Knighton Park

Park

Explorer Tom

Knighton Park in south Leicester has formal flower beds, woodland walks and enough places to play that Tom suspects the trees have begun keeping score. Start with a stroll among the planting, then see whether you can resist following the tree trail when an unfamiliar branch waves you over. Leicester City Council describes a mix of open parkland, meadow areas and woodland rather than one enormous lawn pretending to be exciting. The paths give walkers room to wander, while benches and picnic tables make a slower visit entirely respectable. There are children's play areas, natural play features, outdoor gym equipment and orienteering courses too, so a family can split its attention without splitting up across the city. The tree trail is worth doing deliberately. A council guide points out the park's maidenhair tree, or ginkgo, among its more unusual specimens; finding one is a better game than guessing which way the football went. Formal gardens and grassland offer a change of scene along the way. Sports courts and tennis courts are here as well, though the council asks players to book tennis through ClubSpark rather than simply commandeering a court. This is a public city park with parking from Palmerston Way and step-free entrances. Most paths are level enough for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and the council lists accessible toilets, including a Changing Places facility. Its park toilets are listed as open from 7.30am to dusk, so do not confuse those facilities' hours with a promise about every part of the park. Bring walking shoes, choose your own route and let Knighton Park prove it can keep more than one kind of visitor busy.