covered with children and adults playing together so we charged right in. 'Charged' is definitely the correct word because 'A's love of ramps meant that he could run all the way down from the road right up to the top of the slide. I don't know why there are not more slides like this one, built onto the side of the hill. They are clever because it completely removes any fear of heights that anyone might have, and also in this case they have covered the area underneath the slide- and to the sides- with grippy rubber surfacing which enable the kids to run up the hill next to the slide easily. We all know how much kids like running up slides and this little feature means that they can do this without doing it- if you see what I mean?

So the playground is spread over a nice large area and has a pyramid climbing feature right in the middle. There are two bouncy things- in fact they are the bounciest bouncy things I have met yet and I had a moment when I thought that 'A' might pling off into the stratosphere.

The other two features of this playground are a fake rock climbing arch and a big wooden ship hull. There is a woodchip base and nice paths around with mosaic features. There are lots of seating areas and picnic tables and there will be shade once the trees grow a little. Oh, and there's a good view. If you don't know this area it's such a treat for kids because there is so much to see and do. We played for a while and then walked across the carpark to the wharf where we saw the resident seals, watched seaplanes take off then we caught a water taxi to downtown. I look forward to seeing how this playground and the whole park develops over time because it's a good start.

'A' liked it so much that he begged to go back soon, something he wasn't old enough to do last year but it's cool that he can now express his opinion. Just as we were leaving the playground he took one last run at the slide, and unlike all the other kids he decided to run up the metal rather than the grippy rubber- showing me that old kid habits die hard.

Leeds Park Playground- Saanich

Leeds Park is one of those tiny little parks that's completely surrounded by houses and unless you had a reason to go there, you probably never will. However, if I lived there, I'd be thanking those exact circumstances and the fact that someone decided to build a teeny little playground right there. You can get to it right at the end of Leeds Place and there is limited parking but I doubt it ever gets very busy.

My photos aren't great because they were taken on the phone, but we discovered this great little playground after taking a wrong turn one night just before dusk. My son, who was fed up of accompanying us on grown-up errands all day took one look out of the window and yelled "PLAYGROUND!" So we were pretty much committed.

On a gravelly sand base, this playground is a little gem with two climbing towers connected by a tunnel. There are two straight metal slides, a low one for the little ones and a high one that is actually one of the steepest slides that I have seen. There a various options to climb up and down and a great activity wall feature. There are no amenities but I have the feeling that the clientele can probably all run home if they need a drink or quick trip to the loo.

I don't know what else to say about this playground other than if there was one of these within throwing distance of every child's home we'd have healthier, happier kids.

Craigflower Park Playground- Victoria

Craigflower Park Playground is the 4th playground on the edge of the Gorge that we've visited. You can access the small car park from Gorge Road W just before it joins Admirals and the playground is a hop, skip and a jump from there.

It's not a huge playground, but the equipment is in good shape. There are the usual double big kid, double toddler swings, a metal seesaw a whale bouncy thing and a teeny tiny climbing structure. The climbing frame is really just a low one-platform tower with steps up and a short double metal slide. This is all on gravelly sand.

The real attraction of this little playground is not the equipment, though it is often crowded in good weather; it's the location. Perched on the top of the Gorge, there are sweet views, grassy areas, trees, lovely landscaping and of course, the fabulous Gorge Waterway path that winds all around the water's edge. There is a lot to see and do and even the occasional event or festival to visit. And when you're there, make sure to top off the visit with a quick play at the playground!

Rudd Park Playground- Victoria

Rudd Park is one of those parks that you could drive past over and over and never really have any reason to stop- unless you play baseball, play soccer, have a dog, or of course, want to visit their playground. Located between Irma St and Whittier Ave, and Harriet Rd runs a long the far end.

The playground is an older construction with wooden beams, metal bars and plastic trim. There are two structures, one for small kids that features a ramp, low turret with two platforms, two activity walls a short plastic slide and two toddler swings.

The bigger kid structure features climbing platforms, two slides- a wide metal and a curly plastic, two big kids swings and a bunch of older-school metal climbing options. This is all on a base of sand that is sculpted out of an enormous grassy area. There are a couple of old fashioned digging machines and a seesaw.

There are washrooms and picnic tables and shade close by. Street parking is easy and there is a parking strip on Irma very close to the playground. This is not the most exciting of parks but has good solid facilities which are in good condition.

Oaklands Community Centre Playground- Victoria

Oaklands Community Centre in Victoria has one of those continuous play playgrounds that you want to take your child to after they've accidentally discovered your secret chocolate stash. Ho hum.
Nestled on a piece of land next to the community centre on Belmont Avenue, the equipment is in a long line and has climbing, swinging and stepping features all in a row. There are chain ladder walls, climbing walls, curved steps, and springy mushroom-like pods to step along. These start in a couple of climbing platforms which have a rope bridge, and they end with the piece de resistance, a rope pyramid.

There are lots of benches, some shade, lots of great grassy areas to run around in and parking is easy. When the community centre is open there are other facilities, though they probably like to save those for paying customers....err....if you see what I mean. This playground is bright, attractive and in good shape but it's probably best for the older kids. 'A' really really wanted to go there and play, but we ended up staying mostly on the rope pyramid because the climbing structure was a bit advanced for him. And I'm also thinking that we spent so much time on the climbing pyramid because he gets tangled up in them every time.

Barnard Park Playground- Esquimalt

We've been past the end of Barnard Ave about 10,000 times and never thought to go down there until recently, when caught in a traffic line-up I glimpsed a piece of playground equipment glistening in the sun. The next afternoon we made out way down the shirt, dead-end road and lo-and-behold, there's a lovely sea-front park with a sweet little playground. I'd barely been able to un-clip 'A's seat belt before he ran over the grass and was up on top of the slide, almost like I never take him out to playgrounds.

The playground is set in a grassy and shady park. The only facilities are the playground itself, tennis courts and a lonely picnic table. The park however is lovely- paths leading down to the seawall that winds off around the cove. There was an enormous cruise ship docked opposite and between that and the sea-planes that landed and took-off in front of us 'A' had a ball. This is on a woodchip base. This is what I would call a pit-stop playground. You aren't going to find anything amazing there, you won't spend hours there but if you're driving by you can park right there on the road, get a good play in, take a stroll by the water, have another quick play and then be back on your way. It's a case of quality not quantity. Great little climbing feature/slide, nice solid swings and a lovely setting.


Back to the playground. It's a tiny little thing with double toddler, double big-kid swings, and a climbing turret with steps, a climbing wall and a nice straight slide.

Summit Park Playgrond- Victoria

Guest review by Cheryl

Perhaps it is the isolation that has allowed Summit Park Playground to keep its older equipment. The modest sand-covered area boasts a swing set (two big-kid swings and two toddler swings), a mid-height metal slide and a set of monkey bars that my daughter refers to as a rainbow climber. There is a bench nearby on which caregivers can sit (more or less in the position from which this photo was taken). The playground is in the midst of a Garry Oak meadow so in the heat of the summer there is plenty of nearby shade and wildflowers to investigate. Access is easiest from Blackwood Street off Summit via a paved, stroller-friendly path but there are other walking paths in from other streets (we generally approach from Finlayson, up a steep incline). There is limited street parking available but it is possible to park on Blackwood.

The fact that the equipment looks like it has been there since the 1970s doesn't mean it is in disrepair. On the contrary, this playground seems to be well-maintained with minimal graffiti -- surprising given that when we've been there toward the evening there are often groups of teens gathering in the area and there is plenty of graffiti around the nearby communication tower. I almost hate to review this little park because it reminds me so much of parks of my childhood -- I worry that by publicizing it, the City will at once realize they've overlooked it and replace everything. While this is not the best park for very small children (my daughter is 8), the old-school equipment still allows for physical exploration and imaginative play and the surrounding area is full of plants, bugs and birds to investigate.

Allenby Park Playground- Victoria

Allenby Park Playground is on Dean Avenue between Allenby and Townley. It's a nicely kept piece of green with a baseball diamond, lots of grass and a great playground. 'A' was very happy because there were no signs of beetles, the slides were not too high and- probably because it was dinnertime- the place was deserted. Even the sandy base didn't seem to bother him too much.

There are two play structures here, a big kid and a small kid and both are more or less a tower and platform with a tangle of climbing equipment. The small kid side has appropriately sized things to climb up and down and nice little extras like small pedestals. It has a low double plastic slide with one bumpy and one not. You can follow the climbing features around towards the bigger kid structure, where the climbing becomes harder and higher as it reaches up towards the higher tower. There is a nice high plastic slide with a bend in the middle but if you read this often you'll know how I feel about these types of slide- they are great if you get the right combination of weather and clothing, but if you don't, you end up with static issues or, as in my case this time- you just grind to a slow halt. Mind you, I weigh.....mind you, I don't weigh 50lbs like it's intended users!

The playground also has a climb-frame-car, double big kid/ double toddler swings and an old-school metal seesaw. There is a lonesome bouncy thing that looks like it's sinking into the sand too- but after 'A' vigorously pumped away at it for a while it looked no different so I'm pretty sure it's not going anywhere.

Montague Park Playground- Gordon Head- Saanich

Montague Park is a surprisingly large piece of green- well yellow this late in the summer- grassy park slotted into a completely urban residential area. You can enter is from at least five different points- mostly cul de sacs. We drove up Graduation Place first but couldn't park there so ended up coming at it from Sandell Place which was far closer to the playground anyway- you could also try off Lexington or Hazelton or by coming the sweetest way, through a carved path in the hedge half way down Sandell Place.

It was very hot and yellow when we visited- the last of the afternoon sun was almost uncomfortable and so we probably didn't see this park at it's best, but I imagine that it's quite pretty and popular most of the year round. There is some nice shade near to the playground and whereas it's just a grassy park- no amenities, it would be a great place to have at the back of your garden, almost like a village green.

The playground itself is small, but newer and well designed. There are swings- one big-kid, one toddler, and one climbing structure split into big and small sides. On the smaller side there are chunky platform steps that lead up to a connecting tunnel which 'A' had a good time crawling through. He crawled back pretty soon afterwards to inform me that the big-kid slide was too scary and he proceeded to go down the small metal slide on the small side. I tried out the big-kid metal slide and didn't find it scary but then again, I'm over three-feet tall. There are a whole bunch of climbing options here- things to go up, down and hang from and there are also the lovely attention-to-detail features that I adore in newer constructions- an ice cream window like the one at Vantreight Park, counting number walls and so on. This is all on gravelly sand and we didn't stay long because frankly I couldn't take 'A's incessant removing of his shoes to check that sand hadn't slipped inside. Sigh.

Lochside Park Playground- Cordova Bay- Saanich

Guest review by Mack

Lochside Park is located on Lochside Drive just near to Mattick's Farm and on the edge of Cordova Bay Golf Course. This is a very special playground - it's one of the few that has one of those funny digger things which my little boy REALLY loves. If you haven't encountered these before, they are essentially a mechanical digger, but thankfully without ignition or wheels. You use two levers on either side to operate the digger part, pick up sand (that inevitably forms the base of the parks in which they are installed) and then dump the sand. Sounds pretty rad? Just imagine how rad it would be if you were three years old.
Apart from that, it's a nicely kept park. The aforementioned sandy floor, plenty of swings (baby and child x2 each), a good climbing/running frame/slide contraption with 2x metal slides, and is really close to the Lochside Trail - so it's in a beautiful area. Surprisingly, though, it's often very quiet - I've never really seen many people using it when I've been there. Maybe because it's a little hidden away...? Either way, well worth going a little out of the way for a visit, particularly if you have a little man or two scurrying around the house with a bucketload of energy to expend and a love of diggers.

Fireman's Park Playground- Oak Bay- Victoria

Guest review by Helen

Fireman's Park is in Oak Bay and you can get into it from Monterey Avenue- where there is parking, or from Lulie Street on the other side. It's a small and neat little park with some courts, washrooms and lots of grass to play or walk your dog on.

The playground is situated next to Monterey Avenue and is an especially big hit with little boys, on account of the fire hall over the road. We often visit this playground and it's amazing how often that the firemen cruise their trucks down to the field, bring out their hoses and start doing watery stunts-all in the name of practice! They usually get a line of spectator moms who desperately try to keep their kids from joining in. There are lots of places to sit -on benches and picnic tables (some shade too) in case you want to bring along a picnic to eat during the fun.
The playground isn't half so exciting......but it's a decent come-down after the firemen go back to the station. There are woodchips on the floor, and there is one main climbing area with separate swings and a free-standing slide. As you can see in the photo, the climbing frame has big steps, a bendy slide and a lower set of twin slides. The swings are, as we often see on this site, two for little kids, two for big kids and the most exciting thing is definitely the nice high straight old-fashioned metal slide which reminds me of the slides when we were little only about half as high and not over sharp gravel! Did I say the most exciting thing was the slide? I did mention the firemen didn't I?

Leighton Park Playground- Victoria

Guest review by Suzan

Behind the Safeway at Fort and Foul Bay there is a little park tucked between Leighton and Bourchier with a brand new playground.

The playground is spacious and perfect for little legs of all kinds to run around - in fact, adjacent to the park is a large and lightly treed field for our four legged friends to romp around in. While we were there, there were no dogs, but in the past we have met several lovely and child friendly animals there. Parking is in a residential area, so it's not too busy. To get in to the park there is a path on either side and once you are there, you do not have to worry about traffic or anything. The play area is wood chipped, with some cement sidewalk areas and lots of grass.


Now, on to the fun parts! There are three separate play structures. The first is a typical swing set, two swings for big kids and two bucket style swings for babes and toddlers. The primary plus about these swings is that the toddler and babe swings are in the shade in the early afternoon, which is extremely hard to find in a park in Victoria. (see photo below) The second structure is a toddler size boat featuring a double slide, a chain ladder, a funky whistle device that sounded a bit weak (but not too loud thankfully), plus two steering wheels for kiddos to be captains at.
The third structure is a crazily high fun area - kind of hard to describe. First, it's high. Not for a toddler kind of high. My kid climbed it like a monkey and was WAY over my head- not for a squeamish parent by any means. The three ladders leading up are three different styles requiring different climbing styles (which, of course, my little one HAD to try). These lead to a small platform which is where a wonderfully long and fast slide awaits. Now, I have a thing about slides and let me tell you, this slide is pretty darned good. Slippery, yet has an extended flat lower area to ensure little ones don't go flying off the end. Plus, it is north facing, so little legs and hands don't get that lovely scorching burning sensation because it's in the shade! Now, this is not all! There are monkey bars, an awesome twirling device that us adults can go on without feeling like oversized chimps (like the little teacup thingy at Willows Beach - you know what I mean, admit it), three poles attached to bases to twist on, and two tribalish hand drums tucked under the slide. Last, but not least, there is a great six foot freestanding climbing rock with great handholds for all ages to climb up. We saw three other kids of assorted ages while there, and something about climbing rocks appealed to each of them.


The only negative with this park is that there is just one park bench right now. There used to be more before the renovation, but I'm not sure if they will have them back or not, likewise with a picnic table they had there. There are no washrooms nearby, with the exception of the ones at Safeway and two Starbucks approximately two blocks away.
Overall, we had a great time and look forward to heading to this little tucked away gem for more playtime. Hopefully we'll see you there!

NOTE: At the time of writing this, the structures are complete and playable but the landscaping has yet to be finished, so beware of metal posts and try not to get tangled in the red fencing ;)

Gorge Waterway Park Playground- Victoria

We've been waiting a long time to visit the Gorge Waterway Park playground which is on Gorge just north of Tillicum. It has a little car park and every time we've pulled up something has dragged us away- urgent potty-training emergency, sudden reluctance to mix with any other humans or once I think we forgot our shoes. Sigh.
Anyway today, yes today when it was chucking it down with rain, we finally made it there......and it's adorable.
The first great thing of note is that there were beautiful big sunflowers in the flowerbeds between the car park and the playground. You don't see that many sunflowers these days and they added a lovely quality to the scene. The second lovely thing was that there were big, chunky dump-trucks and diggers strewn around in the gravelly sand which were labelled "Gorge Park- have fun" and suchlike. 'A' was so happy and even though this was the one morning that I'd finally got my act together to straighten my hair and put some make-up on my face which the rain was making short work of, we both quickly forgot the rain. He pushed the trucks around and I strolled around the pretty park.

Okay, so back to business. There are two main climbing structures here one big kid, one smaller kid and everything here is pretty new and well-kept. The big kid side features a great metal curly slide one high-ish tower with lots of ways to climb up including platforms, a spiral ladder, and a hanging ladder.

The smaller kid side is in a pirate ship shape with the ship's bow down low in the sand for little ones to wander around and run their sandy little fingers through the grooves in the activity wall treasure map. Behind the ship is a smaller structure with a lower platform, a spiral ladder, steps and a nice metal straight slide.



There are two big-kid swings, two toddler swings and two bouncy whales. There are benches, a picnic table with some shade and a water fountain just down the path towards the water. Interesting enough this could be viewed as an odd place for a playground -wedged between a busy road and a gorge but the landscaping (thick foliage and bushes) and the small car park mean that it feels nicely enclosed, safe and very loved.

Horner Park Playground- Saanich

You can access Horner Park Playground in Saanich from Kisber Ave, Palo Alto Street or Iona Drive. We've been there before a long time ago, I have a vague memory of search there at dusk for something that we couldn't find but we didn't have kids then so probably didn't even notice the playground. Now however is a completely different story!

On gravelly sand, this playground offers a decent sized climbing structure that would suit all sizes of child. There are three slides- a high curly plastic one, a short double plastic and a short wide metal. There are lots of things to climb up, down or to hang off including platform steps for the smaller kids, climbing wall features, a spiral climbing ladder and a wavy hanging ladder. In the middle there is an ever-popular tunnel that connects the two towers and even when they are super short like this one, 'A' seems to love them big-time.

There are double big-kid, double toddler swings, a reasonably old-school seesaw, and a climbing frame car. There are big playing fields that include a baseball diamond and a basketball court and for a park this size you'd expect washrooms but there are none here. There are benches and picnic tables and good shade near to the playground though the equipment itself is in full sun. To that end, our visit here was very short because, and I will use 'A's words here "Mummy! Too 'ot!!!"

Vantreight Park Playground- Saanich

Vantreight Park is on Leyns Road between Balmacarra and Vantreight and is a lovely park with trails, lots of grass and shady trees to hide from the sun under on hot days like yesterday. Parking is easy roadside where you can find it and although this park doesn't offer any of the fancier facilities like washrooms, it's surprisingly large and definitely worth a visit. Plus after you've had a good play at their rather good playground, you can take the steep steps at the bottom of Balmacarra Rd down to the ocean where little ones can throw stones to their hearts content.


The playground is pretty new and features two structures- one that offers climbing and hanging options for bigger kids and then a universal bigger structure. This one has a ton of great climbing options- spiral climbing ladder, hooped arched ladder, a tunnel, several platforms that lead up to a tower and two metal slides of different heights. In addition there is the usual double big kid, double toddler swing combo, a climbing frame car, the cutest twirly thing that I have ever seen and an absolutely adorable activity wall feature- an ice-cream stand built in underneath. 'A' spent a long time looking for the ice-cream 'man' or even just the ice-cream and was gutted when he couldn't find either. Next time on a hot day like this I'm thinking of taking a cooler, some waffle cones and a box of Breyers and 'A' will make a killing!