Dinton Pastures Country Park — Attraction in St. Nicholas, Hurst

I am beyond disappointed with my recent experience at Dinton Pastures Country Park, which was utterly ruined by the callous and money-grabbing attitude of Wokingham Borough Council. After a wonderful day outdoors, my family was subjected to a heartless penalty for a mere 24-minute overstay beyond our paid 3-hour parking session. The reason for this overstay? An unforeseen medical emergency involving our young son, who suffers from a condition that caused an uncontrollable nosebleed. Despite providing clear evidence and explaining the situation, the council coldly rejected our appeal and forced us to pay a hefty fine, or risk having the amount doubled.

This is the same council that locks the gates at exactly 5 PM, stranding visitors who may be enjoying the park, and then demands an outrageous £115 per vehicle to reopen them. It’s clear that Wokingham Borough Council is more interested in extracting money from its visitors than in promoting exercise and outdoor activities.

If the council put even half the effort into encouraging healthy lifestyles and outdoor recreation as they do in squeezing every penny out of people, they might see a significant reduction in their adults' social care bill. But instead, they choose to nickel and dime families who are simply trying to enjoy a day out.

I will never return to Dinton Pastures and strongly advise others to avoid it as well. There are plenty of other parks where visitors are treated with respect and fairness, rather than as cash cows for a greedy council. Save yourself the frustration and...

Dinton Pastures Country Park is a beautiful park located in Winnersh, Berkshire. It is a great place to visit for a family day out, as there is something for everyone to enjoy.

The park has a wide variety of activities available, including:

A playground with a variety of equipment for children of all ages.

A lake with a boathouse where you can rent rowing boats, pedal boats, and canoes.

A network of walking trails through the park, including a nature trail and a sensory trail.

A cafe with a lovely outdoor seating area.

The park is also home to a variety of wildlife, including ducks, swans, geese, and squirrels.

The park is beautifully maintained, and the views are amazing. We loved walking around the lake and exploring the different trails. The cafe is great, and they have a lovely outdoor seating area. We would definitely recommend Dinton Pastures Country Park to anyone looking for a fun and relaxing day out.

Pros:

Beautiful scenery

Variety of activities available

Family-friendly atmosphere

Well-maintained facilities

Friendly staff

Cons:

Can be crowded on weekends

Some activities may be closed during the winter

Overall:

Dinton Pastures Country Park is a great place to visit for a family day out. There is something for everyone to enjoy, and the park is beautifully maintained. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and...

Always a lovely place to visit..everything you need to keep the little ones amused. We usually walk round the lake first then head to the playground to burn off some energy. With so many things to choose from in the park they never get bored no matter the weather. If there was anything I could think of to make it better I would say only somewhere to hide when it rains. There is a small bus stop structure to sit under but is really only big enough for one or two families. The cafe is always clean and the seating outside is plentiful and not on top of each other. The toilets can get very busy and often run of toilet roll in the summer..but more can be fetched from the cafe..but we usually have some pocket tissues with us just in case. The path round the lake is great for cycling though I wouldn't suggest it for speed cycling as there is always families and dog walkers on the same routes. There is lots of parking and now have app parking so change is not needed. Also if your making a day of it and go over your time..you can just extend your parking without needing to run back to the car. Fancy feeding the ducks? You wont be disappointed..want to sit for a picnic..there's areas for that too..and benches all the way round the main lake (I think there are 3 or 4 lakes in total ) if you need to rest or just take...