There is a short article in DT by Jane Shilling about the Britons’ love of living in cul-de-sacs and it brought back memories of my childhood in a “no through road” in Aberdeen. It was unfortunately not signposted as such, so we did occasionally get lost motorists, who then had to do a three or more point turn in a very steep and steeply cambered street. Entertaining to watch, as were all the learner drivers brought to practise in this particular purgatory. I don’t think the milkman’s horse was too keen on it either, though he was regularly rewarded. Taxis used to refuse to come down it in snowy weather.
But the best point of our cul de sac was that it ended in an entrance to a park, “our” park.
http://www.aboutaberdeen.com/victoria_park_gardens_aberdeen.php
At that time there was no conservatory or greenhouse in the park and not many visitors, but there was a small eminence that had been designed to look like a grotto and planted with rhodedendrons and other sizeable shrubs and which was ideal for childrens’ games. We were in ignorance of the fountain’s history, but it was great for paddling in the summer. This was our playground and we didn’t bother the neighbours. Very few children from other nearby streets ever came to it, so it was definitely “ours” and our parents knew we were safe there.
Now I live in another cul-de-sac and the driving instructors still bring their pupils to practice three point turns, but there is no camber to speak of and the entertainment is not the same.
Boadicea's Chariot 
My Dad’s dad called them ‘pudding bags’ and he definitely didn’t want to live in one, but I never found out why.
When I were a lad of 7, my family spent two years in St Leonards-on-Sea – the toffy-nosed end of Hastings; and we lived at the entrance to a pudding bag which, like yours, led to a park – in fact quite a big public area stretching down a valley to the Hastings town centre. At ‘our’ end of the park, there was a fishing lake (forbidden teritory) and a small children’s playground, 1940s-style – two swings, a roundabout and a slide. They became our regular meeting point with school-friends during holidays and at weekends. No supervision required or provided – just happy kids, I recall. How things have changed.
Here’s a map of the park, with ‘our’ end at extreme left.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=alexandra+park+st+leonards+pics&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=A6tl88gsTZXi4M&tbnid=fA4BXZnOrFFJzM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnicebrighton.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F22%2Falexandra-park-st-leonards-on-sea%2F&ei=c6aXUf_lPOi04ASJ4oDIDA&bvm=bv.46751780,d.bGE&psig=AFQjCNFSXk4Y4v_JSJ2NjbBbxfqyw-M90g&ust=1368979423850222
I have a dreadful confession to make. I can’t remember whether I ever lived in a cul de sac or not!
Certainly never any of the houses I lived in for a while but there were some there that I only had/used for a few months. The boy was the official tally keeper of the housing! Without him I only remember the count, now up to 50 or so.
Ooh, “yours” is much bigger and posher than “ours” Janus. I do hope the Eastern Europeans obey the rules for coarse fishing – that all fish caught must be returned unharmed to the pond – but I doubt it.