The Magic of Christmas in Winchester - 12km / 7.5-mile Beginner Hike

GRADE: Beginner – 12km / 7.5 miles with 120 metres of ascent plus additional distance whilst exploring the Christmas Market / the cathedral, etc.

This short circular hike combines the best of both worlds – sections of peaceful countryside trails with a very rural feel, and slightly more ‘touristy’ cobbled streets of England’s first capital city, the magnificent Winchester. Most of the route is flat, apart from one substantial hill. Mixture of charming urban, country and riverside paths where mud is to be expected especially after rainy weather.

ROUTE:

From Winchester Station, we head towards the River Itchen, a classic example of a chalk river, of which there are only 200 worldwide and 85% of them in the UK in southern and eastern England. We follow the river nearly all the way to St. Catherine's Hill, a chalk downland hill and a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, and also a Celtic iron age hill fort offering far-reaching views over Winchester to the north, and the peaceful countryside to the south and south-east. We climb St. Catherine’s Hill and take in the views, to then hike through Twyford Down before returning to the chalky waterway.

Our way back to Winchester leads along another distributary channel of the River Itchen, backing onto a cricket ground, a park and vast water meadows, remnants of medieval field systems created to drain marshland and increase arable land.

After passing a few of the 94 Winchester College listed buildings, as well as the house where jane Austen (resting in the cathedral) spent the last few weeks of her life, we arrive at the magnificent Winchester Cathedral and Christmas Market right at lunchtime. From here, it is only a kilometre (0.6 mile) back to the station.

With plenty of time and daylight left (the sun sets at 15:59), you’re free to treat yourself to a visit to one of the finest and the longest medieval cathedral in Europe, and get into the Christmas spirit sipping hot chocolate or mulled wine whilst exploring one of the best Christmas Markets in Europe.

Winchester Christmas Market, with its German Christmas Markets-inspired wooden chalets, ‘is renowned for its bustling atmosphere, stunning location and handpicked high quality exhibitors’, all of which attract visitors from around the world. The stalls offer a wide range of gifts, seasonal decorations, food and drink.

COST: £10 organiser fee paid on RSVP

MEETING POINT and TIME: Winchester Station, 10:21am

HIKE STARTS: 10:25am from Winchester Station

TRAVEL: 09:09am train from London Waterloo arriving at Winchester at 10:21am, journey time 72 minutes.

Return tickets from London to Winchester get increasingly more expensive closer to the travel time – advance return tickets cost £21.10 (as of 16 October), but double in price later on.

GroupSave and Network Railcard discounts are NOT AVAILABLE on this route so booking advance tickets offers the best value for money.

RETURN: There are 3 trains and hour from Winchester back to London on 07 December, leaving at 18, 48 and 53 minutes past the hour.

LUNCH: Packed lunch, picnic or get your lunch at the Christmas Market at the end of the hike

HIKE FINISHES: approximately at 13:30 at Winchester Christmas Market, a 12-minute walk from the station. Finish times always depend on pace of the group on the day and are a rough estimate rather than a guarantee.

HIKE LEADER: Eliza 07990 489040

What to bring: lunch, snacks, water, suitable clothing and hiking footwear. Click here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FLjSAczjgbZ26OKE4Iy_zX2IFqkybdXCmK9AkVfqI1w/edit?usp=sharing

Terms and conditions, including RSVPs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XSic4Aj9VJguTQuiWrTd6I1A-EmvmQCqCHggB0omlX8/edit?usp=sharing

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