Loop River Park

Full Description

Loop River Park is a free, open green space on the Loop River in east Belfast, part of the Connswater Community Greenway, and it holds the play park most locals know as Daddy Winkers. There's a multi-use games area (MUGA) beside it too, so there's somewhere for older children to play football while the younger ones work the play equipment.

The park is reached from the Greenway off the Castlereagh Road, or from the street side via Loopland Road or Ladas Park, which is worth knowing because the maps disagree on the address. Google puts you at Loopland Gardens (BT6 9EB), while Belfast City Council lists the playground under Ladas Park (BT6 9FF). They're two entrances to the same park, a couple of hundred metres apart, so neither is wrong — the Loopland Road side is the shorter walk in from the Woodstock end.

There's no car park here and no public toilets. On-street parking on the Cregagh Road or Montgomery Road is the practical answer, so this is a play park to fold into a walk rather than one to drive to and settle into for an afternoon.

Belfast City Council's playground list currently shows Loop River with no closure notice, and it's an easy one to work into a Greenway wander — the river, the path and the games area do most of the work.

What You'll Find

Loop River Park holds the Daddy Winkers play park (also called the Daddy Winkers Friendship play park) and a MUGA, with the Loop River and the Connswater Community Greenway running through it. Access is from the Greenway off the Castlereagh Road, or from Loopland Road and Ladas Park. No car park and no toilets; on-street parking on the Cregagh Road or Montgomery Road.

Wee Ones Will Love...

• ✓A free play park with a MUGA beside it, so different ages have something to do at once
• ✓The river and the Greenway path, a short scoot or cycle from the play park
• ✓George Best House and the Museum of Orange Heritage a short walk away if you want to make a longer day of it
• ✓Cregagh Glen at the end of the road for families with older children

Before You Visit

• No car park. On-street parking on the Cregagh Road or Montgomery Road.
• No public toilets in the park or along this stretch of the Greenway.
• Two ways in: the Greenway off the Castlereagh Road, or Loopland Road and Ladas Park.
• Postcode note: Loopland Gardens is BT6 9EB and Ladas Park is BT6 9FF. Both are entrances to the same park.
• By bus, take Metro 6A from Belfast city centre and get off on the Cregagh Road.
• Cregagh Glen, at the far end, is steep with uneven gravel and dirt paths — fine for confident walkers, not for buggies or wheelchairs.
• It's an open park on a walking and cycling route rather than an enclosed playground.

Top Tips

• ⭐Use the Loopland Road entrance if you're coming from the Woodstock side; it's the shorter way in.
• ⭐Pair it with a Greenway scoot or cycle rather than driving to the play park on its own, since there's no car park.
• ⭐Save Cregagh Glen for older children; it's steep and uneven underfoot.
• ⭐Bring water and snacks — the nearest cafés are a short walk away on the Cregagh Road.