The Street Bakeshop in Old Basing is a hybrid, half cafe, half bakery and it combines the two elements perfectly.
This is the place to go in Basingstoke for breakfast and to pick up a loaf. Top quality food, baked goods and coffee. Oh, and some rather magnificent cake.
Basingstoke has really lacked this sort of coffee scene and I’m so excited to see a proper independent coffee scene emerge here.
Take a look around…
Continue reading “The Street Bakeshop, Old Basing”
Just off the high street you can walk a loop and discover the Winchester Water Meadows.
It’s an easy walk that follows the River Itchen and leads to some of the best hidden parts of the city. The walk takes in part of the South Downs Way, the Clarendon Way, Wolvesey Castle, the Hospital of St. Cross, the Itchen Navigation path, St. Catherine’s Hill.
The water meadows inspired Keats to write ‘To Autumn’, you know the one, imagine this in a rather loud and grandiose overly dramatic style… “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…”
With such a beautiful landscape on display you can see why he was motivated to write such pretty verse.
Get a slice of quintessential English countryside, history and explore Winchester in a totally new way.
Continue reading “Walk the Winchester Water Meadows”
Sunflower fields in Hampshire, these pick your own farm experiences are popping up all over the county.
Sunflowers taller than me or you fill the fields, their happy yellow petals bobbing around in the wind. It’s a joy to pick a bunch or just wander the fields enjoying the view with friends or family.
Want to experience picking your own sunflowers? Here’s my guide to the farms and fields offering the experience in Hampshire…
Continue reading “A Guide to Sunflower Fields in Hampshire”
Just a five minute walk off Winchester High Street will have you at the ruins of Wolvesey Castle.
This English Heritage attraction is free to enter and worth exploring when the weather is fair.
Continue reading “Wolvesey Castle, Winchester”
Cafe Fresco is serving up great coffee and food by Canoe Lake in Southsea. Pick up some lunch from the cafe and enjoy watching people on the pedalo swans on the boating lake!
Continue reading “Cafe Fresco, Southsea”
Right in the heart of the Candover Valley is The Yard, a cafe offering a unique location for a coffee, food and curated special events.
The stunning chic converted barn, outdoor yard and friendly, relaxed atmosphere are just a couple of the reasons you’ll fall in love with the place.
I spent a morning tucking into savoury treats, sipping coffee and enjoying the sun as the farm’s resident swallows ducked and dived over my head.
Here’s why I’d urge you to travel into the centre of Hampshire to discover The Yard…
Continue reading “The Yard at Chilton Candover, Alresford”
Hampshire distillery tours need to be on your list of things to do in the county.
There are some really amazing experiences, and we’ve an array to pick from locally. There’s ones that suit whatever experience you’re looking for, from the more lavish to the more intimate.
There’s even one that include gin making, so take a look at these five Hampshire Distillery tours…
Continue reading “5 Hampshire Distillery Tours”
Here’s an A to Z of things to do in Hampshire to provide plenty of inspiration to plan your next trip…
Continue reading “The A to Z of things to do in Hampshire”
A day date to Hinton Ampner was everything I needed to embrace all the festive feels this winter!
Classic childhood tales were brought to life through decorated Christmas scenes in each room of the elegant country manor house based in the heart of Hampshire.
Here’s a few snaps of the beautiful rooms and stories from the day…
Continue reading “Festive Aesop’s Fables at Hinton Ampner in Winchester”
In the crazy countdown to Christmas every weekend in the lead up was fully booked and this year’s annual trip to the Winchester Christmas Market was in jeopardy!
It always makes me feel festive and as it’s so close to home and I was gutted at the thought of missing out on it.
Spontaneity struck and Friday night after work I picked up Henry and surprised him with a visit in the evening.
Take a look at how stunning the market is as night…
Continue reading “An evening at Winchester Christmas Market 2019”
