Day trip to Winchester

Come along on Saturday 28th March for a day trip to the historic town of Winchester!

About Winchester
Winchester is a cathedral city and former capital of England. It's major landmark is Winchester Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the distinction of having the longest nave and overall length of all Gothic cathedrals in Europe.

The city sits on the River Itchen and dates back to Roman times, although it is known for being the Anglo-Saxon capital of the ancient county of Wessex and then later the capital of England.

The cathedral dates back to 1079 and is the burial place of the Anglo-Saxon kings; Egbert (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egbert_of_Wessex) and Canute (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnut_the_Great). The writer Jane Austen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Austen)is also buried here.

Winchester is also known for it's Great Hall, which dates back to the 12th century and is famous for King Arthur's Round Table, which has hung in the hall from at least 1463. The table actually dates from the 13th century, and as such is not contemporary to Arthur. The names of the legendary Knights of the Round Table are written around the edge of the table surmounted by King Arthur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur) on his throne.

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The guided tour of the town, tour & entry to the cathedral and entry to the Great Hall in total works out at £13 per person for Full Members and £14 per person for non-Full Members (I will collect this on the train on the day).

Aprox Itinerary
11:04am - arrive at Winchester
11:15am - tour starts with visit to the Great Hall
11:30am - tour around town
1:00pm - Lunch - bring your own food or head to The Royal Oak pub (which is purported to be one of the oldest bars in England)
2:00pm - Meet back at the Royal Oak pub to continue tour
2:10pm - Visit Cathedral for a guided tour
3:00pm - Continue tour of town covering: Pilgrims Hall, St Swithun-over-Kingsgate, College St (Jane Austen's House), Winchester College, Wolvesey Palace, the Weirs, City Bridge, Abbey Gardens, King Alfred's Statue
3:45/4pm - tour finishes
4:00pm - Freetime to do what you want (you can visit the City Museum, walk around the town, listen to Evensong in the Cathedral at 5:30pm or return to the station to get the train back)

We will be getting the 10:05am train, with the train ticket costing £15 each return (this is a special promo price South West trains are running and is cheaper than the GroupSave option). We will be purchasing these on the day as people arrive.

If you get the train back after the tour, you will get back to London at about 5:30pm. Trains going back at: 3:56, 4:03, 4:18, 4:25, 4:48, 4:56, 5:18pm.

Please note, we only wait under the clock at the station for 20 minutes after the advertised meeting time, so please be early or on time.

If you can't see us under the clock at the station, please call or text. Look out for the group sign:

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Hope to see you there!

Robert
07905 901 834

If you are new and have not been to an event before, click here (https://www.meetup.com/LondonCultureseekers/pages/For_New_Members_-_what_to_expect/) to find out what to expect.

Full Members of the group get a 10% discount off any purchases at Foyles bookshops, 10% of any purchases at the shop Cotswold Outdoor, 15% discount on joining English Heritage and discounted entry at 18 museums and galleries across London!
Click here to become a Full Member. (http://www.cultureseekers.org/dues)