River Hamble Country Park
On this walk, children will enjoy the ship-wreck themed wooden play area, crabbing off the pontoon and a fairy door trail. There is also an opportunity to buy tickets for Manor Farm.
The smaller play area outside The Barn café and visitor centre
The Basics
Time: 1 hour with no diversions
Distance: 3 km
Terrain: Woodland paths, some well surfaced, others more uneven. Some steps and narrow bridges.
Pushchair: You won’t be able to take a pushchair around our full loop described below, but there are plenty of options available for pushchairs, just see the maps around the park for details
Dogs: Yes
Refreshments: The Barn for snacks, drinks and light food 10am-4pm
Toilets: At The Barn
Public Transport: There is no suitable public transport to this location
Parking: Barnfield Car Park, charges apply, pay on exit (Postcode: SO31 1BH - W3W: kite/loops/park)
The larger play area at River Hamble Country Park, which is based on a local shipwreck
River Hamble Country Park has received some significant updates in recent years including The Barn, a brand new building hosting a shop, visitor centre and cafe. There is a new small play area beside the cafe and a larger, ship-wreck themed play area a short distance away. The river forms the backbone of the park with a crabbing pontoon and ‘beach’. But you will also find woodland with magnificent spring flowers and Manor Farm can also be visited on this walk.
The Route
You will no doubt want to begin the walk by exploring the Barnfield area. There are the two play areas, café, shop, visitor centre, picnic tables, BBQ hire, toilets and dog wash in this area. Once ready to start the walk, begin by walking down the path at the bottom of the main play area.
As you walk down this path into the woodland, you will see signage directing you right to the pontoon. This is a worthwhile diversion from the main loop as it gives a good view of the river and is also a popular place to go crabbing. You can buy nets, buckets and line at the shop. This is also a good place for launching kayaks and paddleboards and these can also be hired from a kiosk by the pontoon.
Head back up to the path and then your next point of interest to the right will be the beach. Children will like heading down to the edge of the river. Go back up the steps and get ready to start the walk proper. When you return from the beach, you will need to take the first path right (the boardwalk section was closed on our visit, so this right hand path is slightly further up). Head into Fostor’s Copse with the river to your right.
Through Fostor’s Copse, you can spot some of the fairy doors (more on this below). Continue until you get to a fairy house which sits on top of the stump of a fallen tree. At this point, you will need to turn right down the steps for our full loop. Pushchairs will not get around this section, so we advise continuing straight on and turning left at the next junction to return to Barnfield for those with wheels.
To continue on the full loop, head down the steps into Dock Copse. This is the best place for bluebells and wood anemone in spring. The path rises up again and you should bare left along the more gravelled looking path. As you come towards the eastern end of Dock Copse, you will come to some trees in a circle in the middle of the path. Fork left here.
The next thing to look out for is a wooden bridge and walkway over a stream. Bare left after this as you arrive at the edge of the woodland. Look for the wooden barrier posts up ahead and go around them to enter a meadow on the other side.
Follow the path across the meadow and at the corner point, you will meet a new surfaced path that leads to a newly planted woodland called Reflections. Turn left here and follow the path as it head towards Manor Farm. Go through the kissing gate and soon you will find yourself with the farm’s car park on your left and the farm entrance on your right. If you want to visit the farm, you can see their opening times and prices here, as well as what to expect. You do not need to book tickets in advance.
To return to Barnfield, take the well surfaced, straight path between the car park and the road. Stay on the same path all the way back to Barnfield - it is well signposted if you are ever unsure.
Our route is slightly different to the ones shown on the information boards. We like this one as it takes in the highlights of the park, gives an opportunity to visit the farm and passes the best bluebell copse. If you want a shorter walk, there are lots of options. See the maps around the park or ask at the visitor centre for more details.
One shorter, pushchair friendly alternative you might be interested in is the new fairy door trail. At the time of writing (July 2024), the trail is still new and there is not much to inform visitors yet about its existence. If you ask at the visitor centre, they will give you a map marked with the fairy doors. They are not all easy to find, so they will also provide you with the What3Word locations for them all, which I have also copied below. You will need to download the What3Words app.
Fairy Houses
///discouraged.translated.froth
///snap.waddle.zone
///just.torch.cases
///conceats.larger.workouts
///coining/freely.curiosity
///starting.trim.agreement
///hatch.awestruck.cracker
///arrival.muddle.dote
///flush.whirlpool.tapers
///slug.apes.moss
Did you know?
From the pontoon, you can make out the shipwreck of Henry V’s boat the Grace Dieu which was struck by lightning in the 15th century. This ship is used as the inspiration for the play areas.
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