Group Travel Tour Operator and DMC for Hampshire
Discover Hampshire and Jane Austen
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Inside Winchester Cathedral, stone walls and stained glass windows
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Jane Austen's house museum ©Jane Austen's house museum
On this tour, we discover Hampshire and find out more about Jane Austen, one of England’s favourite authors. Visit the home of Jane Austen at Chawton where she spent the last 8 years of her life. The famous author did most of her mature writing here including ‘Persuasion’ and ‘Emma’. Also, see her final resting place in Winchester Cathedral, a towering gothic building. Experience a Hampshire highlight as you take a ride of the steam-hauled Watercress Line. See paintings and other art objects at the National Trust’s Hilton Ampner. Visit Milestones Living History Museum before taking a relaxing cruise on the Basingstoke Canal.
Dates
Dates throughout 2022 & 2023
Suggested itinerary by coach
Day 1
Travel to your hotel
Day 2
Watercress Line and Hinton Ampner
We start our Hampshire discovery in the market town of Alton (Tuesday market). We join the ‘Watercress Line’ (the Mid Hants Railway), for the 10 mile journey to Alresford. Re joining the coach we travel on to the National Trust’s Hilton Ampner, an elegant country house with an outstanding collection of furniture, paintings and objets d’art. The garden is widely acknowledged as a masterpiece of 20th century garden design.
Day 3
Milestones and Basingstoke Canal Cruise
Milestones, Hampshire’s Living History Museum, comes as something of a surprise. Inside what looks a modern sports hall is a remarkable recreation of a Victorian town, with cobbled streets, traditional shops, a village green, a pub, a large collection of commercial vehicles including a tram and a bus, penny slot machines, costumed characters and much more. In the afternoon we take a relaxing 2½ hour cruise on the Basingstoke Canal.
Day 4
Jane Austen’s House Museum and Winchester
We visit Chawton and the house where Jane Austen lived for the last eight years of her life and where she wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion. In Winchester we visit the magnificent Cathedral and see where she was buried. Don’t miss a visit to The Great Hall to see the greatest symbol of medieval mythology, King Arthur’s Round Table.
Day 5
Return home
Preferred Partner Hotels – Inspected by Greatdays staff
Doubletree by Hilton Southampton ****
Located just five miles from the city centre, the hotel has a spacious lounge, bar and restaurant. The newly refurbished leisure centre offers indoor pool, sauna and gym. The 135 bedrooms are well equipped. There is a lift and free coach parking.
Jurys Inn Southampton ***
This modern hotel is situated in a cosmopolitan part of the city centre and within walking distance of the main shopping areas. The 270 rooms are modern and well equipped. There is an open plan lobby with coffee shop, bar and restaurant. Lift and coach parking is available nearby.
Holiday Inn Southampton Eastleigh ***
Situated in a residential area close to Eastleigh and around seven miles from Southampton, this modern hotel has 129 air conditioned bedrooms. There is a lounge area with coffee shop, restaurant, bar and leisure centre. Lift to all floors and free onsite coach parking.
Other hotel options
Holiday Inn Fareham ***
This modern hotel is situated in a business/residential area near the village of Titchfield, and half way between Portsmouth and Southampton. There is restaurant offering delicious meals as well as a bar and lounge areas. The leisure club offers an indoor pool, sauna, solarium and gym. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel as is air-conditioning. The hotel does not have a lift but is only on two floors, so around half the 130 bedrooms are ground floor. All spacious bedrooms are with en-suite bathrooms with bath and shower and feature flat-screen TVs, hairdryer and tea and coffee making facilities. Many rooms offer beautiful views of the garden. There is ample on site coach parking available.
| Dates | 5 days / 4 nights |
| 2022 dates | From £309.00 per person |
| 2023 dates | From £339.00 per person |
Single room supplement available upon request.
