Opening times
Gates open until 8.30pm all year round.
Toilets are open from 9.30am - 4.30pm each day.
All buildings are closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day but the park is open as usual.
Woodland Café
Our Woodland Café serves a range of fresh, delicious food and hot drinks.
Opening times
The café is open seven days a week, 10am until 4.30pm.
On Saturdays, we open from 9am to accommodate parkrun attendees and other early risers when a choice of sausage and bacon baps are made available.
Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome inside.
Directions
Allington Lane,
West End,
Southampton SO30 3HQ
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 country park on the A27 (towards West End) from either direction.
Parking
Ticketless ANPR is now up and running at Itchen Valley Country Park.
Parking charges
1 hr £2.20
2 hr £3.50
3 hr £4.40
4hr + £5.20
On arrival your number plate will be read, and the entry barrier will lift.
When it’s time to go home, visit a pay station by the café or at the top of the drive, enter your car number plate and pay for your parking. You have 10 minutes to leave the car park after making payment.
All parking income goes directly into managing and maintaining Itchen Valley Country Park.
Blue Badge Holders
Usual charges apply and there are dedicated Blue Badge bays located within the car parks.
Coach Parking
£28.00 per day
Please contact staff in the café for assistance
Permits
All permits, including annual permits can be bought at the pay stations once inside the park.
Permit charges
3 months £23
6 months £35
1 year £70
Please note; season tickets must be allocated to a single vehicle registration when purchased. To add a second registration to a permit, please email [email protected] with your contact, registered vehicle and second vehicle details.
BBQ’s are prohibited
Due to the fire risk to people and wildlife at Itchen Valley Country Park, we do not allow the use of portable BBQ’s on site under any circumstances.
Dog friendly
Itchen Valley Country Park is an increasingly popular destination for dog owners, with facilities such as a bookable dog enclosure, a dog wash, and dog friendly treats for sale in the café.
Dogs can be off lead on the open fields at the top of the park, but must remain on lead whilst using the country park trails, marketplace and café. Maps of the park showing off-lead areas can be viewed by each dog poo bin, located along the main trails and marketplace. For everyone’s enjoyment, please pick up after your dog.
There is no access to the River Itchen from any of Itchen Valley Country Park. The section of the River Itchen which runs alongside the park is privately owned and is not accessible. We would therefore ask all visitors to expressly avoid the paths along the river and not let their animals enter the water.
Only assistance dogs are permitted in play areas.
We are aligned with Bird Aware Solent's Canine Code
Self-service dog wash machine
Avoid muddy paws in the car and at home after your walk by using the Polygon Pets dog wash. Located to the side of the Kingfisher Barn, it's just £4 for a wash that includes warm water, shampoos and a blow dry. Payment is by card only.
Other important information
Accessibility
All our paths are wheel friendly, 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.
Flying drones
Due to the proximity of the country park to the airport, visitors are not permitted to fly drones in the park.