My favourite locations for family photography in Leighton Buzzard

I have recently returned to live in Leighton Buzzard, where I grew up and my family still live. I’m lucky enough to have four beautiful nieces and nephews and we are blessed with some fantastic woods, parks and playgrounds to explore - often with my mum and her dogs in tow 🐶. I featured a couple of these in a recent blog post, and have covered a few more in the article below :)

Stockgrove Country Park

We are so lucky to have this wonderful park on our doorstep, which I’ve been visiting since I was a child. We (and the dogs!) know every inch of Stockgrove but never get bored, and I love how it changes over the seasons. It boasts some stunning scenery, with woodland, beautiful views and little nooks and crannies to explore. Whichever path we choose we normally make a stop-off at the lake to say hello to the ducks and swans, and of course the cygnets in late spring / early summer. It’s a lovely spot for family and children photography, with so much colour and interesting backdrops for portraits.

Two young girls, one older and one younger, walking up a dirt path through a lush green forest, holding hands.
Five children standing near a large tree in a forest, with lush green foliage and orange-brown ferns on the ground.
A young girl with light brown hair, wearing a cream-colored blouse and blue jeans, standing near a body of water with blurred colorful autumn trees in the background.

Rushmere

Backing onto Stockgrove, we often take in both parks in the same walk. Rushmere has so much to offer for everyone. The kids love the sandy playground near the car park, and it can be fun to spend a while on the café terrace looking out for wildlife, including the local herons in the spring. Then it’s into the woods, with many surprises in store, including big chairs, giant wooden insects and little tree houses to climb and explore, with no end of opportunities for action photos. Progress can be slow as there are so many things to stop and do along the way, and there is a lovely family atmosphere all throughout the year.

Three children playing and examining a large tree trunk in a wooded outdoor setting, with lush green foliage in the background.
A young child, dressed in a blue jacket, running on a trail covered with fallen autumn leaves in a forest with sunlight filtering through the trees.
Three children playing on a playground in a wooded area: two children are climbing on a log structure, and one child is hanging upside down through a metal bar.

Mead Open Farm

Mead Farm has been a real godsend over the past few years. It is a fantastic day out with so much to do with the children. The outdoor playgrounds are really well equipped for kids of all ages, and the indoor soft play has an impressive array of big slides, climbing frames, tunnels and play areas. The children hardly know where to start - it’s chaos but the good kind! Fortunately there is a decent cafe with snacks to keep the energy levels up and coffee for the grownups :) Then it’s back outside to the trampolines, climbing wall for the older kids, go-karts, petting area and train ride. It is normally hard to leave with the mandatory extra go round the playground before you get to the exit. I honestly can’t recommend this place enough, and it’s a gift for me as a photographer, with the kids in their element and having so much fun.

Child with blonde hair in a blue jacket crawling through a wooden tunnel at a playground, with an expression of surprise or excitement.
A young boy with brown hair wearing a blue and white striped shirt is sitting inside a yellow toy car, looking up at a girl standing in front of him. The girl is wearing white shoes and colorful leggings with rainbows and lemons, but her upper body is out of the frame. The scene is outdoors on a sunny day.
Black and white photo of a young boy looking up from the bottom of a climbing structure made of ropes and wooden planks, viewed through the ropes.

Linslade Recreation Ground

With the playground by the station, and the stunning flower garden a short walk away by St Barnabas Church, Linslade Recreation Ground is a real treat. The playground is small ‘but perfectly formed’ and ideal for younger kids, with a handy seating area for the grownups to chat and have a coffee while the children race around. For my nephews a visit often involves a diversion to the station platform to watch the trains go by. The flower garden by the church is beautifully maintained, and I was grateful to the Town Clerk and Bloom Volunteers for recently allowing me to hold photo shoots there to raise money for the Linslade Lower School and Mentmore Under-5’s Nursery.

A woman and a young boy sharing a happy moment outdoors in a garden, surrounded by various colorful flowers and greenery, with a black park bench in the background.
Child with blonde hair peeking over blue playground equipment, with bare tree branches and a blue sky in the background.
A woman with long blonde hair wearing a red shirt, holding a young boy with blonde hair and a brown shirt, both smiling and laughing in a park with green grass and trees in the background.

Parson’s Close Recreation Ground

Located a stone’s throw from the town centre, the playground at Parson’s Close has recently been refurbished. They have done an amazing job and it’s now really well equipped for kids of all ages, including a fun sand pit and of course the splash pool for the summer months. It’s a brilliant location for photos all times of the year :)

A young girl looking through a telescope mounted outside on a structure, with a focused expression.
A young child with shaggy hair leaning over a playground barrier, surrounded by adult hands offering support or communication, outdoors during the day.
Child with blonde hair wearing a red shirt looking down from a wooden play structure with yellow safety bars.

Linslade Woods

The woods in Linslade are great in their own right, but are best known for their stunning bluebells in the spring. The ground is a beautiful carpet of blue and just so so pretty from late March to early May. It’s a must for family photography 🥰

Two young girls sit among purple bluebells in a forest, smiling and hugging each other with a fallen log in the background.
A family of five sitting on a fallen log amidst bluebells in a forest, smiling and enjoying each other's company.
Two young girls are sitting on a log in a field of blue flowers, with trees and green foliage in the background. They are smiling and appear to be happy.