Hampshire
-
Review: voco Winchester Hotel and Spa
Hotel Review The former Holiday Inn Winchester was rebranded to voco Winchester Hotel & Spa in October 2024 following a complete refurbishment programme which took 8 months and a cost of £2 million. Voco Hotels is IHG’s fastest-growing premium brand and as we hadn’t stayed in one previously we looked forward to the opportunity of being invited to review a stay.…
-
Holiday Inn, Winchester
Hotel Review I was recently invited to stay at the Holiday Inn, Winchester which underwent a major £2.5m refurbishment programme in 2019 to expand its lobby and dining areas and add a luxury spa. Location: The hotel is located on the outskirts of Winchester in southern Hampshire, south west England. The city lies 60 miles…
-
A walk around Winchester and to its cathedral
After enjoying a hearty breakfast at the Holiday Inn Winchester we decided to leave our car behind and take the bus into the city centre. With a stop at the end of the drive it couldn’t have been easier as the journey only took 7 minutes. (Bus 64, day tickets £4). The bus terminated close to…
-
A short break in Winchester
We planned an autumn break in the historic city of Winchester, located in Hampshire, south west England. The previous night we’d stayed with family close by allowing us two full days to explore the city. On arrival in the city, we left our car in the Chesil Street multi-storey car park just a couple of…
-
Bartons Mill, Old Basing, Basingstoke
Location: Bartons Mill is located in the picturesque village of Old Basing in Hampshire, just two miles east of Basingstoke. Easily accessible by road Bartons Mill lies 43 miles south west of London and is less than 10 minutes drive from junction 6 of the M3 motorway. For guests arriving by train, Basingstoke is on…
-
Old Basing and Milestones Museum, Basingstoke
After a good night’s sleep we started the day with a delicious cooked breakfast at the lovely Barton’s Mill on the outskirts of Basingstoke. It was a bright, sunny morning as we set out on foot to explore the picturesque village of Old Basing. From Barton’s Mill we followed a short section of the Basing…
-
A weekend in Basingstoke
We planned a short break in Basingstoke, the largest town in Hampshire, located close to the West Berkshire border. The town lies 30 miles (48 km) north east of Southampton and 48 miles (77 km) south west of London. It is easily accessible by road being just a few minutes drive from Junction 6 of…
-
Looking around Lymington
Lymington is a Georgian market town located on the western bank of the Lymington river in Hampshire and is surrounded on three sides by the New Forest National Park. The town has a railway station which is on a branch line to Brockenhurst with links to the south coast main line between London and Weymouth.…
-
Odiham and the Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal was built in 1794 to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge. Its intended purpose was to allow boats to travel between the docks in East London and Basingstoke allowing goods such as flour, timber and coal to be transported. It was never a commercial success and from the 1950’s due…
-
The Pheasant Inn, Highclere, Hampshire
Hotel Review Location This picturesque 17th century inn is located in the village of Highclere, Hampshire close to the Berkshire border. Highclere Castle, where most of the filming for Downton Abbey took place, is just up the road and the attractive market town of Newbury a fifteen minute drive away. The Pheasant has ample parking…
-
Andover and the Mottisfont Rose Garden
I’d seen an article in a magazine about the Mottisfont Rose Garden and how beautiful it was in mid-summer so one sunny day we decided to visit. The garden is in Hampshire and on our way we stopped in Andover for an early lunch and a little look around the market town. Andover is located…
-
A day in Southampton
I decided to visit Southampton to explore its rich, maritime history. It’s a port city in Hampshire located on the south coast of England and is now known as the cruise capital of Europe. The Pilgrim Fathers sailed the Mayflower from Southampton in 1620 taking settlers to the new world of America. More recently, in…
-
A day in Winchester
Having read that Winchester was taking part in the National Heritage Open Days with over 70 events taking place over four days, we decided to spend a day in this Hampshire city to view a selection of its historic sights. Approaching the city from the M3 motorway, we followed signs to the St. Catherine’s Park…
vividventures 