Sumners Paddling Pool

On a hot day in Harlow, this place genuinely delivers. The paddling pool has multiple sections, so toddlers can splash around in the really shallow end without parents having a heart attack, while older kids actually have room to properly mess about. It’s kept clean and well looked after, which honestly isn’t a given with public paddling pools. Chuck in the fact that there’s a pub nearby for the adults and shops if you’ve forgotten the sunscreen — and you’ve got a pretty solid summer afternoon sorted.