Due to the popularity of Hengistbury Head, parking facilities fill up early on, especially in the summer months. There are though a number of extra parking options for those who do not mind walking, but be aware that in the summer even these car parking facilities are heavily used.
Hengistbury Head - The Broadway Car Park. (100 meters before postcode: BH6 4EN)
This is the closest car park to Hengistbury Head. The car park holds 700 hundred cars and like just about everywhere else in Bournemouth it is a pay and display car park. The fully interactive Google Map of this car park is below. The "A" marks the nearest post coded building. If you use this post code in your Sat Nav, then about 100 metres before you reach your final destination the car park is a well defined turning on the right.
Broadway Car Park BH6 4EN
Solent Beach Car Park BH6 4DX
Solent Beach Car park. (Nearest Post Code: BH6 4DX)
This is the sister car park to Barn Field. The car park holds 580 cars.It is slightly further away from Hengistbury Head ( A matter of a 200 meters of so) but is actually nearer Hengistbury Head Beach (also called Solent Beach) and considerably closer to the shops on Southbourne Beach. The car park operates under a pay and display scheme. If you have come along the coast road (with the sea on your right the car park is about 100 metres before the specified post code and is a turning on your right. If you are coming from the other direction and have just taken a sharp right turn by St Marks Church then the car park is about 100 metres beyond the post code and is a turning on your left. The "A" on the interactive Google map show the location of the nearest post code.
Warren Edge Car Park (Nearest postcode: BH6 4BE)
This pay and display car park is ideal for access to Southbourne beach. A pleasant walk of about one mile along the beach promenade will take you down to Hengistbury Head. Arguably this car park fills even quicker than those at Hengistbury Head but it is right on the beach and near some shops.
Wick Ferry Car Park (Nearest postcode: BH6 4LQ)
This car park is on the Southern bank of the river Stour just outside Christchurch. The post code is for a road just past the entrance and on the OPPOSITE side of the road to the entrance into the car park. TAKE NOTE: If coming as normally from Tuckton bridge roundabout when the Sat Nav suggest your end of destination is next right TAKE the entrance to the car park on the LEFT. The car park offers parking particularly for access to the river but due to the little known (and in place quite rough) footpath from Wick to Hengistbury Head it offers the visitor another parking location and a less well trodden route to Hengistbury Head with a walk of about a mile. To get to the pathway, walk to the river bank and head down stream. You will go round the Wick Ferry landing stage and a public slipway. Keep going down stream until you come to a grassed area with the boats moored nose on. About two thirds the way along this grassed area at the back there is a gate signposted to Hengistbury Head. This is an old smugglers route that used to be used to bring contraband in to Christchurch after being landed off Hengistbury Head. So you will be walking with the ghosts of some very dodgy individuals.
Hengistbury Head Street Parking
There is an amount of free street parking, mainly along The Broadway and Rolls Drive. But BE WARNED. Most (if not all) of this street parking is severely time limited, usually to one hour. The parking time limit is rigorously enforced. Especially in Summer. As I remember the restriction ends at 7.00 pm and restarts the next morning at 08.00am BUT CHECK.
Other street parking.
In order to prevent annoyance to local residents (and one suspects to maximise parking revenue) most roads around Hengistbury Head in the summer have parking restrictions. Many (most?) have a single yellow line that effectively prevents parking during the day for set periods of the year. So rather than trying (and probably failing) to save a few quid by street parking, I would recommend you try and get in early to one of the main car parks.