Eastrop Park — Attraction in Basingstoke and Deane

This park has some beautiful mature trees and has some lovely flower bed displays in the spring and summer months. It is an ideal place to visit for a cheap day out for families with children for a picnic. It has a paddling pool and a boating lake with pedalos. There are seats surrounding the park. There are toilets on the site. There is also an enclosed children's play area suitable for toddlers up to 11 years. It's close to Festival Place food halls including Wetherspoons, Ask Italian, Pizza Express, Cosy Club, Las Iguanas etc..plus a a cinema and Festival Place Shopping Centre. There is a small car park that now charges and is no longer free. During the Summer months there is a small kiosk selling ice-cream, lollies, drinks and chips etc. You can walk or cycle to Old Basing via Eastrop Park. There is a small shop available just outside the park. The only downside for me is the busy dual carriageway and the noise of fast moving cars. I think that there should be a high hedge grown alongside to help block out this noise. Overall this is a well tended park. There are various events held here throughout the year...

I've grown up and lived in Basingstoke my hole life, I've been to Eastrop Park may times growing up, now I'm older and have my own kids I love taking them down to play in the park or see the ducks and swans all about, kick a ball or just run about, it's a lovely place to go as a family or just to get away by yourself for a bit, but the only thing I don't like is that the place was filthy when we went there! The paddling pool full of mouldy water and dead leaves and twigs in it, food rappers and drink bottles all over the place, wasn't a nice experience I can tell you! Even growing up I remember that even in the winter it would either be empty or at least clean, and then fact that they never have the toilets open these days! Now I know I'm speaking for most parents with young kids that they all have bladders like egg cups and when out and they say "I need a wee" then you know you've got minutes or less before accidents happen so locking public toilets in the middle of the day on a saturday isn't the best idea to have now is it. Other than those little things definitely a good day out with...

Activities for all. Firstly the good old stepping stones. Then you got the paddling pool. Boating pool where u can hire boats . Theres a kiosk to by refreshments. Big enough play park and theres a wheelchair swing but u have to have key not sure where u get it from. Then there's a duck pond and sometimes people bring there remote control boats to use. Bring a buck and fish net to see what you can find but obviously put back after! Then theres a obstacle course with different exercises to do. Oh and there a insect bit over the old swamp little wooden bridge .. There a stream that runs through it's the start of the basingstoke canal that goes towards old basing. Lovely just to walk around too. Toilets are available and some when boating pool is open there nicer loos in...