Winchester
VW CAMPERVAN HIRE
Winchester
Looking for a weekend break or part of a larger campervan holiday? Our Winchester campervan hire experience is ready and waiting for you. As a Wintonian, our hire service is only a short distance away. Head off from Fulflood, Abbot’s Barton or wherever it may be and be settling into your campervan within minutes.
Winchester residents have booked their campervan road trip with us in the past and have really appreciated how conveniently located our campervan for hire service is.
Located just 12 miles from our VW campervan hire facility, the city of Winchester with its mixture of nearby countryside and urban feel, make this pretty city a much sought-after place. It is regularly voted for as one of the best places to live in the UK!
Location
It is an excellent choice for a campervan trip but why not plan your VW Campervan hire around Winchester and set off onto a larger tour of Hampshire. With unlimited mileage, you are free to roam wherever you please.
There are three exits for Winchester from the M3, all lead into the heart of the city where you can find parking for your campervan either on-street or car parks. Winchester has made finding and paying for parking so easy – download the free Park Winchester app by Winchester BID. Find parking spaces across Winchester’s main car parks and Park & Ride sites. Available from the App Store and Google Play.
Parking
If you decide to visit Winchester on a Sunday, parking is free all day!
ensuring you are never to far away from your campervan and home comforts!
Historic Cathedral
Winchester was once the Capital city of England before William the Conqueror decided that both Winchester and London would be Capitals when he was crowned at both cities. However, in the fourteenth century, Winchester lost its Capital title and turned into the slightly less chaotic picturesque City it is today.
Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest in Europe, with the longest nave, and greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. With its history dating back as far as AD 642, you could easily spend the whole day here alone!
Fun fact, a deep-sea diver named William Walker, was called in to save the Cathedral from collapse, as the earlier efforts to underpin the waterlogged foundations were failing. William worked tirelessly for six years underwater and in the dark, to ensure all the groundwater could be pumped out and the subsiding walls could then be underpinned by bricklayers.
In his memory, you can find a statue of him in his diving suit at the far end of the cathedral. We think he would have welcomed the comforts of a cosy campervan to return to after a hard day saving the Cathedral, if only our campervan hire service was around then!
With so much history, you may need a little longer to absorb all that the cathedral has to offer!
But that’s OK, you’ll be thankful that you made the smart decision to hire a camper van from us as your VW California is built for comfort and relaxation, so you can always return to it for a cuppa and a nap.
The Great Hall
Another historical must-see is the Great Hall. The remnants of Winchester Castle. One of the finest medieval aisled halls of the 13th century which was once part of the magnificent Winchester Castle. The castle was founded in 1067 by William the Conqueror shortly after his victory at the Battle of Hastings.
In 1222 Henry III, with his love of architecture, began the construction of one of the earliest Gothic-styled medieval halls. Most of the castle stones were taken for building elsewhere and all that remains now is The Great Hall. Which proudly holds the legendary Round Table, which is famously linked to King Arthur and his Knights.
That round table is mightly impressive but I bet it couldn’t be cleverly concealed inside a door like our ingenious campervans do!
Step outside into Queen Eleanor’s garden, and relax amongst the herbs and plants that were abundant in the 13th century! You can then take a glimpse at the underground Sally Port, secret passages made to surprise an enemy, or return to the safety of the castle undetected during battle.
With so much history confined to this small city, is one day in Winchester going to be enough?
Shopping and Architecture
Winchester has some beautiful architecture and you can see this as you wander through the winding side streets. You will also find some amazing independent shops that fill them! Maybe you treat yourself to something special from a city steeped in history! A mix of old and new, there really is something for everyone in this beautiful city.
FOOD AND DRINK
If you fancy taking a break from cooking in your campervan, you will be spoilt for choice here as there are plenty of good old-fashioned pubs and restaurants within Winchester. A wide variety of international cuisine, alongside beers, wines & cocktails from around the world, you may just have to come back, again and again, to sample what is on offer!
Rural Walks and Literary Greats of Winchester
For the intrepid explorers among you, and for a more rural Winchester, nearby at St Catherine’s Hill is a small but dramatic chalk hill to the south-east of Winchester.
For the more adventurous of you, the hill rises steeply some 67 metres from the water meadows of the River Itchen, and when you reach the summit of the hill at 97 metres, it really does provide a fine view over Winchester and the surrounding area.
Please note, some of the paths are unsurfaced and uneven in places. If you want to park your trusty campervan nearby you can use Garnier Road car-park, further information regarding access can be found here.
The nearby countryside between Winchester and Newbury, inspired Richard Adams’ best-selling book Watership Down. It seems as if Winchester has an attraction for writers as world-famous novelist, Jane Austen, spent the last few weeks of her life in Winchester and is buried within the Cathedral grounds.
When walking through the cobbled streets of the City centre, see if you can find the bookshop, at which it is reported, Jane had an account with!
ADD A BIKE RACK TO YOUR HIRE
If you are keen cyclists, don’t forget we have bike racks for hire that can be attached securely to the campervan, you just need to specify these when completing your booking.
Winchester Events
Hat Fair
This relatively small city keeps up with the ‘big boys’ when it comes to regular events, attractions and even festivals! The Hat Fair held in July each year is a free family-friendly festival of Street Performance and Outdoor Arts.
The name comes from the busking term ‘hatting’ when performers relied solely on the money thrown into their ‘hat’ as payment for their art or performance.
The festival is the UK’s longest continually running outdoor arts festival and it takes place every year during the first weekend of July across the historic city of Winchester. Friday & Saturday are jam-packed with artsy performances and culture all around Winchester city centre, whilst on Sunday there is an all-day family picnic at the North Walls Recreation Ground, with some of the world’s most spectacular street performers.
There is something for everyone to enjoy, and best of all it’s absolutely FREE to attend. An extremely popular family festival with a record-breaking attendance in 2019, you will need to get to Winchester early to secure your spot!
Our Favourite Festival in Winchester
Our Favourite Festival in Winchester is Alresford Music Festival.
Alresford Music Festival (AMF) celebrated its 10th birthday last year and happens every year, usually in June. Suitable for all ages, the festival has a family arena stage packed with a full programme of music & entertainment.
Performing arts are also celebrated at this venue and the Bizarre has an eclectic mix to satisfy anybody’s particular interests.
You can find out more about this festival at their main site alresfordmusicfestival.com
Nearby Campsites
Two Hoots Campsite
A multi award-winning, small friendly site with stunning views, near wonderful woodland walks, lots to do, many local attractions, activities & experience days, something for everyone!
Three Trees Camping
A Quiet spacious campsite offering generously spaced large pitches, ideally located at the heart of test valley, situated between the city of Winchester and the historic market town of Romsey.
Folly Farm
Folly Farm is a non-working farm with 10 acres of beautiful countryside flanked by woodland. This peaceful location is perfectly positioned for walking, cycling, bird watching, nature spotting and quiet enjoyment of the lovely Hampshire countryside.
BOOKING AVAILABILITY
Booking your Winchester VW campervan trip is simple. You can make use of our VW campervan hire service immediately by visiting us online or call us about your camper van hire requirements.
Winchester is also really easy to get to from our base.
WHERE WE ARE BASED
Our Southampton HQ is easily accessible via the M27 Motorway, we are only a short distance away from Junction 3 and 18 minutes from Winchester centre making it super convenient to hire your campervan and head off on your road-trip.