13° Partly Cloudy
Hi: 16° Lo:4° 7 day
Hi: 16° Lo:4° 7 day
Whether you choose to skate, rollerblade, BMX or even scooter we’ve browsed the web for articles and reviews and taken the time to find out what the pro’s think as well. Keep a tight hold of your knee pads, BMX helmets and elbow guards as we introduce you to three of the best skate parks Britain has to offer.
After first opening its doors to the public in 1997 BaySixty6 has undergone many changes to make it the pro-park that is today. Located in the England’s capital city London, BaySixty6 regularly plays host to organised competitions and touring professional skate teams such as Almost. Boasting a Nike sponsorship alongside half pipes, funboxes, ramps and many rails this skating paradise is all neatly tucked underground so people are free to skate and ride when they want, not when the weather permits. BaySixty6 close their doors at around 10pm so there’s plenty of time to check this park out, with specialised time slots for skaters or BMX only. Everybody gets a chance to nail some tricks.
A safe spot for amateurs that educates those beginning to take an interest in skating, BMX and scooter with weekly classes, some free with their very own youth club. On our list because of how much it pushes to teach others and its wild history of DIY skating. Now in its fourth home, The Factory Skate Park began in a garden in Dundee as a few young BMXers built the first small half pipe in the city, back in 1984. From here they moved to a small disused Factory warehouse (giving the park its name) for about three years before this building was demolished, losing all the ramps in the process. After a year with nowhere to skate, a second factory with three floors was established in a huge disused warehouse. This second Factory again lasted three years before it was destroyed by an arsonist. A local church then took an interest in the issue and funding began to find a new, legal skate park. This was established at Blinshall Street but wasn’t big enough, after a long wait and raising the funds to make it happen, a fourth and final Factory was born. A purpose built skate park, which is the Factory you can visit today.
Located in Saffron Walden, One Minet Park is a free outdoor skate park open to the public from the hours of 8am – 10pm. Beginning in 1999, the parks early equipment was deemed unsafe by the skaters, BMXers and scooter users who skated and rode at the park. After raising awareness of the issue, a community skate team was created which still hold regular meetings and events today. In 2003 they managed to convince the council to build a brand new concrete state of the art skate park. Construction began as American contractors Dreamland Skate Park Builders were chosen, the first American skate park to be built in Britain had begun to take shape. In June 2007 One Minet Park opened, named after a young skater who died in a car accident, it is now seen as one of the best skate parks in Europe.
