Information for visiting
How to find us, our cafe and more
Opening times
Gates open at 5.30am everyday (including Christmas day)
Gates are locked at 6.30pm from 1 October to 31 March (GMT)
Gates are locked at 8.30pm from 1 April to 30 September (BST)
The toilets open 9.30am - 4pm each day.
Directions
Allington Lane, West End, Southampton SO30 3HQ
Telephone: 023 8068 8444
Email: ivcp@eastleigh.gov.uk
Find us by car
The SatNav postcode SO30 3HQ brings you to our main entrance.
Itchen Valley Country Park is situated just off the A27. Exit the M27 at 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.
Parking
Entry to the country park is free but parking charges apply. Your parking fee will help support all that we do to maintain the park. Blue badge holders and motorcycles can park for free.
Daily charges:
Parking is pay and display only - payment by card (contactless/pin), RingGo (by phone/app) or cash.
Up to 1 hour £1.50
Up to 2 hours £2.80
Up to 3 hours £4
Up to and over 4 hours £4.60
Annual/Seasonal parking permits
You can purchase a permit through RingGo via their app, website or by calling 02380 982 984. The RingGo location code for Itchen Valley country park is 4910. New paper permits are no longer issued. However, if you currently have a valid paper permit you will need to continue displaying this when you visit the park until the expiry date. When this runs out, you can then purchase a digital permit. All new digital permits are specific to a vehicle registration. Your car registration is stored centrally and will be checked to ensure your permit is in date.
If you currently have a valid paper permit you will need to continue displaying this when you visit the park. When this runs out, you can then purchase a digital permit.
Annual permits: £49
Six-monthly permits: £27
Quarterly permits: £17
Coach parking:
£21 per day
Woodland Café
Our Woodland Café serves a range of fresh, locally sourced, delicious food and hot drinks.
Art exhibitions
The café regularly exhibits the work of local artists, with the opportunity to purchase originals, prints and gifts. Check out the events page to see who is currently being featured.
Dog friendly
We welcome caring dog owners to our country park. If your dog is sensible off the lead, you can let them run on the High Hill Field - the large recreation area at the top of the main driveway.
Please keep your dog on the lead in all other areas of the park, including woodland and nature trails, as well as the visitor centre and café.
Only assistance dogs can access play areas.
Our park is covered by a ‘poop-scoop’ by-law so you must clean up after your dog. You’ll find dog bins behind our visitor centre and around the edge of High Hill Field.
We are aligned with Hampshire County Council's Dog Walking Code and guidance
Self-service dog wash machine
Why not try out the Polygon Pets dog wash to avoid muddy paws, in the car and at home, after your refreshing walk?
Located to the side of the Kingfisher Barn toilets, it's just £3 for a wash and includes warm water, shampoos and a blow dry for your #ParkPoochesIVCP.
Accessibility
Our one mile Forest Trail is accessible and we have a manual wheelchair available for use and free of charge from our Visitor Centre. Please contact us in advance to reserve the scooter for your visit.
We have a wheelchair accessible toilet and our Visitor Centre and Woodland Café are all on ground floor level.
We have priority parking for Blue Badge holders in our main car park.
Please note, due to the proximity of the park to the airport, visitors are not permitted to fly drones in the park.