A Day Trip to Winchester

If you’re drawn to cathedrals, bracing walks and long looks out of ancient windows, Winchester makes an excellent day trip from London. It’s compact, full of history and easy to cover in a single day. ## Winchester Cathedral Winchester Cathedral is the obvious starting point. Even if you don’t go inside, the building itself is worth the trip, and the park beside it is a pleasant place to wander. It makes a good introduction to the city. ## St Catherine’s Hill For a windswept walk with a view, head up St Catherine’s Hill. There’s supposed to be a historic maze up there, though it’s easy to miss: it sits on the far side, hidden from the top, so keep an eye out as you go. Expect rain at some point. It always seems to arrive. ## Following Keats’ footsteps Leaflets picked up from the public library include a walk in Keats’ footsteps, which is well worth following. The route takes you along a stream and past some very pretty houses. A snack from the local market helps it along nicely. ## St Cross Hospital The Hospital of St Cross is a medieval almshouse and the oldest charitable institution in the UK, founded between 1132 and 1136. There’s plenty to wander around, and it’s a lovely spot for photographs. ## Exploring the rest of the town College Street is worth walking down, not least for its bookshop. The Winchester College campus and the building on the corner of College Street and College Walk are both worth a look. Most of the day was spent sightseeing rather than sitting in restaurants and cafes, so snacks on the move did the job. ## The Great Hall and Arthur’s Round Table The Great Hall dates back to the 13th century and houses Arthur’s Round Table, which hangs on the wall. It’s a surprise worth saving for your own visit. Alongside the artefacts you’ll find stained glass windows and a courtyard that feels like a step back into the Middle Ages. Winchester packs a lot into a small area, and a day is enough to see the highlights without rushing.