Please sign in to post.

Winchester England

My daughter will be hospitalized in Wincheter for surgery for one week. We will be travelling from Canada and are looking for inexpensive places to stay and things to see. We will arrive April 5.
Thanks for any help

Posted by
172 posts

We 'did' Winchester as a day trip from London so can't help you with lodging (Lonely Planet guide book lists a few places). Don't miss Winchester Cathedral, free tour with admission, and well worth taking. Walks along the river, and Keat's Walk are lovely and easy. Winchester is very walkable and a very pretty town. Borrow a couple of different guide books from the library, Rough Guide and Let's Go might list cheaper accomodations.

Posted by
8293 posts

If you walk down the High Street almost all the way to King Alfred's statue, you will see the Winchester Tourist Office on your right. The staff there is very pleasant and helpful (and there is a public loo in the same building, should that interest you) and will provide you with walking tour maps and much useful information about the ancient city of Winchester, and possible B&B suggestions, as well. Sorry about your daughter and hope all goes well.

Posted by
32171 posts

Margaret,

Winchester is a wonderful and picturesque town, with lots of history. I stayed in a Hostel on my last visit there, so I don't suppose that information would be useful for you (although it was a really nice Hostel, in a characteristic old Flour Mill with the River Itchen running underneath the building, as I recall).

For trips to Winchester, flying into LGW would be a better option. How are you planning to get from the airport to Winchester? If you're planning to drive, I'll have a few additional tips.

For "things to do", touring Winchester Cathedral would be a good start. As I recall, there is an admission charge to help with the maintenance and taking the guided tour would be a good idea. The Cathedral has an interesting history! Be sure to see King Arthur's Round Table in the Great Hall.

Walking along the river is a nice way to spend a few hours. If you're interested in Military history, Winchester is a fantastic spot to visit, as there are five Museums located at Peninsula Barracks (top of High Street, easily walkable), including the Royal Green Jackets and the Gurkhas. I've seen several of them, and they're VERY well done!

You may find some useful information at The Official Winchester website.

Best wishes for your daughter's speedy recovery!

Cheers!

Posted by
8293 posts

Just to avoid any confusion about the location of King Arthur's Round Table, it is (or so goes the legend) in Winchester Castle, not the Cathedral. By the way, the cafe & gift shop of the Cathedral is excellent, and a very nice lunch can be had there. Ken (Vernon) I often passed the Hostel in the old mill on my way to the High Street and my husband stayed there once as a student. It looks charming.

Posted by
1814 posts

We really enjoyed Winchester Cathedral and seeing the Round Table, which is actually medieval. Winchester is only 20 miles from Salisbury. It's interesting to compare the two cathedrals. You are also close to Avebury and Stonehenge (go to the official website and click on private access if you want to actually get to see Stonehenge.) In between Winchester and Salisbury is Montisfont Abbey, a lovely garden with an historic house. Also near that Abbey were some lovely "Cotswold-type" villages---sorry I don't remember their names, but they might have been the Wallop ones.

Posted by
38 posts

I was just in Winchester last week. The cathedral is a most - just beautiful and so historic. There is a small City of Winchester museum that is very interesting not far from the cathedral. It races the growth of the city from pre-Roman to the early 1900. There are fascinating Roman mosaics and other archaeological finds. And it is FREE. The High Street has lots of shopping, including some delicious bakeries and chocolate shops. I believe you can easily bet to Bath and/or Salisbury by train. Hope your daughter gets well soon.