Adventure Play Zone · Crawfordsburn Helen's Bay, Co. Down
Crawfordsburn Adventure Zone
The woodland play park at Crawfordsburn Country Park — slides, towers and climbing frames among the pines, with the glen, waterfall and beaches all a short walk away.
A woodland-themed adventure play park set right in the pines at Crawfordsburn Country Park — slides, towers and climbing frames on one side, a glen waterfall and two sandy beaches on the other. All free.
What you'll do — let them loose on the rebuilt woodland play park: a tall timber tower with metal slides, climbing frames, nets and swings on a soft bark-chip base, tucked in among the trees. Then walk it off round the wider park.
Make a day of it — the play park is the start, not the whole trip. From here it's a short wander to the glen and its waterfall, the towering old railway viaduct, and down to Helen's Bay and Swinley Bay beaches on Belfast Lough.
How long — the play park alone is a happy hour or two; add the glen walk and a beach and you've an easy half to full day.
Cost — free. Entry and car parking are free, so it's a brilliant no-cost day out. You only spend if you stop at the café.
Cost & food — the Woodland's Café at the visitor centre does hot drinks, lunches and treats, or bring a picnic — there's plenty of grass and shelter under the trees.
When — the park is open all year; the café runs seven days, generally 10am to 4pm — check the day as seasonal hours can shift.
It's outdoor woodland play. The surface is bark chip and the paths are woodland trails — wellies or sturdy shoes beat good trainers, especially after rain, and a coat is never a bad shout.
Plan your visit
Just turn up — it's free
There's nothing to book and nothing to pay. Crawfordsburn Country Park is one of Northern Ireland's free country parks, run by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and both entry and parking are free of charge. The park is open all year round; the visitor centre and its Woodland's Café open seven days a week, generally around 10am to 4pm — seasonal hours can change, so check the day before a special trip. The play park sits within the park near the glen, an easy walk from the main car park, so you can pair it with the waterfall walk and a beach in one go.
Woodland's Café at the visitor centreToilets at the visitor centreRegraded, easier-access pathsFree car parks on siteDogs welcome on leads
Worth knowing:
The play park was rebuilt with a woodland theme through the council's Crawfordsburn Glen improvements, along with regraded paths and an extended car park. If you're aiming for a quiet run at the equipment, weekday mornings and out-of-season days are calmer than sunny weekends and school holidays.
Before you set off
What to wear & bring
👢Wellies or sturdy shoesIt's woodland play on bark chip, with glen trails and a beach nearby — feet find the mud, so save the good trainers.
🧥A coat, whatever the sky's doingMost of the day is outdoors and under the trees. If the rain comes, it only makes the glen greener and the café cosier — a wet day here is still a good one.
🧺A picnic, if you fancyGrass, benches and shady spots dot the park, so a packed lunch works a treat — or the café has you covered.
🧴Wipes for muddy handsBark chip, climbing frames and the beach mean grubby fingers before the snacks come out — handy to have.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Free. Entry to Crawfordsburn Country Park and its car parks is free of charge. You only spend if you stop at the café or shop.
Opening
The park is open all year round. The visitor centre and Woodland's Café open seven days a week, generally around 10am to 4pm; seasonal hours can vary, so check the day before a special trip. The play park itself is outdoors and open through daylight hours.
The play park
A rebuilt, woodland-themed play park with a timber tower and metal slides, climbing frames, nets and swings on a bark-chip surface, set among the trees near the glen. It was upgraded to suit a wider age range than the older equipment it replaced.
Best for
Toddlers up to around age 12 for the play park; the wider park — the glen, waterfall, viaduct and beaches — suits all ages, so it works for a mixed-age family day.
Make a day of it
Pair the play park with the glen walk to the waterfall, the towering old railway viaduct above the glen, and Helen's Bay and Swinley Bay beaches on Belfast Lough. The North Down Coastal Path runs through the park.
Food
The Woodland's Café at the visitor centre serves hot drinks, lunches and treats. Picnic areas and open grass suit bringing your own.
Toilets
Toilets at the visitor centre.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome on leads around the park. Keep them under control near the play park, the beaches and other visitors.
Getting around
Paths through the glen were regraded to make them easier to walk, though the park is hilly and wooded in places, and the play surface is bark chip. An all-terrain buggy copes far better than a light umbrella stroller.
Parking
Free car parking at the main car park by the visitor centre, plus other car parks around the park (including Grey Point Fort and the Helen's Bay side). It can fill on sunny weekends — arrive earlier for a space near the play park.
How long
The play park alone is an easy hour or two; add the glen and a beach and it stretches to a half or full day.
Questions
Before you go
Is the play park free?
Yes — Crawfordsburn Country Park is free to enter and free to park, and the play park is part of it. You only spend if you stop at the café.
What's the play park like?
It's a rebuilt woodland-themed play park set among the pines — a timber tower with metal slides, climbing frames, nets and swings on a soft bark-chip surface. It was upgraded to suit a wider age range than the old equipment.
What ages is it best for?
The play equipment suits toddlers up to around age twelve. The wider park — the glen, waterfall and beaches — works for all ages, so it's a good pick for a mixed-age family.
Is there more to do than the play park?
Plenty. From the play park you can walk the glen to its waterfall, see the old railway viaduct, and head down to Helen's Bay and Swinley Bay beaches on Belfast Lough — easily a half or full day if you want it.
Can I bring the dog?
Yes — dogs are welcome on leads around the park. Keep them under control near the play park, the beaches and other families.
Is there food and toilets?
Yes — the Woodland's Café at the visitor centre does hot drinks, lunches and treats, with toilets there too. Picnic spots and open grass suit bringing your own.
Getting there
Crawfordsburn Country Park, 32 Bridge Road South, Helen's Bay, Bangor, Co. Down, BT19 1JT — on the North Down coast between Holywood and Bangor, signposted from the A2 at Ballyrobert. Free car parking on site; Helen's Bay railway station is a walk away, and the North Down Coastal Path runs through the park.
Crawfordsburn Country Park runs along the North Down coast between Holywood and Bangor, an old estate landscape turned free country park — two sandy beaches on Belfast Lough, a wooded glen with a waterfall and a towering old railway viaduct above it, and miles of walking trails through the trees.
Right in among that setting sits the play park. When the older equipment had grown tired and suited only the littlest ones, the local council put it through a wider glen-improvement scheme and rebuilt it with a woodland theme, so the towers and slides blend into the pines rather than fighting them. The same works regraded the glen paths to make them easier to walk and extended the car park — small things that make a family day here run more smoothly.
What makes it a proper day out isn't the play park on its own — it's what surrounds it. Children can climb and slide themselves happy, then you can wander down to the waterfall, cross the little bridges over the stream, and finish on the beach with the lough stretching out in front of you. Bring wellies, bring a picnic or use the café, and let the fresh air and the woods do the rest.