Lammas Land Pool is an awesome place to take kids on a hot summer day, with a giant paddling pool, playground and cafe set in a park just a short walk from Cambridge city centre.
Giant paddling pool
It may sound like some kind of expensive overseas theme park, but the main highlight of Lammas Land is basically just a big, shallow paddling pool.
Lammas Land Pool (also known as Newnham Paddling Pool) is completely free to use and perfect for kids aged around 1-10 years old. The water is cold but you’ll soon warm up with all the running and splashing you’ll be doing, and it’s so shallow it’ll only reach waist height on a toddler. The pool is completely free to use and probably large enough to accommodate 100 kids – which is good because it’s always busy!
If you fancy a proper outdoor swim, check out the free Sheep’s Green Learner Pool just round the corner by the River Cam. It’s only 0.9m deep so excellent for young kids to learn in.
Playground
We wouldn’t go as far as describing Lammas Land as having an adventure playground, but there are plenty of climbing frames, balance beams, swings, roundabouts, and even a giant rocking horse and mini pirate ship for kids to charge about on when they fancy a break from the water.
Shop & cafe
Lammas Land cafe (no indoor seating) serves a decent selection of drinks, snacks and ice creams, and the little shop attached to it has lots of well-priced paddling pools toys like inflatables, water guns, and beach balls. We recommend the mini boat, which from memory cost just £5!
Picnics
The huge park surrounding the paddling pool is a great place to lounge for a few hours and have a picnic while the kids go crazy in the water. There’s a small Co-op and some quirky independent food shops just a short walk away in nearby Newnham, which are great places to pick up supplies if you haven’t brought them with you.
Parking
The small car park at Lammas Land Paddling Pool was free until July 2019, but now costs a few quid to park in all day. Make sure you get there early though! The barrier usually goes up at 10am and it fills up very quickly. If you don’t get a space, you can usually find a free on-street parking spot in Newnham.
Outdoor Dad Verdict – Lammas Land Paddling Pool
A wonderful summer family day out, right in the heart of one of England’s most beautiful cities. Completely free with loads of things to entertain the kids (and lots of fun for adults too!).
Kitted out: As always, Sonny was wearing his awesome Isbjorn Sun Sweater and Sun leggings at Lammas Land. He’s lucky enough to be an ambassador for Isbjorn, and has pretty much lived in this shorts and sweater combo all summer. They offer 50+ sun protection rating, and are resitant to salt water and chlorine. Plus, they look cool!