Thankfully in Hampshire we’re spoilt for outdoor parks and forests. Especially since a day out with a toddler in covid-times needs to be outdoors, and keep the toddler and the parent happy! So there are a few key things. Space, play stuff and good strong coffee (and a loo).
We are repeat visitors to the places we love. Here are Little P’s most fondly approved Hampshire places.
Chilbolton Cow Common
We love going here, rain or shine, summer or winter! We’ve walked through in the past and not stopped, but then this spring we discovered it’s basically the Costa-del-Stockbridge! The River Test flows quietly across the common and there are grass banks and perfect places to paddle. If I hadn’t lost my blow up pool flamingo I’d take it with me. It is the perfect place to pretend you are by the sea and for the littles to play safely in the water. The stampeding arrival of cows is always surprising, thankfully they seem happy to share! The village store sells excellent takeaway coffee. There’s also a play area hidden nearby. There is a car park but it is small, so it does makes sense to be early. Alternatively you could park in Wherwell and walk over the long bridge and the common to get there.
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
We’ve only just joined and I really wish we’d done it years ago. Even in winter the gardens are beautiful. The gardens are so big and there are little play areas dotted around for the kids. Lots of well made trails that are buggy friend. Coffee and toilets. And plenty of benches for picnicking. There are even pigs at the top of the hill. What I particularly like is that there are no dogs so children can play in the leaves and tumble around on the grass and won’t come back covered in poo. It’s also great for a horticulturist and is great in every season. Having seen it in winter I can only imagine how spectacular it will be in May/June time. There’s plenty of parent and child parking near to the entrance too.
Holly Hill
This has long been a favourite since the days we used to do forest clearing on work community days. There are winding paths and plenty of ponds and trees as far as the eye can see. Most of the paths are buggy friendly and the muddier bits are wooden walkways. It’s a toddlers dream with little bridges, waterfalls, a grotto, ducks to feed, sticks to find, leaf fall all year and uneven ground which means lots of puddles to jump in on a rainy day. There’s free parking, and toilets in the car park. Across the road at the leisure centre you can get a hot drink and there is also a play area over there too. I particularly like the views from the top of the park over the River Hamble and out into the Solent. You can also join up a trip to the park with a walk along the foreshore and perhaps a ride on the pink ferry to Hamble. Swanwick Marina has a good brunch/lunch stop.
Itchen Valley Country Park
In all the time we lived in Southampton I’d never visited! But now we are regulars. Plenty of parking, but don’t forget to pay on arrival as clamping is rife. There’s a play area for little ones as well as a bigger play area further into the park. Coffee and toilets and hopefully one day soon the indoor play area with the boat and tree house might reopen. There’s a cute little trail through the forest as well, with lots of wooden play features. Our absolute favourite one, obviously, is the wooden tractor. I’ve learnt from experience that if I want to go anywhere else in the park – we visit the tractor last! Just around the corner from here is The Garden Society and so a stop on the way to the park to grab a takeaway drink and cake is a definite must.
Millenium walk Alresford
I’ve lost count of the times we have done this walk. With 2 hours free parking at The Arlebury car park we poottle up the high street and grab a coffee in Caracoli then follow the Millennium Walk down the back of the high street. It’s great for little ones as there are no cars so you can do it without a pushchair. There always seem to be plenty of puddles along the walk which seems to keep us happy and moving. The River Arle is often in fast flow but the tow path is wide so it’s easy to walk along holding hands with a toddler. There’s a sweet little memorial park along the way which is a good place to stop for a tear around, or a snack or a nappy change. The highlight is always the duck feeding. A local family collect donations and keep a table full of duck food ready for visitors, this is an absolute blessing and my little one gets so excited when he sees the green and white bags of duck food. Up near The Arlebury is a play area and playing fields too.
Micheldever Woods
Our backyard and a woodland we are very fond of. It has one of the best bluebell woods in the south of england in the spring. The rest of the year its ancient woodland is particularly spectacular on a sunny day or at sunset, and perfectly sheltered on a rainy day. We love exploring the little paths but there is also a good walk way around the outside. There’s a wooden castle in the middle and plenty of wigwam type structures around trees which my toddler loves. We often walk instead into Itchen Wood or Dodsley Wood as they are equally as beautiful and you’ll rarely see another person in them! No coffee here, but Friday-Sunday we tend to grab a coffee and cake at The Yard in Chilton Candover before or after our walk.
Alice Holt Country Park
I’m not sure if Farnham is Hampshire or Surrey, but this park is just off the A31 so not far from us. It’s another Forestry Commission place. It has a Gruffalo Trail which is superb – buggy friendly walk ways and easy terrain for little legs. Stickman is also on this trail! Parking is not free, but you get the Gruffalo’s so that’s fine! There’s coffee and cake too, and toilets. The play area here is particularly excellent with a choice of climbing frames and slides and swings as well as a pirate ship! There are a number of other walking and cycling trails and some include different wooden art type structures to fascinate as well.
Winchester water meadows
A lot of my maternity leave was spent here, either with mum friends or my parents, or at weekends with Mr P. We tend to park for free on Five Bridges Road and do the full lap into Winchester and back again. The most west of the footpaths takes you through the meadows and past the Hospital of St Cross. You could grab a cheeky vino in The Queen Inn before trundling through the Winchester College playing fields. The most east of the footpaths then brings you back on a more solid track along the foot of St Catherine’s Hill on the bank of the Itchen Navigation. There’s a newish coffee shop – Handlebar Cafe – on this side too. All of the route is buggy friendly thankfully, even the kissing gates. There are also places in the water meadow where you are allowed to climb into the nature reserve and walk right down to the river. If the walk into town takes it out of you there is a bus route that can bring you back out near to Five Bridges Road.
Royal Victoria Country Park
We keep our dinghies at the sailing club and many of our friends live here but until recently we’ve only ever driven through the park to sail. This summer, with Greece out of reach for beaching, the park offered us a bit of sun and sea on the Costa-del-Solent. There is a lot of car parking, not free unless you are a sailing club member. The coffee shop is great and there is a sprawling amount of space to picnic or run around. The playground is excellent, it was new a couple of years ago and we easily loose an hour in here each time we visit. Personally I love the fairy garden. We’re yet to try the train but I know someone that will enjoy it next summer. The chapel hospital is stunning especially against a blue sky. The beach is shingle and whilst a busy water way because it is up the river from the main solent it is quite sheltered and so great for paddling or throwing stones.
Lepe Country Park
This part of the Solent, and a hidden gem of a beach a little further west, have long been a favourite with us as the views over to Hurst across the salt marshes remind us of holiday on the North Norfolk coast. There’s plenty of parking at the country park itself and a fairly new clubhouse building that does great coffee and brunch and has toilets. The beach is not as sheltered as at RVCP but at low tide there is a lot of it. There’s a bird reserve and so plenty of interesting sea birds to see. The D-Day remains are fascinating. There’s a relatively new play area with some good fun activities and little fairy doors are also dotted around the grounds. Plenty of space for picnicking.
There’s many more ideas for days out in Hampshire on my long list, but these are our firm favourites.
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Farnham is Surrey, and I know people who would be horrified if anyone claimed it was Hampshire! My 8-year-old daughter loves Alice Holt, especially the Timberline Trail and the play areas.
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😂🙄 I grew up in Surrey, I can imagine! Although I just looked at the county map and the park is Hampshire 😂 We went again today, I love it!