Winchester Travel Guide

Winchester is an all-weather city with loads of fun things to for families, couples, old and young alike. A family favourite in the run up to Christmas is the temporary outdoor ice rink that is erected at the start of December. As a family activity, it is a terrific way to spend an hour. You will need to book and beware that it gets extremely popular over the festive period. Winchester Cathedral is the back drop to this outdoor ice rink, skating at night with Christmas lights shining out and lighting up the cathedral is breathtaking. Music is played whilst skaters are on the ice, and the organisation of ticket handling, collecting skates, and the support given by attendants on the ice itself cannot be faulted. Young children are not left out as children as young as five can skate on the ice, with the help of penguin supports that can be hired at a small additional charge for the duration of the session. The skating rink stays open usually until just after the New Year. Up until Christmas the ice rink is surrounded by the Christmas markets, based on the German Christmas markets. These small chalets showcase stall holders products ranging from food and drink, arts and crafts.

Book when a popular production is showing at the Theatre Royal, such as the pantomime over the Christmas period, as restaurants in Jewry Street, do tend to get busier before and after show times.

Winchester is steeped in history and The Great Hall is no exception, situated in Castle Avenue at the top of the high street, The Great Hall is proud to show the Round Table of King Arthur fame. This table is thought by experts to be from around the 13th century and notes the names of King Arthur’s Knights. The Great Hall is close to parking in Tower Street, and is open all year round, but closed on Christmas and Boxing Day. It is sometimes closed for events as it is now maintained by Hampshire County Council, and whilst there is no charge to enter, donations are very much welcomed.

There is a huge variety of shops in Winchester, ranging from high street chain outlets, to boutique clothes shops and second hand charity shops. Browsing around the charity shops can be an attractive past time, especially since the clothes that are donated in Winchester tend to be more on the designer label end of the scale, (which is fantastic news for your bank balance!). There are many specialist independent shops dedicated to an older market, selling arts and crafts, furniture and superior quality clothing.

Designer shops, independent boutiques and well known retail chains line the high street in down the hill all the way to The High Cross (also known as the City or Butter Cross monument). The history of the city cannot be ignored on the browse along the high street, buildings dating back to Tudor times, and the old Guildhall clock still hangs from the Lloyds TSB bank. The Brooks centre is an undercover shopping area where the shopper can avoid any inclement weather.

There are numerous places to eat and drink in Winchester, offering a quick bite to eat or a full 4 course meal. The Cornish pasty shop stands where William the Conqueror once stood, the present building dates from Tudor times, but the history of the place is not forgotten with interesting plaques on the wall that can be read at leisure whilst enjoying the stooped ceilings and uneven floor. The public house The Royal Oak (in Royal Oak Passage just off the high street), could be easily missed, and when first entering the passageway, it feels as though you are actually stepping back in time. Of course, there are multiple cafes and restaurants that can be seen in many British cities, which is good to know especially when you have children with you as you tend to know what kind of food and service to expect. There are some Italian restaurants in the same street Jewry Street as the Theatre Royal.

Winchester is located one hour from London just of junction nine of the M3 motorway.

It is surrounded by Hampshire's countryside on the edge of the South Downs.

Southampton is 13 miles to the south and Portsmouth 30 miles to the south east. The New Forest to the west at about 18 miles.

Cycling in Winchester can be hazardous as the traffic is quite busty during rush hours and at weekends.

To walk around the city would take about one hour.