Hampshire Parks Review: Alresford Playground
By Hampshire Family Photographer, Evie Winter
A lot of our park trips we do just to see the park, Alresford was a bit of an unexpected treat when meeting a friends. We met up at a pop up cafe called Arlbury Cafe (with it’s great soft play, it deserves a review all of it’s own really!), the girls and I finished our visit with a walk down the beautiful river.
Age Group
Toddlers and Up
Getting There & Parking
Parking next to football club.
You can take the 64 from Winchester and get off at Perrin’s School, walk up to West Street, turn left - it is across the road through the entrance to the football club. The no 67 also goes from Winchester to Alresford, it is much less frequent but as it stops almost outside our house, we time our trips to get this one. It also stops closer the football club without any road crossing (Bridge Rd Bus Stop).
Equipment
Balancing beams
Stepping ‘stones’
Wooden bridge
Low wooden ship (good for toddlers)
2 Toddler Swings
Medium height metal slide
Wooden climbing frame with monkey bars and ropes
2 Older child swings
Equipment was dated but looked safe
Look Out
The zipline outside the fenced area is broken and could provide a source of angst to a child who doesn’t understand why they can’t go on it. I didn’t see any glaring issues, but I was busy chatting with my friend - so might have to go and have a second visit to look and photograph the equipment in detail.
Shading
There are some trees so you should be able to find someone to hide from the sun and still see your child.
Toilets
There are some in the football club next to the cafe.
Picnic Area
All grassed so you could put down a blanket in the field just outside the fenced area, the playground is pretty small so the best place to have a picnic.
Coffee
Yup, you must go to the cafe - though remember - it has a soft play so your child will probably want to play there. At £2.50 & £1.50 for siblings, it is good value for money.
The View and Atmosphere
Surrounded by fields, great country atmosphere and really peaceful. Whilst none of the equipment was so special I’d travel just to playground, it really does make part of a great morning out when added to the Arlebury Cafe and shopping in Alresford or a walk on the Millenium Trail down the river. (To get to the river, turn left out of the park and walk to bottom of hill. Turning right at that gate will take you to the bottom of Broad Street in 15 mins or less.
Did you enjoy this review? Please check out my other Playground Reviews.
Evie Winter is a local Mother and Lifestyle photographer specialising in newborn, family and children’s portraits based in Winchester, Hampshire. To see more of her work, please visit Evie Winter Family Photographer