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Original poster

Country park parking charges

70 replies

RudeDudeToo · 03/05/2021 07:10

I live in Hampshire and took DS 17mo to the local country park yesterday for a run around and a change of scene. The parking charges are ridiculous (imo). It is £2.50 for less than an hour and a fiver for two hours. All day is £9 which isn't too bad but for a quick visit I think a fiver is quite high. I know that it helps pay for the upkeep, staff etc but I'm genuinely quite surprised it was that much. Am I alone in my miserable thinking? It genuinely used to be around £1.50 for a couple of hours and £3 for all day. Granted that was a while ago but not that long ago... Or at least as far as I remember.

OP posts:

bishbashbosh99 · 03/05/2021 07:13

But the park is free? They need to pay for the upkeep somehow

Dustyhedge · 03/05/2021 07:15

Someone has to maintain the area and parking is how that is done. I think you just have to suck it up and see £5 as a morning out for your family is actually quite cheap. You’d spend more than that on a round of Ice creams.

SeaTurtles92 · 03/05/2021 07:16

I live in Hampshire also surrounded by a lot of country parks and NT's.
Ours aren't that expensive and I think if they were I'd be happy to pay it.

The parks and their play equipment is always kept nicely.

NoSquirrels · 03/05/2021 07:16

Blimey, I think £9 for all day is a fortune! £2.50 per hour is a lot. Seems like profiteering from the pandemic. Sadly I think it’s common - our local country park always has complaints about the cost of parking & enforcement. It’s short-sighted because people then park up the roads around to get away with not paying.

Sirzy · 03/05/2021 07:17

A fiver for a couple of hours of family fun sounds reasonable to me

megletthesecond · 03/05/2021 07:19

I think it's good value. Presumably the toilets and play areas are free?

AuntieMarys · 03/05/2021 07:26

I think that's reasonable! We live near a beautiful place which charges £10 a day, where you can spend all day. I've no problem paying for the upkeep of such a place.

sandgrown · 03/05/2021 07:29

Is that Bolton Abbey by any chance @AuntieMarys?

Original poster

RudeDudeToo · 03/05/2021 07:31

@NoSquirrels I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I do understand what the charges are for etc I just thought for less than an hour parking £2.50 is quite high. Obviously not. Yes the rest of the park is free and it is kept nicely too. I was just quite surprised at the hike in price but perhaps we had it good cheaper for so long it came as a shock.

OP posts:

Logoplanter · 03/05/2021 07:36

I'm with you OP - I think that's expensive. I went to one local to me the yesterday and that was free for an hour, £1.60 for 2 hours or £3 for all day.

The government should be encouraging people to use these places to get exercise and £5 for a couple of hours will put people off going I'd have thought.

The park is always busy so I'm presuming they make enough money to maintain it.

JustMeAndWheatley · 03/05/2021 07:36

Our nearest one is £5 per day at weekends, £4 on weekdays. No reduced rates for shorter stays.

I think the money is needed for upkeep and I don’t begrudge it because the park is stunning and spotlessly clean.

MrsWombat · 03/05/2021 07:39

All the country parks around here are similar, and I think it's reasonable. But you can also buy a season ticket for £50 for all of them which is good value for money if you visited weekly.

tweettweettweettweet · 03/05/2021 07:39

It's a similar price at our local park, it soon adds up if you want to go on a daily dog walk there. Unfortunately the prices have pushed people to park in the local streets, which is becoming a big problem in terms of safety and inconvenience- ie blocking peoples drives.

cakefanatic · 03/05/2021 07:46

Trying to work out which country park that is - I thought maybe RVCP, but internet says full day parking £6 (though the short stay prices are similar).

I guess like many places, the parking revenues are down because of lockdown, so the council are trying to recoup costs. Most people will stay 1-2 hours so hiking the fees for that duration seems sensible.

We usually only actually pay to park on the coast, much of the NF National park has free parking options, unless near a town. But generally no facilities. As soon as you get toilets and a play park you have costs.

Spudlet · 03/05/2021 07:47

That’s quite a lot. We have a nearby Forestry Commission centre that’s just as expensive and it does put us off going, tbh.

LemonRoses · 03/05/2021 07:48

Hampshire has plenty of access to open countryside with free parking. Queen Elizabeth Country Park near us has cap park charges but offers play area, BBQs, waymarked trails, a cafe, a dog agility area, a visitor centre etc. They all need upkeep.

Alternatively you could go to, say, East or West Meon, find a little recreation ground and field to run around in, pubs and shop for refreshments, good waymarked walks, a shallow river to splash in, picnic tables and even a secure dog field to let your dog of lead for half an hour, if you book ahead.

Most Down land villages have similar, so paying for the ultimate suburbia of a country park is quite unnecessary.

annie335 · 03/05/2021 07:48

60p for two hours or 1.80 for the day where I live and that was seen as a outrage at the time.

Boomshakkalakka · 03/05/2021 07:53

£9 - I wouldnt pay that. £2 at our local country park all day and I thought that was fair for a few lakes and a bit of play area. Plus of course the food in the cafe which is pricey, but nice, so we always buy.

Mintjulia · 03/05/2021 07:54

Chose a different walk.

I live in Hampshire & went to Caen locks, Devizes yesterday, no parking charge. Last weekend we went to Savernake to walk in the bluebells, no parking charge.
Greenham common - no charge. Watership down, no charge.

cheeseychovolate · 03/05/2021 07:56

Join the national trust, £10.50 a month for family membership which includes parking, house, parks and parkland

ZenNudist · 03/05/2021 08:02

I paid that at moors valley country park. I just considered it entry fee to a very good attraction.

My local country parks are cheaper but also not as fun. I don't mind £5 or £6 for well maintained forest walks with good play areas and a nice coffee shop and laid out activities / kids walks for say 3 or 4 hours.

Original poster

RudeDudeToo · 03/05/2021 08:02

I went on a whim. It was something to do nearby to kill a couple of hours. Obviously next time I'll go for the day or go somewhere else for a short walk. I can afford the parking I just thought it was a bit of an increase.

@cakefanatic @LemonRoses it was QECP

@Mintjulia thank you for the ideas. I will check these out.

OP posts:

Original poster

RudeDudeToo · 03/05/2021 08:03

@cakefanatic @LemonRoses it was QECP

@Mintjulia thank you for the ideas. I will check these out.

OP posts:

HenryHooverIII · 03/05/2021 08:03

As someone who actually did a lot of outdoors day trips before covid, I have noticed a significant increase in footfall everywhere we go for a day out now. The increase is having an impact on facilities etc. The park at our local country park is wrecked now, equipment is regularly broken and the car park is always flooded when it never used to be. I think the increase in parking is fair to pay for the increased maintenance required for facilities.

I expect that a lot of these places kept their parking charges too low beforehand in an attempt to compete with other leasure activities. £9 for a family day out is very cheap. You can't even get a cinema ticket for that.

BarbaraofSeville · 03/05/2021 08:03

That does seem like a lot, but these places do have upkeep to cover. Is that typical of your area?

Here lots are free or much cheaper, so if somewhere was too expensive, people would either go somewhere else or park on the road nearby and walk in, which obviously can cause traffic problems and dangers to road users.

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