We disembarked the Queen Mary 2 at the Mayflower Cruise Terminal in Southampton on a sunny, brisk day. Our travel plans typically include train travel, which we prefer to rental cars. So we waved goodbye to the grand ship and grabbed a cab to Southampton Central Rail Station. We headed out on a day trip to Winchester.
We stowed our bags at a business near the rail station to explore the 10th-century, medieval capital of England on foot.
Our goal was to visit beautiful Winchester Cathedral, whose construction began in 1079 and was completed in 1532. When we arrived, we learned it was closed because it was hosting back-to-back graduation ceremonies for the various colleges of the University of Winchester. Doh!
I did try to breach their defenses several times, but the Cathedral is still well-defended. So we admired it from outside and decided to make another visit later in our trip to see its grand medieval architecture from the inside.
After our consolation lap around the Cathedral grounds, we toured the City Museum, which tells the history of Winchester from its Iron Age, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon origins to the present day.
We then headed off to find what remains of the ancient Winchester Castle. Its Great Hall still stands, adjacent to the modern-day Crown Court. Inside is the Round Table of the legendary King Arthur’s Knights. The massive oak table is thought to be one that the real King Alfred had built for a wedding celebration in the 13th century, but King Henry VIII in the 16th century had it painted with the Tudor rose, the names of 24 knights, and the character of King Arthur said to be in his own image to link him to the legend. Or so one story goes.
Stained glass just loves a sunny day!
Nearby stands the West Gate of the former Castle. Modern-day traffic just zips by.
We grabbed lunch in a nearby pub and then caught a train headed to Portsmouth Harbour Rail Station. Portsmouth is home to the Royal Navy’s Historic Dockyard, and our base for the next 3 days.
More historic ships and ancient architecture to come!
Links for the curious:
British National Rail website. Install their app on your phone for easy access to timetables, real-time train status, and online tickets. I used it every day. There are multiple local railways (South Western Railway, Great Western Railway, etc) that have their own websites, but the National Rail app integrates them all.
British National Rail’s Railcard information. This is a railcard that you purchase for a one-time fee, valid for a year. In return, it gives you 1/3 off train fares in off-peak times. We bought the “Two Together” railcard for 35£ and it paid for itself several times over. It’s a digital card, so you should install the Railcard app on your phone to show at ticket offices and to ticket inspectors on the trains.
Radical Storage website for luggage drop/pickup locations. They also have an app, but I just purchased via their website on my phone. This worked great for us. Their location in Winchester that we used was a vape shop 🙂 But it was very convenient to get to from the train station. The system is easy to navigate and use, and I felt our bags were very secure both times we used it. They have locations worldwide! I’d definitely use them again.
Winchester Cathedral visitor info. Make sure to check for scheduled closures 🙂
The Explorer Pass to visit Winchester’s City Museum, the Great Hall, and Westgate.
Sheila365 