Winchester FOR FREE

It’s not often that you get something for nothing yet an April trip to Winchester holds plenty of attractions that don’t cost a penny

- Viv Micklefield

FOLLOW A TRAIL

With Visit Winchester’s selfguided walking maps available to download, it couldn’t be easier to plan a host of different city experiences. Starting at his statue in The Broadway, join one of three city centre loops to trace King Alfred’s footsteps towards his last known resting place beneath Hyde Abbey Gardens.

There’s also the daily route followed by the poet Keats during his stay in Winchester, which inspired the famous ode To Autumn. This two-mile round trip out to St Cross offers several refreshment and picnic stops en route. And if romance is in the air, why not take in the Winchester Sunset Walk where both historic city streets and St Giles Hill are the perfect antidote to a busy day?

Alternatively Winchester’s lesser-known Jewish roots make for an intriguing history lesson starting close to the Buttercross. With earliest records showing a merchant community living here in the 1100s at the invitation of William the Conqueror, it’s another window into Winchester’s rich tapestry. The complete collection of trails can be found at visitwinchester. co.uk/brochures

BEYOND THE CATHEDRAL WALLS

Wherever you are in Winchester, the magnificent cathedral makes its presence felt and it costs nothing to stroll around the imposing Gothic façade and to take in the historic Cathedral Close. Surrounding this tranquil green space ancient flint and stone walls shelter Cheyney Court an Elizabethan former courthouse, and the Deanery complete with its 13th century vaulted porch.