Winchester hike & Christmas market

Let’s soak up the Christmas atmosphere in one of the oldest cathedral cities in England. Winchester was founded by the Romans and then became the capital city of Wessex in the middle ages.

Winchester Christmas markets have lots of hand-picked arts, crafts as well as food and drinks. It has a long tradition of being amongst the best Christmas markets in Britain and are located close to the magnificent jewel of a cathedral.

The main purpose of this day is to enjoy both the hiking and Christmas markets.
For that reason, this walk will have a reasonably brisk pace as we want to be drinking mulled wine by 4pm.

The hike will start at the city, with us walking and admiring its rich historic buildings. We will then carry on along the idyllic River Itchen to St Catherines Hill, the iron age hillfort. There we will enjoy spectacular views of the city, before we descend to the meadows to enjoy the Hampshire landscape. We will then do 15 km loop through Shawford for lunch and then back through the meadows to Winchester.

Winchester walk info in a nutshell:

We will meet at Clapham junction station on the ground floor near ticket office at 8:30 am. The train leaves at 9:12 am and arrive in Winchester at 10:04 am. We will purchase a return ticket to Winchester.
The cost of a group saver 1/3 off return ticket is £24.00.

Distance: 15.3km (9.5 miles). The track is fairly easy with a mild 300 m ascent. But as it is getting dark soon, we will have a brisk pace, to make sure we will return back before it gets dark. We will allow approximately 5 hours for walking, depending upon the speed of the group and excluding any breaks.

Return Journey: Return trains leave four times an hour from Winchester. We will only use a train which stops at Clapham junction.

What to wear: Appropriate walking clothes and footwear - waterproof hiking boots as the path could be muddy in places. Weather can be unpredictable, please bring waterproof jacket in case of rain. In cold weather it is advisable to wear several layers and hat, gloves. No trainers or jeans please.

Lunch: We will stop in Shawford for a quick lunch. Please bring packed lunches and at least 1,5 litre of water. Our main food treat is awaiting at Christmas markets.

Toughness: 5 out of 10

Cost: the hike cost £7.50 this covers the hike and Paypal fee. (Train ticket is not included).

Please note: It is impossible to state a specific return time as it depends on weather conditions, the general pace of the group and other unplanned factors. Those who decide to join the hike, please consider yourself committed for the entire day.

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