So many nice parks in Dublin… and the weekends are soooo short! Sometimes it´s difficult to choose where to go. A couple of weeks ago we had a sunny and warm weekend and we chose to go to Marlay Park in Rathfarnham, in the South of the city.
It is a huge park where the kids can take the bikes or the scooters, play with the ball, run around without any problem (the park is so big that there´s space for everybody). There is one fantastic playground (one of our favourites!), football pitches, tennis courts, a golf course, GAA pitches, and even a miniature train -amazing offer for all tastes.
The other day the kids took their bikes and the ball to play a little bit. While they were playing, I went to see the market, that is open every Saturday and Sunday in the House courtyard – I love the atmosphere there, always so full of life…and the colours!
The morning passed very quickly. The kids were cycling and playing with the ball for a long time and Dad and myself had some time to enjoy the summer sun (so bright and warm this year). When the boys got tired, we bought some crepes and sat down at one of the wooden tables spread across the park. The crepes were fantastic… we were all very hungry, that is true, but they were very good.
Then Dad and I went to buy a cup of tea to the coffee house at the entrance of the Regency gardens (inside the park): a nice little cafe, perfectly located at the entrance of this lovely garden. If you want to visit the Regency Gardens, my advise would be: go in the afternoon, get a cup of coffee or tea to take away in the cafe and go for a walk in the garden: the afternoon light is fantastic, and the walls around it protect it from uncomfortable winds, so it´s very pleasant.
Time went by so quickly that we didn’t have time to go to the playground this time. But here you have some pictures of the last time we visited (we’re frequent visitors of the playground – but please take into account that if you park at the parking area just outside Marlay House (on Grange Road) there is a 15 min walk to the playground…. there is another car park just outside the playground at the far side of the park (on College Road).
Please see the map for main directions – POINT A in red is the entrance to the playground car park, and POINT B in green is the main entrance to Marlay House.
If you don’t know Marlay Park, go and visit it – I’m sure you won’t be deceived!
Laura is a Spanish full time mum of two boys (aged 3 and 5) living in Dublin since 2007. She is always looking for things to do with the kids in our free time; child friendly cafés, different family oriented activities… and she loves sharing her discoveries with other mums. For more child-friendly places to ouvisit, follow her on Expat with Kids in Dublin
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