Itchen Valley Country Park
Allington Lane, West End,
Southampton, SO30 3HQ
Tel: 023 8046 6091
email: ivcp@eastleigh.gov.uk
General
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Schools and Children
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Business
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Spring is here!
Why not come down to Itchen Valley Country Park - the bluebells
are stunning and smell wonderful.
Bring your camera and take a stroll round the Forest Trail
followed by the Woodland Nature Reserve then back to the cafe for a
well-earned cup of tea!
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With 440 acres of woodland and meadows
to explore, the Park is an ideal place for a family day out.
Waymarked trails will help you enjoy the natural beauty of the
park.
*Please note* - As the river and
its banks are privately owned, there is no public right of way
to walk alongside the river itself.
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There are also specific trails for dog walkers and
cyclists. The Forest Trail is suitable for people with special
needs, and an electric scooter is available to borrow from the
Visitor Centre.
The videos below feature the ease of accessibility
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How to find us
Nearest junctions to the M27 are
Junction 5 from the west or Junction
7 from the east.
Follow the brown tourist signs to the Park on the
A27 (towards West End) from either
direction.
Opening times
The Park gates open at 8.30am every day and close at
7.00pm during GMT and
9.30pm during BST.
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Car Parking Charges
Although there is no admission fee to the Park or Visitor
Centre, there is a fee for car parking. Scale of charges is as
shown below:
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Scale of charges: Cars and
Minibuses (No charge for motorcycles)
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| Monday
Saturday |
Sundays and Bank
Holidays |
| Up to 1 hour
- 60p |
Up to 1 hour
- 90p |
| 1-4
Hours - £1.20 |
1-4
Hours - £1.80 |
| Over 4 hours - £1.80 |
Over 4 hours - £2.70 |
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Coach Parking: £12 per
day
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High Wood Barn Visitor Centre and Café
The Visitor Centre was built in 1990 in the style of a
17th Century Hampshire Aisle Barn. It is constructed
using the traditional methods of that period, from timber brought
down on the Beaulieu estate during the 1987 storms.
The centre houses a gift shop and various interactive
displays. Ice creams, snacks and hot and cold drinks can be
purchased from the Woodland Café.
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Opening
Times
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April -
August: Every day
10.30am - 5pm.
NB: The Cafe is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays except
in school holidays
September:
Wednesday - Sunday 10.30am - 5pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
October - March: Weekends and school
holidays ONLY. 10.30am - 4.30pm.
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Guided walks and other Events
A variety of events take place throughout the year. Many of
these are suitable for people with mobility difficulties. For
details of forthcoming events, please see our
events listing.
For further details and to book onto any event, ring the Park
on 023 8046 6091
Play Areas
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There is a small play area for under
nines directly behind the visitor centre and a larger, adventure
style play area for under twelves situated on High Hill field.
Connecting the two is the Play Trail (suitable for pushchairs),
which is made up of a series of animal sculptures for children to
climb on. The animals were designed by local school children and
crafted by local sculptor, Andy Frost.
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Activities &
Workshops
The Countryside Service runs a
programme of activities throughout the year,
for details please visit our
events listing.
Trails
For a more informal visit, there are
various self-led children's trails, including the Ollie Owl Trail,
brass-rubbing trail and an orienteering course.
Pond dipping
Nets and trays are available to hire
from the Visitor Centre from April - September
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Room Hire for Children's Parties
Our Kingfisher Room is available to hire for family parties
and it is conveniently situated opposite the playground and next to
the toilet facilities. Combine it with the hire of a BBQ and you
have a great day out. The room is 5m x 7m and has a small kitchen
with a sink, kettle and fridge (no cooking facilities). It can
accomodate up to 25 people seated around tables.
Availability: Mon-Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm
& Sat/Sun 10.30am - 4.30pm.
Cost: £36 per half day (3.5hour)
booking.
This is a popular room so book early!
Barbecue Sites
There are two permanent barbecues near the Visitor
Centre available for hire throughout the year. Barbecue hire
costs £31 Monday - Thursday and £41 Friday - Sunday. Hire charges
include a 5kg bag of charcoal and 10 free parking permits.
| Disposable BBQs are permitted on the five designated benches on
High Hill Field only. Each one has perch benches to sit on and a
grill area attached to the table to rest the disposable barbecue
on. |
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| If you have brought the food but forgotten the barbecue we now
sell locally produced disposable barbecues in our shop. |
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For further information email ivcp@eastleigh.gov.uk ,
ring 023 8046 6091 or download our barbecue booking form
pdf.
Bridle route
Local horse riders are able to take advantage of the Park's
licenced bridle route. Just over a mile in length, the bridle route
is open only to riders for safety reasons, pedestrians and cyclists
are excluded. Available on application, a year's licence costs
£34.50.
Management Plan
In early 2009, the Countryside Service developed a new
Management Plan for Itchen Valley Country Park.
The Management
Plan is available to view as a PDF, along with an
Executive
Summary.
The Management Plan was approved by the
Hedge End, West End & Botley Local Area Committee Meeting on
Monday 19th January 2009.
Woodland Nature Reserve
In the early 60's, before the Council owned the land, much of
the ancient woodland on this site was clear-felled. Two-thirds were
replanted with Scots Pine, Corsican Pine and Western Red Cedar to
produce commercial timber. Amongst the conifers, there are areas of
broadleaved trees where the ancient woodland still survives.
Wildlife thrives in ancient broadleaved woodland so the conifers
are being thinned to let the light in and encourage the broadleaves
to spread.
After the clearfelling, one third of the woodland was left to
regrow and became what is now the Woodland Nature Reserve. This
woodland has been coppiced for centuries to supply the local
community with firewood, building and craft materials. This form of
management also creates excellent conditions for wildlife and so is
continued today. Trees such as Ash, Hazel and Alder are cut to the
ground in winter leaving a coppice stool from which new shoots
sprout and grow into thin straight poles. Taller trees, known as
standards, are left to grow to maturity providing larger timber.
Today the wood is sold to make paper or charcoal.
The Watermeadows
The River Itchen meanders through the centre of the Park.
Views along the River can be enjoyed from the bridge, but there is
no access to the banks, which are owned by Lower Itchen
Fisheries.
Eastleigh Borough Council bought the 250 acres of floodplain
beyond the river in 1979 and declared the area a Nature Reserve.
Over 100 species of bird have been recorded, and the area is
particularly attractive to warblers including Sedge Warbler and
Whitethroat.
The watermeadows also have areas rich in plant life. Wild
flowers such as the Southern Marsh Orchid and Water Avens can still
be found in places that escaped agricultural improvement. The
ditches support many damsel and dragonflies including the
nationally rare Southern Damselfly.
Itchen Navigation
The Itchen Way footpath borders the Itchen Valley Nature
Reserve. This follows the route of the now disused Itchen
Navigation Canal which was used to carry freight from Winchester to
Southampton between its completion in 1710 and 1869 when it
finally fell into disuse.
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Page Last Updated: 6/12/2009
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