Purston Park
Location - Ackworth Road, Featherstone, Pontefract, WF7 5ND - (what3words location)
Distance (around) - varying depending on track
Accessibility at a glance:
Access: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dog friendliness: ⭐⭐⭐
Facilities: ⭐
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
More in depth:
Parking and entrance:
Free small car park next to the main path; spaces limited.
Alternative parking further away requires crossing a field, which may be difficult when wet.
Paths and distance:
Mostly firm, stable pathways suitable for mobility scooters and wheelchairs.
Short circular walk, ideal for slow days
Open grassy areas can become boggy after rain
Facilities:
Benches along the route
Fenced skatepark and children’s play area near the end of the loop.
Ducks (including ducklings in spring) may wander onto the path, keep an eye out if you have dogs
A local walk where you can enjoy the outdoors without overexerting yourself. It’s an easy, relaxed place to spend an hour, or even the whole day if you bring a picnic and there’s some sunshine.
We’ve visited several times, and each experience has been slightly different depending on where we’ve parked. On our first trip, we ended up in the car park that requires crossing a field to reach the main path. My scooter handled it well that day, but I can imagine it becoming tricky if the ground is wet. On all our other visits, we opted for the small car park located right beside the main path. It’s free and offers excellent access, though space is tight, so watch out for other cars when manoeuvring and we kept Betty close-by.
Starting the loop we went left, the first thing to pass is a little community garden, it had lots of lovely colour in spring and summer and is one of my favourite features of the park. Further along, you’ll reach the skatepark, which is fenced off, meaning no runaway bikes or scooters suddenly cutting across your path.
The path continues alongside an open field and has a few benches, with optimal spots for resting or simply to take in the view. Eventually we arrived at a small pond, which has its own circular path. It runs parallel to the main route and rejoins it shortly after. During spring there were quite a few ducklings toddling about with absolutely no fear, even Betty didn’t faze them, so do be cautious around nesting birds.
The loop then carries you back toward the starting point, passing a children’s play area before arriving at the car park again.
Overall, the path is firm and stable underfoot, and the scooter handled everything quite easily. The surrounding grassy fields offer plenty of space for picnics or for dogs to enjoy a bit of extra lead length. After heavy rain, though, I can imagine it becoming muddy and boggy in places.
Purston Park has become a go-to short walks. It’s close to home, peaceful, and accessible year-round, a nice little escape whenever we feel the need to get outdoors, but not walk or travel too far.
Tip - this would be a nice place for a picnic in the summer.
