Location: Winchester
Top Things to do in Winchester
The 10 Best Nature & Parks in Winchester, England
Winchester is a city and the county town of Hampshire, 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 National Park, along the course of the River Itchen. It is situated 61 miles (98 km) south-west of London and 13.6 miles (21.9 km) from Southampton, its closest city. At the time of the 2011 Census, Winchester had a population of 45,184. The wider City of Winchester district which includes towns such as Alresford and Bishop's Waltham has a population of 116,800.
Restaurants in Winchester
1. The Watercress Way
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By DrAlRi
Well marked trail with information boards that explain the history. I use a small section in and around Sutton Scotney regularly. Perfect in current climate. Highly recommend.
2. South Downs Way
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 268 reviews
Reviewed By Highway272 - Brighton, United Kingdom
Hard to believe when you're walking this path that you are in one of the most densely populated parts of England. The rolling downlands are relaxing, at times breathtaking - the views of the the high weald and north Downs, the sea to the south. The path goes through three counties, Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex, comes ever closer to the sea until the the South Downs way becomes a coastal path from Cuckmere Haven onwards. Start at Winchester finish at Eastbourne. This way you are more likely to to have the wind on your back as well as saving the best till last. With a few exceptions it's easy walking, very few steep gradients and for long stretches softly undulating. The first few miles from Winchester pleasant enough but things don't really get going until the Meon valley, and the view from Beacon Hill is spectacular. The classic Downland structure is not evident until entering West Sussex and Harting down. From here you are aware of being on the edge of the escarpment pretty much as far as Alfriston. Much of the West Sussex section is forested, some of it rather sterile conifer plantation which also removes the views. In my opinion the East Sussex section is the most varied, beautiful and rewarding with the Seven Sisters the jewel in The crown. There are also villages on the route such as Exton, Amberley and Alfriston, beautiful villages in themselves but also offering refreshment. Between Butser hill, the highest point on the Downs, and Amberley there is nowhere are on the path to get refreshments; the same is also true from Amberley to Devil's Dyke so there are large stretches of the West Sussex path where you either need to to bring your own provisions or come down off the path. By contrast the East Sussex section has many great stop off points for coffee and and lunch. At Alfriston the the South Downs way splits into two, the northern section as far as Jevington is very rewarding but the final part to Eastbourne is fairly dismal. The southern route is thus highly recommended although the Seven Sistersisters can be the most demanding part of the whole walk. The South Downs way can be done in one go taking between 5 and 7 days or else in sections. The following are the points where the path can be picked up using public transport: Meon valley, South Harting, Cocking, Amberley (train station) Bramber, Devil's Dyke and Ditchling beacon at weekends, Southease (train station) Alfriston and Cuckmere Haven Highlights: Meon valley Butser hill Harting down Amberley Chanctonbury ring Devil's Dyke Ditchling beacon Firle beacon Alfriston Cuckmere valley Seven sisters.
3. Winnall Moors Nature Reserve
4. Avington Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 74 reviews
Avington Park is a privately owned stately home in beautiful secluded grounds, open May to September, Sundays, Bank Holiday Mondays and Mondays in August from 2.30Pm - 5.30Pm - last tour at 4pm. Tea bar serves home-made cakes and locally made ice-cream. We are open all year round for weddings,meetings,private parties, group visits and corporate events.
Reviewed By LWB888 - London, United Kingdom
I attended a regency ball at Avington Park. It was one of the best costume balls, sweet and elegant. Most of the guests dressed up in regency attires. Hampshire Regency Dancers did performance and invited guests to dance together. The setting was lovely though the dance space was a bit small. It felt like a home party. Dinner was surprisingly good. Our event was restricted to downstairs area. It made me wonder what other parts might look like. It was a night as if we were in a movie. A night to remember.
5. Magdalen Hill Down
6. Winchester City Mill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 726 reviews
Winchester City Mill is a working watermill dating back to at least Saxon times; now fully restored by the National Trust, the City Mill is probably the oldest working watermill in the UK. Inside visitors can discover more about the mill’s long and fascinating history as well as see the mill in action and learn how we produce traditional stone-ground wholemeal flour using the power of the River Itchen. Our team of volunteer millers provide flour milling demonstrations every Saturday and Sunday as well as Wednesdays during the summer months. The City Mill is also home to a wide variety of wildlife including kingfishers, grey wagtails, wild trout, water voles and even otters which can be viewed from our on-site observation cameras.
Reviewed By stewartc640 - Chatham, United Kingdom
We visited the City Mill in Winchester on a short break to the city with friends. The mill is owned by the National Trust and entry is free to members. There is no car parking directly associated with the attraction but there are (pay & display) car parking in the city itself. The mill building is not large but is fully operational and there is a tremendous amount to see if you are interested in how these old industries operated. Entrance to the mill is via a small shop and here the visitor may purchase all manner of souvenirs and mementoes of their visit. After entering the mill ‘proper’ the visitor finds themselves in a large barn like area that contains the mill machinery that would have ground wheat to make flour. There is a lot of useful information concerning the history of the mil and the milling process and we also noticed that there was things for children to read and participate in, and these are set at a lower height level. Of additional interest was ‘recent’ video footage, of a family of otters that frequent one of the channels passing through the mill. Steps lead down to the water wheel itself, and on the day of our visit the river was in full flow and the mill wheel turned industriously whilst overflow water literally raced through a separate channel. Once again there was some explanatory information about the wheel including explanation of the different types of water wheel complete with interactive demonstrations. This area was truly atmospheric and as an engineer I could appreciate the amount of potential energy passing under the building and the mechanical workings of the mill harnessing this power. Another area off of the mill interior is the mill garden where the visitor may view the river passing though the mill though being a December afternoon we did not stay here too long. There is a café area off of the mill interior and this had a reasonable amount of seating for customers and also a toilet. The café served hot and cold drinks and also a good choice of snacks and our party’s spent some time her enjoying a coffee together before leaving. We enjoyed our visit here to the City mill and would recommend it to others particularly of you are interested in witnessing a working water mill or as an educational visit for school; children.
7. St Catherine's Hill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 124 reviews
Reviewed By AvidTraveler12 - Winchester, United Kingdom
This is a lovely walk from the centre of Winchester, depending on how quickly you walk it is about 45 minutes each way. Climbing the hill looked daunting, but was a little easier than it looked, due to the well positioned wide steps. You need to add at least another hour for walking to the top and looking around once at the top. Very pretty views from the peak of the hill. You need a moderate level of fitness climbing the hill, when we went there was people of all ages there. Best of all it is all free!!!
8. Abbey Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 91 reviews
Reviewed By NB1957
I went into the gardens soon after opening on a lovely sunny morning. The gardens are immaculately maintained and a real credit to the gardeners. There is a feeling of peace in the gardens and had I had longer in the city I would have spent more time here. Certainly a required visit after seeing King Alfred.
9. Itchen Way
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 93 reviews
Reviewed By Greylinglady - Winchester, United Kingdom
This runs from Southampton to Winchester. There are various place to join it. The walk along the river is very pretty. If walking into Winchester you will come across many other places to visit , passing St Catherine's Hill and historic buildings.
10. Blackwood Forest
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 86 reviews
Reviewed By CliveK52 - Abingdon, United Kingdom
What a great weekend! Nine of us stayed (or ten if you include daisy the dog) in the biggest of the forest cabins. It was a family get together and we had a wonderful time. The underfloor heating kept us all warm, along with the log burner. What is good is that you do not heed to leave the cabin if you don’t want to. We had a breakfast delivered on one day and went out to the cafe retreat for an evening neal on another. And the hot tub? Brilliant.
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