Adventure playgrounds are more than a place to burn off energy. The best ones make kids feel like they just stepped into a storybook.
This list of our favourite London adventure playgrounds has something to inspire all kinds of imagination, from castles and dragons to pirate ships and robot invasions.
How we picked London’s best adventure playgrounds
Bar a few exceptions, the adventure playgrounds on our list are all free and supervised.
Most adventure playgrounds are run by local councils or charities and so don’t charge. They’ll often have trained playworkers on hand to keep kids safe, but without being too hands-on. Encouraging ‘risky play’ is actually one of the main goals, as studies have linked it to better mental wellbeing.
We’ve broken the list up by area, focusing mostly on adventure playgrounds within London travel zones 1 and 2. That way, whether you’re based in the city or are planning a trip into the centre, you shouldn’t need to go too far out of your way.
This article was updated on 14 April 2026.
North London’s best adventure playgrounds
Three Corners Adventure Playground
Location: Clerkenwell, EC1
Nearest Tube stations: Angel and Farringdon (10-minute walk)
Ages: 6 to 13
Three Corners has the most distinctive theme of any adventure playground on our list: a robot invasion.
A giant robot with a “sneaky trick up its sleeve” towers over the playground. Kids must escape its clutches by scaling climbing nets, swinging on ropes or ducking into a wonky house. Indoors, you also have a sensory room and soft play area.
Three Corners is the most central North London adventure playground on our list, just about within walking distance of the British Museum. It’s also close to some of our favourite lesser-known museums, like the Postal Museum and the Charles Dickens Museum.
You need to register in advance to use Three Corners Adventure Playground. You can do so on the Awesome CIC website.
Opening times:
Term time: Tuesday to Friday, 3.30pm to 6.30pm; Saturday, 11.30am to 4.30pm
School holidays: Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 1.30pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm
Barnard Adventure Playground
Location: Barnsbury, N1
Nearest Tube stations: Angel and King’s Cross (10-minute walk)
Ages: 6 to 13
Barnard Adventure Playground is said to be the oldest in Islington, and it also has one of the widest ranges of equipment on our list.
The most exciting of these is its dragon’s lair, with canyon cliff rope swings over an imaginary crocodile swamp.
Beyond this, there’s a zip wire, climbing wall and tunnel, rope bridges, treehouses and an outdoor amphitheatre.
Kids even get to do some cooking. The playground has a pizza oven as well as a fire pit to toast marshmallows over while discussing their latest adventure.
The playground sits inside the nine-acre Barnard Park, which has a meadow and a wooded area for den building. From April to September, they also turn on a water play feature with interactive sprays.
You need to register in advance to use Barnard Adventure Playground. You can do so on the Awesome CIC website.
Opening times:
Term time: Tuesday to Friday, 3.30pm to 6.30pm; Saturday, 11.30am to 4.30pm
School holidays: Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 1.30pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm
Waterside Adventure Playground
Location: Islington, N1
Nearest Tube station: Angel (10-minute walk)
Ages: 6 to 13
Based on a quiet stretch of the Regent’s Canal, Waterside has something none of the other adventure playgrounds on our list has: underground tunnels.
Kids also get to explore treehouses and aerial runways, making this a multi-level adventure.
At ground level, there’s a zip wire, a willow igloo and a large sandpit to make ‘secret calls’ from. There are also a bunch of wholesome indoor activities, such as the chance to run a tuck shop.
You need to register in advance to use Waterside Adventure Playground. You can do so on the Awesome CIC website.
Opening times:
Term time: Tuesday to Friday, 3.30pm to 6.30pm; Saturday, 11.30am to 4pm
School holidays: Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 1.30pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm
East London’s best adventure playgrounds
Evergreen Adventure Playground
Location: Dalston, E8
Nearest station: Dalston Junction (5-minute walk)
Ages: 5 to 15
Evergreen sits on nearly an acre of land, which is a large space for an inner London adventure playground.
The centrepiece is a full-size boat surrounded by colourful climbing structures, a zip wire and a tree walkway. For quieter activities, there’s a vegetable patch, used for cooking sessions where kids prepare food they have grown themselves. Kids can discover wildlife around its two ponds.
If this sounds like something your little one would particularly enjoy, there are a bunch of free nature-based events coming up soon in London as we write this (April 2026). Things like flower festivals, animal experiences and nature discovery days. To make sure none of them slip past your radar, sign up for Loopla’s weekly parenting newsletter.
Children can be registered on the day of their first visit by a parent or carer. There is a one-off £1 registration fee. Visit the Evergreen website for details.
Opening times:
School holidays: Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 5pm
Term time: Tuesday to Friday, 3.30pm to 6.30pm; Saturday, 12.30pm to 2.30pm (SEN closed gate session), 3pm to 5.30pm (open gate session for all)
Glamis Adventure Playground
Location: Shadwell, E1W
Nearest Tube station: Shadwell (5-minute walk)
Ages: 8 to 15
Glamis is a former Adventure Playground of the Year winner. It’s also, as far as we know, the only playground on our list with a glowing review from an Oscar-winning actress. Dame Helen Mirren has described it as a “very special place, providing space for our young people to discover their creativity and make friends.”
The outdoor space is packed with tall climbing structures, rope swings and a sandpit. It supposedly even has thirteen different types of swings. Every kid gets a hot, healthy meal at each session. Friday evenings sometimes feature bushcraft and fire-building workshops run by outdoor pursuits charity Natterjacks.
Every child must be registered before attending. Register on the Glamis Adventure Playground website.
Opening times:
Term time: Monday (girls only), 3.15pm to 7pm; Tuesday to Friday, 3.15pm to 7pm; Saturday, 12pm to 6.30pm
School holidays: Tuesday to Saturday, 12pm to 6.30pm
Homerton Grove Adventure Playground
Location: Homerton, E9
Nearest station: Homerton Overground (7-minute walk)
Ages: 6 to 15
The standout feature at Homerton Grove Adventure Playground is the old taxi parked in the middle of the site for kids to climb inside and pretend to drive. Around it, there are large wooden climbing structures, a treehouse, and a big sandpit.
The playground is open all year round in all weathers. Tuesdays and Saturday mornings are set aside as family sessions, where kids of all ages can visit with an accompanying adult.
You can register your child on their first visit. Download the registration form from the Hackney Play Association website.
Opening times:
School holidays: Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 5.30pm (closed on bank holidays)
Term time: Monday to Friday, 3.30pm to 6pm; Saturday, 12pm to 4pm
South London’s best adventure playgrounds
Triangle Adventure Playground
Location: Oval, SW8
Nearest Tube station: Oval (5-minute walk)
Ages: 6 to 17
Triangle Adventure Playground is one of the few places in London where kids can pick up real hammers, saws and spades. With playworkers on hand, children build everything from huts to toy swords.
Besides building (or destroying) things, kids can cook mud pies or play in the wild overgrown nooks dotted around the site. You also have a zip wire, a giant trampoline, a treehouse tower with a slide and several types of swings.
You need to register before your first visit. You can do so on the Triangle Adventure Playground website.
Opening times:
Term time: Tuesday to Friday, 3.30pm to 6pm; Saturday, 10am to 4pm
School holidays: Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm
Mint Street Adventure Playground
Location: Southwark, SE1
Nearest Tube station: Borough (5-minute walk)
Ages: 8 to 15
Mint Street Adventure Playground is the most central adventure playground on our list, just south of the Tate Modern.
Having undergone a £2.45 million rebuild in 2018, it’s also one of the most freshly refurbished adventure playgrounds in London.
You have multiple climbing towers connected by rope walkways and bridges, a tubular slide, and swings. The structures are built from telegraph poles and oak logs, winding around existing trees.
Contact Southwark Council’s youth services team at [email protected] to find out about registration.
Opening times:
Term time: Monday to Friday, 3.30pm to 6.30pm; Saturday, 11.30am to 4.30pm
School holidays: Monday to Friday, 11.30am to 4.30pm
Slade Gardens Adventure Playground
Location: Stockwell, SW9
Nearest Tube station: Stockwell (8-minute walk)
Ages: 6 to 16
The most striking thing about Slade Gardens Adventure Playground is its giant yellow submarine, a brightly coloured climbing structure. Around it, there are raised walkways, a slide and an acre of play space.
The playground itself sits inside an award-winning park between Stockwell and Brixton. From Wednesday to Friday for under-5s, they also do stay-and-play sessions involving their sand pit and mud kitchen.
You need to register before your first visit. You can do so via the Slade Gardens registration form.
Opening times:
School holidays: Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm; Saturday, 11am to 4pm
Term time: Wednesday to Friday, 3pm to 6pm; Saturday, 11am to 4pm
West London’s best adventure playgrounds
Holland Park Adventure Playground
Location: Kensington, W8
Nearest Tube station: Holland Park (3-minute walk)
Ages: 5 to 14
Holland Park’s adventure playground is one of the few examples in London where the setting is as exciting as the equipment. It’s surrounded by 54 acres of nature, including the Japanese Kyoto Garden with koi carp and tiered waterfalls.
The playground itself has a sprawling climbing structure called the Hillcoaster that winds around a tree. Kids can also climb the Fishermen’s Towers for views across the site. Then you have a 25-metre zip wire, a climbing wall and a 10-person see-saw.
The playground is free but unsupervised. No registration is needed.
Opening times:
Daily, 7.30am until dusk.
Hobbledown Heath
Location: Hounslow, TW14
Nearest Tube station: Hounslow Central (then a short bus or taxi ride)
Ages: 2 and up
Hobbledown Heath calls itself the biggest adventure park in London. It’s certainly the biggest place on our list, spread across 126 acres of woodland and featuring its own zoo.
Kids can climb 15-metre wooden towers, cross aerial walkways, race through tunnels, and bounce across jumping pillows. Indoors, the Great Barn houses one of the largest play areas in West London. There are also over 100 farm and zoo animals, including capybaras, meerkats, lemurs and highland cows.
Unlike most others on this list, though, it’s neither supervised nor free. Tickets start at £22.50 per person when booked online.
You can book tickets on the Fever website.
Opening times:
Vary by season. Check the Hobbledown Heath website for current times.
The Diana Memorial Playground
Location: Kensington Gardens, W2
Nearest Tube station: Queensway (5-minute walk)
The Diana Memorial Playground is currently closed for refurbishment. But it will reopen in the summer of 2026 and sounds too good not to include here.
The playground is Peter Pan-themed, taking inspiration from the book’s Kensington ties. This explains why the park’s centrepiece is a magnificent wooden pirate ship. When the playground reopens, this will have been replaced by an even more magnificent galleon, featuring crow’s nests for kids to climb.
If that weren’t enough to impress aspiring pirates, it will also have a new treehouse, plus a water play area with a hidden crocodile.
Visit the Diana Memorial Playground website to find out more and plan your visit.
How to find your next free family adventure in London
Life is one big adventure if you live near London, where free pop-ups, festivals and activities happen every week.
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