Winchester

HAMPSHIRE

Remnants of the past linger around every cobbled corner here. Retrace the steps of Saxon sovereigns and medieval mythmakers (King Arthur’s Round Table is displayed in the Great Hall) or inspect elegant Elizabethan and Regency architecture. Still Christmas shopping? Explore the thriving high street’s array of artisan and independent shops.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Travel back to Tudor times at Winchester City Mill. Throughout December, this ancient building is all a-twinkle with lights and winter foliage (nationaltrust.org.uk). Offering religious refuge since AD164, Winchester Cathedral has everything from medieval choir stalls to Jane Austen’s grave. This month, the Star of Wonder Show fills the church with mesmerising sound and light, and there’s a Christmas concert on 10 December (winchestercathedral.org.uk). Just outside, the sweet smell of cinnamon wafts through the Cathedral Christmas Market, where you can shop for arts and crafts or succumb to a mulled wine or cider. Prefer to stray from the crowds? Retrace the steps of the poet Keats, passing water meadows and Wolvesey Castle (visit-hampshire.co.uk).

WHERE TO STAY

A stone’s skim away from the River Test, The Grosvenor is a hip hotel with a selection of stylish rooms. For a memorable stay, book the Britannia, where views swoop over Stourbridge Marshes, or the Mayfly, with its striking four-poster bed (from £170; thegrosvenorstockbridge.com). Prefer to be in the centre of town? The Old Vine has six stylish rooms, some of which overlook the cathedral’s spires (B&B from £160 per person; oldvinewinchester.com).