Winchester

Last evening we had a nice dinner at the Renegade Brewery near to Compton. It was lovely to have Jane's dear 100-year-old father join us and I enjoyed my first-ever Strawberry cider. It has been great to renew our 40-year-old friendship with Tony & Jane and it is always sad to leave. It was an easy drive down to Winchester this morning although there are a lot of trucks on the roads - like Northern Italy! We found our lodgings in Hyde Street, and it feels like we are in a basement although at the moment we are grateful for the cooler retreat from outside as once again it is hot and our hay fever is playing up! It was great walking around Winchester - it's a good sized English town and the Cathedral is great - steeped in history. We paid 10 pounds to get in but enjoyed a 1.5-hour in-depth tour with an informative guide. It has a history going back to Saxon times with several bishops buried there from important times like the signing of the magna carta. The stained leadlight windows were huge and put together again after the roundheads smashed it all during the English civil war. Gothic arches were prominent as were several chantry chapels. Jane Austen is buried here as she died in Winchester. The 'screen' was full of historic statues - most impressive all round. Afterwards, we shared a healthy halloumi salad and then walked around seeing the City Mill, a lovely canal flowing through Winchester, the posh schools, and so on. The only thing we didn't like is the ongoing heat and hay fever!!Read more