About 50 minutes drive South from Basingstoke
I’ve been visiting Queen Elizabeth Country Park for as long as I can remember. I was born in Portsmouth and I remember we used to take the dog for a walk in the Country Park a lot.
It’s been strange going back there as an adult as it really hasn’t changed a bit!
Play
Queen Elizabeth Country Park is massive! There is so much to do that you can easily spend a day here.
There are lots of different sections to the park and lots of car parks dotted across the hill. We always drive to the top of the hill because it’s easier to avoid the crowds up here. You can park next to the Visitors centre but it’s always a bun fight for parking spaces.
For children aged eight and over there is an extensive range of equipment at the Adventure Play Trail near the Juniper BBQ site. Also for children under 8 years there is a range of animal themed play equipment in the Tots Play Area close to the Visitor Centre.
At the top car park there are great spots for picnics and lots of wooden play structures.
Unfortunately on this particular day I completely forgot to take photos without people in them. So you will need to take my word for it that there are lots and lots of wooden structures for children to play on! 😉
Other play
- Play a family game or fly a kite in one of the fields on Butser Hill
- Join our Little Squirrels group – Under 5’s themed walks
- Ranger-led Woodland Birthday Parties
- Ranger-led holiday activities
- Caterpillar Crafts – Familly fun – see What’s On
- Do some bark and leaf rubbings in the woodland
Tips
Get here early as it can get very busy on a nice sunny day.
If you are a mountain biker (Hi Matt!!! :-D) bring your bike so you can go for a ride as the trails here are really good.
Food
You can hire the BBQ’s at the top of the hill which we have done a few times now. There are 4 sites that you can hire.
You need to arrange them in advance and I think they are about £10 for two hours. Mr NHM organised it so I’m not exactly sure how much it costs.
There are a couple of really big BBQ areas that you can hire which also have covered shelters in case it rains.
The Visitors centre at the bottom of the hill is well equiped and has a cafe. The café opens 10am weekdays and 9.30am weekends and you can find a copy of the menu via the link at the top of this page.
At the top of the hill there is also a snack hut which sells ice creams, drinks and snacks.
Facilities
Are good. There are toilets at the top and bottom of the hill.
Baby Facilities
Mr NHM says that the baby changing facilities are good.
Parking
£1.50 per hour or £3 for the whole day.
Prices
Free!
Rating out of 5
5 out of 5 because we always have a brilliant time at this Country Park!
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