Itchen Valley Country Park is a
country park
A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.
United Kingdom
History
In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised coun ...
in
West End,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. As the name suggests, the
River Itchen runs through the park, which covers .
[Eastleigh Borough Council: Itchen Valley Country Park](_blank)
Accessed 5 April 2007 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
The Itchen Way is a long-distance footpath following the River Itchen in Hampshire, England, from its source near Hinton Ampner House to its mouth at Woolston. The walk finishes at Sholing railway station. The route has been promoted by t ...
footpath borders the park. The park was awarded the
Green Flag award
The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...
in 2009/10 and 2010/11.
History
The site is on the opposite bank of the river to
Southampton Airport
Southampton Airport is an international airport located in both Eastleigh and Southampton, Hampshire in the United Kingdom. The airport is located north-north-east of central Southampton. The southern tip of the runway lies within the Sout ...
, the runway of which is reputedly built over the remains of a Roman villa.
Itchen Locations: Roman Level
Accessed 5 April 2007
The park was established when over of the site were acquired by Eastleigh Borough Council
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...
in 1979.[Itchen Locations: Modern Level](_blank)
Accessed 5 April 2007 The visitor centre was built in 1990.Go Ape
Go Ape! is an outdoor adventure company which runs tree top ropes courses under the names Tree Top Challenge, Tree Top Adventure and Zip Trekking, as well as ground-based Forest Segway Safaris, at locations across the United Kingdom and the United ...
adventure course in the park, which opened in Spring 2011.
Geography
The park contains a water meadow
A water-meadow (also water meadow or watermeadow) is an area of grassland subject to controlled irrigation to increase agricultural productivity. Water-meadows were mainly used in Europe from the 16th to the early 20th centuries. Working water-m ...
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
, of ancient woodland
In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...
(a third of which is classified as "semi-rural"), of grazing land and a recreation field.
Gallery
Image:Itchen Valley Country Park recreation field.jpg, The recreation field and playground
Image:Itchen Valley Country Park woodland trail.jpg, Part of the woodland trail
See also
References
{{reflist
Country parks in Hampshire
Borough of Eastleigh