Winchester Green Week runs from 23 September until 1 October 2023, so we have put together our top tips to leave the car behind so you can enjoy a greener visit to Winchester.
These are just some of the ways you can help to bring down carbon emissions by changing the way you travel to and around Winchester district:
Winchester is just an hour by direct train from London Waterloo. Winchester is also on direct routes from Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Birmingham and the north of England. You can use the Omio widget on our travel pages to check timetables and to get tickets.
Winchester train station is a 5 minute walk from the city centre, or you can use the park and ride bus service to travel from the station to the lower part of the city, where you will find the Visitor Information Centre.
National Express operate regular coach services from London, Heathrow and beyond. St Catherine’s Park and Ride is the drop off and pick up point. You can then use the park and ride bus service to travel into the city centre.
If you need to bring your car, there are ways you can travel around the district without it.
Visitors can park outside of the city centre and travel in on one of the regular Park and Ride buses. One ticket costs a maximum of £3.50 and covers one car (and its occupants) for parking and travel for a whole day.
Bus journeys are not only low-carbon, they are cost-effective too. The £2 bus fare cap runs until 31 October 2023. From November 2023 until November 2024, the bus fare cap is £2.50.
Stagecoach is the local bus provider. To travel locally to Alresford, you will need to use Stagecoach No 64 (Winchester to Alton), and if you want to visit Bishops Waltham and or Wickham, take Stagecoach No 69 (Winchester to Fareham).
If you download The Breeze: Journey Planner App, it can help you plan a sustainable bus journey. The app is available on both iOS and Android.
The Visitor Information Centre has a variety of walking trails. You can book a tour guided city centre walk or purchase a variety of self-guided trails. These trails include the Sunset, Austen, Keats and Tree Trail walks.
For the seasoned ramblers there are an abundant of routes to choose from:
St Swithun’s Way: start at Winchester Cathedral and follow in the footsteps of the many pilgrims who paid homage to St Swithun. The route takes you through the picturesque Itchen Valley, taking in pretty rural villages before it ends in historic Farnham.
The Clarendon Way: This route joins the Wessex cities of Winchester and Salisbury and crosses the Test Valley between Kings Somborne and Houghton.
The Itchen Way: Starting at Southampton, you walk to Hinton Ampner, the source of the Itchen river. The route passes Eastleigh and Shawford and then into Winchester.
Wayfarers’ Walk: Follow some of the old tracks used by shepherds driving their animals to sheep fairs in Farnham and New Alresford.
There are also lovely cycling routes in and around Winchester. For the adventurous, grab your bike and helmet and challenge yourself to the 220-mile King Alfred’s Way cycle route.
For more details on walking and cycling routes, click here. https://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/things-to-do/outdoors/
