Opening times

Gates open at 5.30am everyday (including Christmas day).

From 1 October to 31 March (GMT) gates are locked at 6.30pm.

From 1 April to 30 September (BST) gates are locked at 8.30pm

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.

  • Hot food is served from 11am - 3pm

    Café menu

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.

Front entrance sign
 

Parking

Daily charges

Payment is by RingGo only and we suggest downloading the app before your visit.
The RingGo location code for Itchen Valley country park is 4910.

Up to one hour £2.10
Up to two hours £3.40
Up to three hours £4.40
Up to and over four hours £5.10

Coach parking

Coach parking is charged at £27 per day.

Easier parking system to arrive at Itchen Valley Country Park

As part of the ongoing regeneration and improvements at Itchen Valley Country Park, West End visitors will see ANPR arrive to the park later this summer and make paying for parking easier.

When ANPR arrives later this summer, the new system will record your details when you arrive and you can enjoy the park and its facilities for as long as you wish, and pay at the end of your visit, for just the time you have stayed. This system will replace the current Pay & Display system that requires visitors to pay for a fixed time period on arrival.

There are currently no changes to parking charges. Any changes to the parking arrangements will be considered by Hedge End, West End and Botley Area Committee following public consultation.

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.

Annual permits: £60
Six-monthly permits: £34
Quarterly permits: £22 

Paper permits

New paper permits are no longer issued. However, if you 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.

Finding your way around

Download our park map to fully explore Itchen Valley.

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 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.