There is a cool equestrian themed play area in Loughton, Milton Keynes which opened in December 2020. My children were seven and five at the time we visited and immediately started referring to it as ‘the horse park’ so that’s how it shall be known. It’s free to visit and is one of many parks in Milton Keynes that are well worth exploring with your children. If you find this review – or any of my others useful – please do consider buying me a coffee to help with the running costs of this website.
Where is the horse park?
The horse park in is just off Ashpole Furlong in the residential area of Loughton, Milton Keynes. It’s free to visit. There is not a car park specifically for this play area so you are visiting from outside the area and want to park close by then be considerate as to where you park. There is apparently a car park in Redland Drive near the equestrian centre. An approximate postcode is MK5 8ED. There is also apparently a car park at the Ashpole Furlong/Bradwell Road/Paynes Drive junction. When we visited the horse park we went as part of a longer walk parking at Lodge Lake about 20 minutes away. If you want to do the same then the postcode for Lodge Lake is MK8 9LA, then put Ashpole Furlong into your phone and walk there.
What’s the horse park in Ashpole Furlong, Loughton like?
Having seen the original plans for the play area some time ago, I was excited about there being a new themed ‘Black Beauty’ park in Milton Keynes, but did question whether or not the park would be more suitable for young children. However as soon as we arrived, my children absolutely loved it. The horse and cart was much bigger than I expected. Neither of my children climbed on the horse, I’m not sure if children are meant to as it’s large. Even my eldest son didn’t want to try and jump on it. They liked the wobbly bridge. The wooden steps to get to the fireman’s pole and monkey bars are quite far apart, so my 5 year old was fine, but younger children might struggle. There’s a red barn which again is bigger than expected. There’s a small table and seats inside and the doorway is big enough for an adult to get through. My children enjoyed climbing up the hay bales and going down the slide. There’s an assault course based on equestrian equipment, an accessible roundabout, a see-saw, swings and a rocker thing. The park is not completely fenced and gated but a fence does separate the play area from the path.
Any downsides to the horse park in Loughton?
It’s on a hill and it gets muddy. Not that either of these things affected my children’s enjoyment of the park. But given that the roundabout is an accessible one, it does seem to be a rather strange location for it. It probably would have been better near the barn. Overall though we thought it was an excellent park and one that we would definitely return to.
Where else can we go after the horse park?
The horse park is in Loughton which is a lovely village in Milton Keynes. From there you can also walk to the excellent pirate park or the stepping stones. The stepping stones are within Loughton Valley Park which covers a large area in Milton Keynes. If you follow the route one way it will take you to Teardrop Lakes or if you’re on bikes you might fancy heading to Lodge Lake and on to Bradwell.
I'm Laura, mum to two boys aged nine and seven. I run this website independently and free from advertising in addition to my day job. If you have enjoyed this post and found it useful, here are some ways you can say thanks and support Milton Keynes Kids.
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