Hillsborough Park

Hillsborough Park, also known as Watsons local, is in the heart of hillsborough, we live around 30 seconds away so are in most days. It's a very open park with a running track around the main field. This field is often used for various organised sporting activities, in his younger days Watson was known to try to take part and it was always met with a giggle although I was always profusely apologising! On the running track there is sometimes group runs but they happily jog by dog walkers. 

There is a large pond in the centre of the park with ducks and sometimes fisherman, I wouldn't advise letting your dog swim because of this, as well as the fact it can have a lot of litter floating in it! 

There's also a children's play area which is not dog friendly, Plenty of people tie their dogs to the bars and you can see them clearly from the equipment, it is not something I ever advise you do in any situation but I haven't ever seen a dog be harmed or get away. 

The park can get very busy in the summer months and it may be advisable to keep your dog on a lead at these times. There are also fun fairs every few months that are held on the main field. A few times I have noticed with these come some dogs that are kept outside, a particular fair has 2 large Alsatians who bark very loudly and seem aggressive, I haven't come into contact with them as they have always been in a kennel or chained to a mobile home but it's better to be safe than sorry so we do not let Watson off the lead whenever there is a fair.

It takes us around 45 minutes to walk around the whole park, you can make this shorter by going through different exits and paths. 

My favourite part of this walk is the nature garden at the top of the park near Middlewood Road, there is a memorial fountain and some picnic benches around the gardens, a really nice place to have lunch on a nice day, it is very important that your dog is kept on the lead while in this part of the park, it is only small and the park rangers have a plant nursery as well an area dogs are not allowed in at all, there's a frog pond and all the squirrels seem to live here.  

There is a large car park at the rear of the park accessible from Parkside Road, just  off Penistone Road. This is used as parking on Sheffield Wednesday match days so it is advisable to avoid these days. There are also lots of buses that stop near the park, including the 97 and 98 that stop right outside, Hillsborough bus station is a 5 minute walk away. 

In summary this is a great park to go for a casual walk in, with clear paths it's good for a rainy day if you don't want to get your wellies on, with things to keep kids occupied and plenty of running room it suits a family day out. Give it a go and let us know what you think!