This year we decided to point Gandalf’s wheels south for a Christmas market in the small city of Winchester.
On the outskirts of Winchester is the Caravan and Motorhome Club site, Morn Hill, which is conveniently located on the outskirts of the city.
We had a good journey south and arrived just after 5pm on Friday. We had a very quick set up, quick dinner, and a shower,
before catching the bus (which stops very close to the site entrance) to a dog friendly pub called the Golden Lion (which also has a bus stop outside!). This very popular pub has a great menu, however is very busy and so if you want to dine here you’d need to make a reservation. We’d already eaten so enjoyed a couple of beers before getting the bus back for a very quiet nights sleep. But if we returned, we’d book to eat here.
Saturday dawned fresh and sunny and full of Christmas cheer, we donned our Christmas jumpers, and made our way into Winchester on the bus for the Christmas market.
The Christmas market in Winchester is held within the cathedral grounds. There was a queue to get in, which moved fast, but we decided to explore Winchester first and go into the market when it was closer to dusk.
We found lots of very lovely dog friendly historic pubs to enjoy, and did a bit of a historic walking tour, details of which we picked up from the tourist info office.
The ordinary Saturday market was bustling with sellers, and there were street musicians playing Christmas music.
We have a passion for historic pubs and we were not disappointed in Winchester- in fact, we were blown away!
Our favourites:
The Royal Oak. This had a downstairs small seating area with wooden beams and panelling. It was the residence of Emma, the first Queen of England. It professes to be the Oldest Pub in England (there are a few that lay claim to this title). This one is the Earliest building in England to house a bar, with parts of the pub dating back to 1002, when it was residence to Queen Emma. Happily it was also dog friendly and we enjoyed a couple of drinks in here!
The Eclipse. A 16th century half timbered building with a tiny bar area. The pie menu looked great here and one to return to for pies if we’re back! Again it was dog friendly.
There are some interesting tunnels in Winchester to explore and we’d have loved to have seen the Great Hall, but sadly it was closed for a function. So a reason to return!
As the afternoon ticked on by, we made our way to the Christmas market. Suspecting it would be busy, we transferred Jazz into his doggy rucksack, which he loves.
The market wasn’t as big as I thought it would be, but was enjoyable nonetheless. It’s picture perfect with the imposing Winchester cathedral as its backdrop.
We had a few hours wandering, eating, drinking and just generally soaking up the atmosphere which we really enjoyed.
The campsite, Morn Hill, was a great base for Xmas shenanigans and perhaps we’ll return another year.
Do you have a go to place to travel in your campervan to for Christmas markets? If so, please share below!
Until next time
Lx
