I was saying recently to a local friend how lucky we are to live within spitting (well, almost) distance of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. The first time I visited the stadium was back in 2012 when Mr B and I managed to get tickets to watch the Paralympics (we watched Dave Weir win a gold medal!).

Paralympics

Once the park was open to the public in April, it took me a while before I visited with Mushroom. The first time we visited was in the summer, when we made the most of the fountains – definitely Mushroom’s favourite part of the park (and he’s not the only one – you can hear the screams well before you see the water if you go on a hot day!).

We’ve also visited Timber Lodge several times and made the most of the play equipment in Tumbling bay playground – and investigated the nearby interactive art…

And we don’t let the cold weather keep us away! We recently went on a boat trip around the park in the pouring rain – Mushroom and his friend were fascinated by the sound of the rain drumming on the roof of the boat and excited by fact that the water level was so high we thought we might not make it under all the lower bridges (we did)! And now that Mushroom has his weekly swimming lessons in the Aquatic Centre, we often make use of the sandpit afterwards before heading home for lunch. Like I said, we really are very lucky.

Helter SkelterIf you’re ever in Stratford, the park really is a must-visit. There is so much to do and see – and I haven’t even mentioned the helter-skelter or the Orbit, which is next on our list. Maybe we’ll make our visit to Father Christmas there this year…!

I am linking this post up to Coombe Mill‘s Country Kids . Click on the image below to find out more.

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Disclosure: We are not in any way affiliated with the Olympic Park (we will let you know if this changes!) but just love it (if you hadn’t guessed). All the outdoor activity is free to use.