Bournemouth or Winchester... or somewhere else?

[twincheryl]

This past summer we stayed in London and Southampton before our cruise.  Next October we're cruising out of Southampton again and would like to see some other areas.  Will stay 2 nights after flying from California and make our way to the port the morning of the cruise.

 

We've come up with Bournemouth or Winchester as possibilities that have lovely scenery and places to walk around as well as eat out.  Those of you that live on the other side of the pond from us... do you have any comments about those areas or others within an hour or so of Southampton?  We are three seniors with no disabilities... will need 3 hotel rooms at a hotel with air conditioning.  Will hire a private car to wherever we end up.  We will not have a car, but ok to Uber or taxi... don't care about tourist locations like Stonehenge... love beautiful parks/nature areas and lovely small(ish) villages.

 

Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions... 

[Meander Ingwa]

I vote for Winchester for the Cathedral alone,  The Keats Walk adds the potential for a riverside walk and birding opportunity.  I know you mentioned you are are interested tourist locations, but the cathedral has been beautifully restored and is an amazing example of Gothic architecture .  I always love Evensong in these spaces as it is a chance to hear music, usually sung , in the spaces the music as written for.  No matter your spiritual belief, it can be a very moving experience. 

 

Winchester has a handy town website for tourism that has details of the walk.  I always use Google Maps to help me find interesting restaurants and places to stay. 

[Harters]

I've spent several days in Bournemouth. It's OK as a base but has little going for it in itself - apart from being beside the sea (always a plus for me). Parts of the town are quite run down, according to my nephew who did his Masters degree at Bournemouth Uni. On the other hand, Winchester is interesting in itself 

[John Bull]

Winchester & its cathedral attract visitors from around the world. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Wessex and the early unified kingdoms of England. 

The city centre is compact, perhaps just a little too compact, but with quiet green spaces and riverside walks. You need a hotel in the centre

http://www.visitoruk.com/Winchester/

 

Bournemouth is a genteel seaside holiday resort town.

Pleasant enough, but little to attract the international tourist.

Frequent direct trains to Southampton take 30 to 50 minutes & cost about £6

https://www.bournemouth.co.uk/

 

Or can I suggest a third option, which is admittedly different to  your criteria......- Portsmouth

Here's a reply I posted to someone who asked about Southampton or Portsmouth.....

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2905035-places-to-eat-in-southampton/page/2/#comment-66252247

 

Perhaps more to your taste - "love beautiful parks/nature areas and lovely small(ish) villages."

Brockenhurst is a village in the heart of the New Forest National Park- walk thro the Forest (actually a mix of forest and heathland) as far as you want in any direction. You'll see wild ponies, donkeys,perhaps deer and certainly other wildlife. . 

 If you tire of walking, you can rent bikes(including e-bikes) or take horse-rides or a wagon-ride or a New Forest ho-ho bus,  but for the little lanes and places like Rhinefield Ornamental Drive & Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive you'll need a car + driver.

The village has good hotels, a number of well-regarded restaurants. and several pubs & tea-rooms.

It also has the advantage of 3 to 4 direct trains per hour to Southampton (15 to 20 minutes, about £9) because it's on the line from Bournemouth

https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/explore/towns-and-villages/brockenhurst/

https://www.morebus.co.uk/about-NFT

 

JB 🙂

 

[ziggyuk]

Another vote for the New Forest from me, visitors from cruise ships rarely see it but it's beautiful and a must see for nature.

[turnip eater]

New Forest for me too! Perhaps visit Lymington and Milford on Sea too.

Bournemouth has good beaches but is not quaint. 

[twincheryl]

On 10/18/2023 at 5:28 PM, John Bull said:

Bournemouth is a genteel seaside holiday resort town.

Pleasant enough, but little to attract the international tourist.

Frequent direct trains to Southampton take 30 to 50 minutes & cost about £6

https://www.bournemouth.co.uk/

 

Perhaps more to your taste - "love beautiful parks/nature areas and lovely small(ish) villages."

Brockenhurst is a village in the heart of the New Forest National Park- walk thro the Forest (actually a mix of forest and heathland) as far as you want in any direction. You'll see wild ponies, donkeys,perhaps deer and certainly other wildlife. . 

 If you tire of walking, you can rent bikes(including e-bikes) or take horse-rides or a wagon-ride or a New Forest ho-ho bus,  but for the little lanes and places like Rhinefield Ornamental Drive & Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive you'll need a car + driver.

The village has good hotels, a number of well-regarded restaurants. and several pubs & tea-rooms.

It also has the advantage of 3 to 4 direct trains per hour to Southampton (15 to 20 minutes, about £9) because it's on the line from Bournemouth

https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/explore/towns-and-villages/brockenhurst/

https://www.morebus.co.uk/about-NFT

 

JB 🙂

 

Thanks so much, John Bull and everyone else!  Never imagined that we could stay with hotel points in Bournemouth and also take the train to Brockenhurst or other stops nearby for a day trip.  We are not "tour" people, so this will allow us to do only the things that interest us in each place and not need to hire a guide or taxi.  Everyone in our party will be happy now!

[Harters]

I can thoroughly recommend seafood (mainly) restaurant West Beach in Bournemouth. Right on the beach, near the pier. 

 

https://www.west-beach.co.uk/

[John Bull]

7 hours ago, twincheryl said:

Thanks so much, John Bull and everyone else!  Never imagined that we could stay with hotel points in Bournemouth and also take the train to Brockenhurst or other stops nearby for a day trip.  We are not "tour" people, so this will allow us to do only the things that interest us in each place and not need to hire a guide or taxi.  Everyone in our party will be happy now!

 

 

Yes, day-tripping from Bournemouth could work.

But Bournemouth train station is about a mile / 30 minutes walk from town centre restaurants, the sea-front & most hotels. And the only New Forest stop for most trains is Brockenhurst - the hourly  "stopping train" also stops in the Forest at Sway and Beaulieu Road (Beaulieu Road station is quite desolate, nothing there but a couple of pubs), .Also stops at Hinton Admiral & New Milton & Ashurst but all three are just outside the New Forest, and other than Brockenhurst I think New Milton is the only one with a taxi rank.

There's a railway branch line from Brockenhurst to Lymington mentioned by @turnip eater, Half-hourly service, 10 minute journey time. Lymington is just outside the Forest, but an attractive yachting town with a ferry service to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.

 

Just MHO, but I rate Brockenhurst a much better choice than Bournemouth. If you can't use your hotel points there, consider places in the Forest (Burley, for instance) altho you'll be relying on cars a lot. Or keep those points for some future travel.

 

JB 🙂