Cake At The Lake

This morning was another one of our Mumsnet Chelmsford Meet-ups and I chose Cake at the Lake for our venue. Most of the mums who came last month had babies and so I thought a coffee shop might be more appropriate for them than a soft play venue. 

I'd heard lots of good things about Cake at the Lake and I wasn't disappointed. It is in the middle of Central Park right next to the lake - so very easy to find! Although it isn't huge inside they haven't crammed in too many tables so it is easy enough to take a buggy in. They also have tables and chairs outside so you can enjoy the lovely view of the park and lake. 

The usual coffee shop food and drinks are available and very reasonably priced. A cappuccino and teacake was £4 (so at the lower end of the price range for most Chelmsford coffee shops) and the service was really good. I will definitely be going back! 

(Warning: Saturday mornings are very busy at Cake at the Lake as it has become the unofficial refuel stop for the Park Run that takes place every Saturday in Central Park.)

Have you been to Cake at the Lake? What did you think?

Everyone Outside!

Today's post comes from Tim Dixon, Head of Essex Country Parks. With all the sunny weather predicted for this weekend it's a perfect time to get outside and see the many parks and open spaces that Chelmsford has to offer!

Earlier this month an Essex Country Parks survey revealed that a huge 86 per cent of parents with children aged 18 years or under agree that children should spend more time playing outdoors. What struck me wasn’t the result, but the fact that the people agreeing are the ones responsible for encouraging their children to put down the TV remote and venture outside.

Times have changed quickly and today’s school-age children have a lot of things to distract them from a good old-fashioned kick-about or a game of conkers. Our survey also found that 75 per cent of parents who agreed children should play outdoors more also think their offsprings spend too much time on computer games; 69 per cent think they don’t exercise enough; 65 per cent think they spend too much time watching TV; 53 per cent think they spend too much time on social media, and seven percent stated “other reasons”.



What hasn’t changed is that children still love using their imagination and are more than happy to play when you play the right game. That’s why we’ve devised a raft of Easter weekend events under the banner ‘Let their imagination run free’. These events harness the same love of fantasy but take the action outside for a few hours of fun family time.  





Cracking the Egg at Weald Country Park (daily until 21st April) invites everyone to map read and solve puzzles as they enjoy a self-guided trail around fantastic scenery (£3 per trail guide).

Junior GPS Easter Egg Hunt at Danbury Country Park on 19th April is a fun team event involving GPS units (child ticket price £4).

For younger children, the Easter Bunny Adventure at Cressing Temple on 20th April is an opportunity to have fun meeting costumed characters from Alice in Wonderland before tracking down a chocolate egg (child ticket price £5.95). Bring a picnic! Booking essential on 0845 603 7624.

Easter Ori-eggteering at Hadleigh Country Park on 21st April will see visitors navigating around the park to find eggs and chickens before collecting a prize (child ticket price £4).

We look forward to seeing you playing outdoors with your children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces at one of the events, all of which are listed on our website www.visitparks.co.uk.