Itchen Valley is a civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

.

Forming part of the City of Winchester

City of Winchester

Winchester is a local government district in Hampshire, England, with city status. It covers an area of central Hampshire including the city of Winchester itself, and neighbouring towns and villages including New Alresford, Colden Common and Bishops Waltham....

 district, it comprises the villages of Avington

Avington, Hampshire

Avington is a small village in the English county of Hampshire.It is located on the banks of the River Itchen to the northeast of the city of Winchester...

, Easton

Easton, Hampshire

Easton is a village in Hampshire, England, situated on the River Itchen, 2¾ miles north east of Winchester.In 1870-72, John Goring's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Easton like this:...

, Itchen Abbas

Itchen Abbas

Itchen Abbas is a village on the River Itchen about north-east of Winchester in Hampshire, England. The village is part of the Itchen Valley civil parish.A major oil pipeline from Hamble to Aldermaston runs through Itchen Abbas.-Parish church:...

 and Martyr Worthy

Martyr Worthy

Martyr Worthy is a small village in the English county of Hampshire. It is part of the 'Worthys' - a cluster of small villages.It is located on the banks of the River Itchen to the northeast of the city of Winchester.-Governance:...

, with a population of 1,267 at the time of the 2001 Census.

It is to the northeast of Winchester

Winchester

Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...

 and takes its name from the River Itchen

River Itchen, Hampshire

The River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water below the Itchen Bridge in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing,...

. The parish is crossed by the M3 motorway, and contains Winchester services.

Largely rural in rural in character, the parish is crossed by designated walking paths and riding routes including the Itchen Way

Itchen Way

The Itchen Way is a long-distance footpath following the River Itchen in Hampshire, England, from its source near Hinton Ampner House to its mouth at Woolston. The walk finishes at Sholing railway station. The route has been promoted by the Eastleigh Group of the Ramblers with grant aid from...

, King's Way

King's Way

King's Way or the Allan King Way is a 45 mile long-distance footpath in Hampshire, England. This footpath was created by the Hampshire Area of the Ramblers' Association as a memorial to the late Allan King a former Publicity Officer who was partly responsible for the formation of a number of Groups...

, Pilgrims' Way

Pilgrims' Way

The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent...

, St. Swithun's Way, South Downs Way

South Downs Way

The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England, and is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales...

, Three Castles Path

Three Castles Path

The Three Castles Path is a 60-mile long-distance footpath in England from Winchester Great Hall, Hampshire to Windsor Castle, Berkshire via the ruins of Odiham Castle ....

 and Oxdrove Way.