Spending Three days in Winchester with your Toddler

I’d been desperate to visit Winchester ever since Dan and I discovered The Last Kingdom, way back in 2020. Winchester, the capital of Saxon Wessex, was the home of King Alfred the Great. You know how much I love travel with a historic spin, and we eventually managed to make it on a drizzly March weekend.

We stayed in Twyford, in a small but classy 2 bed AirBnB (even though I hate using the site) and booked a table for dinner in The Bridge Inn, a Chef and Brewer pub on our first night. It was quiet in there on a Wednesday evening, but evening one meal out with a 1 year old was enough for us. We diverted to the Sainsbury’s on the way back to the accommodation to pick up dinner for the remaining days.

Winchester City Centre

Winchester Cathedral

We were on borrowed time, so we started with the Cathedral first thing on the first morning: I thought it might be the place where we needed V to be on her best behaviour. A few information boards caught my eye before we even entered. To the left of the entrance, on the green, are rows of bricks marking where the old cathedral stood. The one before you is an 11th Century structure, unfortunately not the same place where Alfred the Great worshipped.

My favourite thing about cathedrals is finding surprises, like the candle representing Thomas Becket’s tomb in Canterbury, or the sculpture of Mary and Jesus in St David’s. In Winchester, I hit the jackpot. Somehow, I’d missed that the Jane Austen was buried there, so of course I had to pay my respects.

Towards the back of the cathedral, there were more exciting finds: the tomb of Saint Swithun (explanation) and the largest and oldest area of tiling to survive in England. I also really liked the way the clothing was displayed. It was an opportunity to see something that I get to see.

However, the best part of the visit was searching for the tomb of King Cnut. Dan and I had started watching Vikings Valhalla the night before, and felt it was serendipity that we were only a few miles from the resting place of one of the central characters. We searched for ages, following the guide map and looking in all the nooks and crannies, before some unknown being told me to look up.

Balanced on a wooden frame are six ornate chests, one of them with the script, probably old English Latin, but the names CANVTE ET EMMA REGINA, and ALWINE were blinding. It seemed bizarre to me that the body of a king, his wife, and his son were just dumped in a box and stuck on a shelf.

The Great Hall

We walked to the opposite end of the city, up a hill that I was not anticipating, to reach the Great Hall. Just outside the hall are ruins of the old Winchester Castle, founded by William the Conqueror and it was amazing to get a perspective of just how big the castle was.

The Great Hall is also part of the old Winchester Castle, built around 1222 by Henry III, and is one of the best surviving examples of medieval hall. Historically, it was used for meetings, feasts, and trials, but now it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Winchester.

V was again desperate to get out of her pram, so we let her wander around – it’s not like she’d get lost! There are information boards dotted around the hall with all sorts of interesting information about Kings and Queens of England. At one end of the hall, there is a huge list of names, and at the other is the round table. Yes, the round table!

Well, not really. King Arthur isnt actually real, nor is Camelot. Thomas Malory, who wrote the original stories about King Arthur set Camelot in Winchester, so it is only fitting that the Round Table, the symbol of King Arthur and his Knights is displayed here. Just next to it is an enormous statue of Queen Victoria- rather fitting I suppose.

V’s favourite part of The Great Hall was Queen Eleanor’s Garden. It’s a small garden, with a little water feature and a tunnel, which I assume would be beautiful in a summer bloom, perfect for curious little feet.

Shopping

It was approaching lunch time, and we had a hungry toddler, so we popped into Côte, because why be fussy? It turns out they were still serving their brunch menu, so Dan had a full English and I had eggs benedict, and V had her lunchbox with a side of avocado.

We then wandered the city to find some of the more unusual shops. I’d overheard someone mention that there was a piece of original castle wall in a chocolate shop, so that was my first mission. We soon found it in Montezuma’s. It’s a pretty cool shop, if I do say so, and one worth looking in. It is true that there is a piece of the original wall, making the shop itself a listed building. The shop attendant told me that the stairs leading up to the stock room can’t even be attached to the wall because of its historical status, and pointed out the old Tudor ship that forms the beam work of part of the ceiling. How could I go in there to admire the building without buying some chocolate in return.

We then walked back across the Cathedral to find P&G Wells, an old booksellers. I love an old bookshop, and again couldn’t admire the architecture without purchasing something.

A few doors down from P&G Wells, though, is another surprise: the very house where Jane Austen lived and died. A blue plaque signifies the spot, but visitors are unable to go inside.

We had a little one who needed a nap, so called it a day, but there are so many more things I wanted to do in Winchester. In another life, I would have wandered down to Winchester City Mill (owned by the National Trust) for an hour or so. If it were a warm, sunny day, I would have hiked along the Keats’ Walk route, down to Hockley Railway Viaduct. Or perhaps, if we were with older children on a rubbish day, we would have spent more time in some of the other city museums.

Marwell Zoo

The next morning, we got up early to go to the zoo. Despite initial weather forecasts, there was certainly going to be rain. It was already pretty miserable. Alas, we pressed on and took our chances.

Entrance to the zoo was quick and easy, particularly on a drizzly March morning but other than a few penguins, we couldn’t see any animals in any of the paddocks that line the right hand side of the main trail. It was quite frustrating.

Eventually, we found some animals – a collection of giraffes hiding in their indoor enclosure. Then once again, nothing. V got aggravated, getting rained on and seeing nothing, so we took her into the café to have some lunch. The café wasn’t much better, as we were greeted by staff telling us we would have to leave if it got busy, since we weren’t buying hot food – on a rainy, Friday, during school term time. I can confirm that it did not get busy.

Then, the weather broke, and we tried again. We found rhinos and antelope-type creatures in their indoor enclosure, but realised that the animals had started to emerge from their hiding places. The red pandas were lazing on their tree; the wallabies were bouncing; the primates were playing. And perhaps most exciting and heart-breaking at once, the snow leopard paced by the glass.

It’s not my favourite zoo, but if you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit on a clear day.

Nearby to Marwell Zoo is also a small activity centre called The Adventure Barn, where there is an indoor soft play and an outdoor climbing area. We took V there to kill some time, and although it’s small, it was quite empty on a weekday afternoon. It’s always great find some cheap and cheerful things to do for the kids, particularly if you’re on a city break in Winchester.

Winchester Science centre

I feel really lucky about making it to the science centre. Again, it was a cold, miserable day, and we happened to be there on a Saturday, when the science centre is open. We arrived at the 10am opening time to an almost empty attraction. V had the run around of the place for a good 45 minutes, pressing buttons, throwing balls, knocking down bricks. We also let her roam on the soft play structure on the lower floor, because what else would a one year old really want to do?

It’s hard to tell with a baby, but I think she enjoyed herself!

And so did we. Travel and tourism can be tricky with a young toddler, since you’re reliant on them when planning your day, but I think we did well. Our trip to Winchester was a little more successful than our week in the Lake District, and it’s rejuvenated my motivation to get us all away a little more often.

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