Summer Activities in Waterlooville

Things to do during the warm months

Summer in Waterlooville opens up a range of outdoor activities that make the most of the town's green spaces, nearby countryside and long daylight hours. Queen Elizabeth Country Park is the premier destination, with its trails, picnic areas and events programme attracting families, walkers, runners and cyclists from across the area.

The parks and recreation grounds within the town host informal games of football, cricket and rounders, and the longer evenings bring residents out for walks, runs and dog walks that the shorter winter days do not allow. The allotments are at their most productive, and the sight of plot holders tending their vegetables on a summer evening is a common scene.

School holiday activities are organised by the leisure centre, community groups and private providers. Holiday clubs, sports camps, arts workshops and outdoor adventures keep children occupied during the six-week break. The holiday programmes are particularly important for working parents who need childcare during the summer.

The pubs with beer gardens come into their own, and weekend barbecues in back gardens are a suburban ritual. Fetes, fairs and community events are concentrated in the summer months, with church fetes, school fairs and neighbourhood gatherings providing social occasions across the town.

For those willing to travel a short distance, the beaches at Hayling Island, the South Downs and the New Forest are all within easy reach, giving Waterlooville residents access to a variety of summer landscapes. The town's position at the junction of coast and countryside means that a morning on the beach and an afternoon in the hills is entirely practical on a long summer day.