Itchen Valley Country Park is a country park in West End, Hampshire, England. As the name suggests, the River Itchen runs through the park, which covers 440 acre. The park has a number of walks and trails, including an off-road cycling track. There are a number of facilities for children, including a play area and a play trail. The Itchen Way footpath borders the park. The park was awarded the Green Flag award in 2009/10 and 2010/11.

History

The site is on the opposite bank of the river to Southampton Airport, the runway of which is reputedly built over the remains of a Roman villa. The park was established when over 350 acre of the site were acquired by Eastleigh Borough Council in 1979. The visitor centre was built in 1990. In 2010 work started on a Go Ape adventure course in the park, which opened in Spring 2011. A free, weekly timed 5km parkrun is held at 9am every Saturday, having started on February 29, 2020.

Geography

The park contains a 250 acre water meadow nature reserve, 90 acre of ancient woodland (a third of which is classified as "semi-rural"), 60 acre of grazing land and a 40 acre recreation field.

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