Skatepark Cities – Liverpool The latest post in our skatepark series places the spotlight on Liverpool. Home of the Beatles, a thriving football culture and countless bars and clubs, Liverpool also has a vibrant skating scene.
Liverpool is a hub of the northern skating scene and has produced tons of great skaters in the past couple of decades. Arguably, none are as great as the world famous Geoff Rowley, who is very much the Godfather of Liverpool’s skating scene.
Rowley became so famous that he even had a trick named after him: The Rowley-Darkslide. It’s a variation of a darkslide, where the trailing foot is placed on the inside of the truck for the duration of the slide. It looks a little bit like this:
If you want to emulate Rowley and see where he honed his craft before winning the coveted Thrasher Magazine’s Skater of the Year award in 2000, then look no further than the skateparks of Liverpool. Here are our top places to visit.
1. Evertro - Everton Park
At first glance, Evertro looks like a glowing volcano nestled within Everton Park. However, it’s actually the UK’s first glow-in-the-dark skatepark. It opened on October 5th 2015 and is a piece of permanent public artwork designed by Korean artist Koo Jeong A in collaboration with local skaters and Wheelscape Skateparks.
It’s open for all skaters and BMXers to use and enjoy. It combines elements of skating and BMXing with a minimalist aesthetic. The park brings together familiar skating forms with new sculptural elements, which creates a new and exciting space for experimentation – you won’t find anything else like it in Liverpool or the rest of the UK. The park’s designed to have something for everyone, including “extremely steep, sharp angles, which would be a challenge to the most courageous and skilled skaters”, according to the artist. It really does have to be seen to be believed.
• Opening times: Unsupervised access 24 hours a day
• Charge: Free
• Address: Everton Park, Prince Edwin Street/ Roscommon Street, Liverpool, L5 3NG
• Website: https://www.biennial.com/collaborations/wheels-park
2. Otterspool Skatepark
Described as a “sporting haven for skateboarders”, Otterspool is a new skatepark in Liverpool.
Over 1,000 young people were consulted to understand what was required in the £185,000 park and it is designed to be a dedicated facility for people to develop their skating skills. Built around a tree that is on top of a circular transition, Otterspool is a bunch of fun. The state-of-the-art park has a series of ramps and slides as part of a concrete bowl. There are plenty of transitions on one side, with street features on the other.
Mainly designed with children in mind, it’s a great place to learn the basics. It also hosts competitions for schools and youth organisations. If you’re looking to learn the ropes, there’s nowhere better than Otterspool.
• Opening times: Unsupervised access 24 hours a day
• Charge: Free
• Address: Otterspool Park, Liverpool, Merseyside, L17 5AR
• Website: http://liverpool.gov.uk/leisure-parks-and-events/parks-and-greenspaces/otterspool-park
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3. Rampworx Skatepark
Rampworx first opened its doors in 1997. Now, at 70,000 sq ft., it’s the biggest indoor skatepark in the UK. With a street section, transition section, a bowl and a foam pit, there really is something for everyone, too.
The transition section is in the main room and is set over 40,000 sq ft. of space. It’s all sectioned off, so you can head to the jump box section, focus on grinds or the area dedicated to funboxes, flat banks and step ups. The bowl is one of the largest in the UK, and is again split into three depths. For beginners, it starts at 5ft and goes all the way up to 9ft for the most experienced skaters who love an adrenaline rush. If you’re looking for a bit more air, there’s also a 1ft vert extension in the deepest part of the bowl.
The street section is also known as “the backroom” and has a wide variety of obstacles for people of all abilities. It can be good to head in there if you’re looking for a quiet skate, away from the traffic of the larger rooms. Finally, you’ll find the UK’s largest foam pit. There are three entry levels: a huge ramp at the front, a quarter pipe on the left and a roll-in on the right hand side. It’s a safe place to practice any trick.
Seeing really is believing with Rampworx and there’s nothing else like it in the UK, so get yourself down there.
• Opening times:
o Tuesday to Friday: 4pm-10pm
o Saturday and Sunday 10.30am-7.00pm
• Charge:
o Membership is essential but free.
o Tuesday to Friday: £6.50 for 2 hours / £7.50 all day
o Saturday and Sunday: £7.50 10.30am-12.30pm / £8.50 12.45pm-3.45pm / £8.50 4pm-7pm. / £12 all day
o Week Pass £20
o Opening times vary during school holidays.
• Address: Rampworx Skatepark, 1-3 Leckwith Road, Netherton, Liverpool, L30 6UE.
• Website: http://rampworx.com
4. Knowsley Leisure Centre Skatepark
Knowsley Leisure Centre Skatepark is a huge outdoor skatepark featuring a transition section and a multi-level plaza style street section. The bowl section has a long bowl of varying depths and vert extensions, while the other side is open, leading to the street section. The other section of the park has a kidney shaped old skool pool, with concrete pool coping. Where the pool opens, there’s also a small transition section containing a flat bank, roll over and very tall vert wall. Knowsley is the largest outdoor park in Liverpool and is great fun to skate in. It draws people from miles around thanks to its silky smooth concrete.
• Opening times: These vary but you can see a full list here.
• Charge: £3.50 per session. Or become a member for £5 per year and use the skatepark for only £1 per session.
• Address: Longview Drive, Huyton, Merseyside, L36 6EG
• Website: n/a
5. New Bird Skatepark
New Bird Skatepark is an important part of Liverpool’s cultural heritage and the north’s skating scene. It’s a DIY concrete skatepark which was built by local skateboarders in 2010. The local council has tried to sell the land on multiple occasions, but the local skaters have managed to fight off the proposal. It features bowled corners, pump bumps, float banks, hips and grind bars as well as open sided bowls. It doesn’t provide the smoothest ride and it’s not the most challenging of courses, but for what it represents, it’s well worth a visit.
• Opening times: Unsupervised access 24 hours a day.
• Charge: Free
• Address: New Bird Street/ Jamaica Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 0AF
• Website: n/a
From world famous skateboarders to local DIY skatepark projects, Liverpool has something for everyone. So check out some of these fantastic spots.
Image courtesy of iStock.