Families looking for somewhere to enjoy a pub lunch while giving children space to play can now turn to a free community-led app.
Pubs With Playgrounds maps pubs and hotels with on-site playgrounds, outdoor play areas and indoor play facilities. Since launching with 875 venues, the national database has already grown to more than 1,000 listings across the UK.
Around 30 pubs are currently listed across the Bristol and Bath area, including Bridge Inn, The Bath Arms and The Eastfield.
Each listing brings together details families may want to check before travelling, including photographs of the play equipment, opening hours, children’s menus, baby-changing facilities, high chairs, parking and beer gardens.
Parents can search nearby venues or explore pubs in an area they are planning to visit. They can also save favourite locations for future weekends, holidays and family stop-offs.
The app was created by TV producer and father of two Alastair Duncan. The idea began as a shared Google Map used by friends with young children, who regularly exchanged recommendations for reliable family-friendly pubs.
Earlier this year, while recovering from a burst appendix and unable to work normally, Alastair decided to turn the map into a public app. “This is a starting point, not a finished directory,” he explained. “The hope is to build a community around it.”
Parents and carers are encouraged to add missing pubs, upload photographs, leave reviews and suggest corrections when facilities or opening times change. Pub owners can also check and correct their listings free of charge.
Existing entries are checked against available information, including venue websites, photographs and parent reviews. However, families are advised to confirm important details directly with the pub before travelling because facilities and opening hours can change.
Alongside conventional playgrounds, the app records venues offering facilities such as soft play, farm animals, miniature railways and bouncy castles.
Pubs With Playgrounds is free to download for iPhone and Android, with no subscription required. Families can search for Pubs With Playgrounds in the App Store or download it through Google Play.
