A cathedral city in the hilly county of Hampshire, Winchester served as the capital for the ancient Belgae tribe during the Roman conquest and would later be a vital city for the Kingdom of Wessex between the 7th and 8th centuries. Famous for its cathedral (the longest in Europe), this route takes us along the western edge of the South Downs to provide varied historical and natural viewpoints.
WALK DISTANCE: 17.93 km
WALK TERRAIN: Rough unsurfaced paths that may become muddy
WALK TOTAL ASCENT: 288.95 m
OVERALL WALK DIFFICULTY: 4 (https://www.uclhiking.co.uk/walk-grades)
TRAVEL JOURNEY:
- Need help? Meet us at 09:20 at London Waterloo, next to Pret (https://www.uclhiking.co.uk/meeting-points). Walk leaders will be wearing bright red hats!
- Board the 09:35 Southwestern Railway train to Weymouth, and get off at Winchester (ETA: 10:43)
- Feel free to meet us at the destination and board the train yourself if you’d rather!
- Please arrive on time, as we will not wait for those who are late!
OTHER STUFF TO BRING:
- Hiking boots or footwear with good traction you don’t mind getting muddy
- Train tickets and Railcard (if you have it, they’ll check!)
- Raincoat/waterproofs in case of bad weather, shades/sunscreen/sunhat in case of good weather
- Hand sanitizer, reusable water bottle!
NEED HELP?
Walk Leaders/Committee Members will be on our Discord server (https://discord.gg/HXfVnJUZjf) and our WhatsApp group (https://chat.whatsapp.com/Du27XR1Yh8QFRQ1lOIa0kB) and will be happy to respond to any queries.
If there is anything we should know to make your hike more comfortable accessibility-wise, or if there is anything our First Aiders should know about (e.g., allergies, medication), just let us know and we’ll be happy to help!