2025 Christmas Walks in Winchester and Southampton

December 4th today and I feel I can now safely start talking about Christmas!

With the Winchester Christmas Market in full swing – below, a photo of the Nativity stall in the market – and trees and decorations up across Winchester and Southampton, I’m really in the Christmas spirit and looking forward to leading city Christmas walks.

And I did the first yesterday with a fully-booked visit to Winchester’s Abbey House – the official home of Winchester’s Mayor – with a tour around the beautiful building before enjoying mince pies and mulled wine, hosted by the Mayor, Councillor Sudhakar Achwal, and Mayoress.

On Tuesday 9 December 2025 I will be sprinkling the history and stories of the
2-3.30pm Winchester Lower City walk with some seasonal snippets – and in Southampton all this month we are leading a Saturday and Sunday afternoon Christmas Walk, 1.30-3pm.

On Saturday 13 December 2025, while we explore the old city, the city wall and medieval vaults, and hear about the history of Southampton from the Romans up to the present day, I’ll be telling some of the city’s Christmas stories.

Famous Southampton resident novelist Jane Austen wrote in 1807 on the departure of their Christmas guests, “I shall be left to the comfortable disposal of my time, to ease of mind from the torments of rice puddings and apple dumplings, and probably to regret that I did not take more pains to please them all.”

And who would have thought that two Christmas number ones were the inspiration of two born-and-bred Sotonians – or that in 1879 Southampton found room for 91 Russian refugees, if not exactly in an Inn, in a prison – but bear with me, it was the Governor’s quarters, and it’s a much more lovely story than it sounds.

You can book online for my Winchester Lower City Walk on Tuesday 9 December, or book in-person at the Winchester Visitor Information Centre.  

Tickets for my Saturday 13 December Southampton Christmas Walk are available online through See Southampton, or you can pay on the day if spaces are available, either cash or card.

I hope to see you in either Winchester or Southampton! Or for both tours!

Ghosts and Witches on a Creepy, Spooky Winchester Walk

I love doing general history walks of local cities – in particular touring through the streets of Winchester, Southampton and Salisbury.

But it’s also exciting to do themed-tours as well – such as the Halloween city walk in Winchester last night.

And Winchester is the perfect place for a spot of ghost-hunting, with its history going back to the Iron Age – and then Romans, Saxons, Normans along with citizens across the succeeding centuries having walked the paths and inhabited the historic buildings of the ancient city.

Stories of the ghostly sightings of nuns and monks from centuries back are unsurprising with Winchester having been home to two grand minsters, an abbey, a priory, and today’s 11th Century cathedral.

Plus, there are the gruesome tales of executions in the marketplace … What phantoms haunt the streets, recounting these tales?

And did the city’s nighttime visitors come creeping out to show their mysterious, shadowy forms last night?

You’ll have to join a Halloween walk next year to find out!

And with witch’s hat and cloak packed away for another year, I’m looking forward to taking people on some of my other themed tours, such as Jane Austen in Georgian Southampton on 16 December 2025 – the 250th anniversary of Jane’s birth in 1775 and recounting the years the famous author lived in Southampton – and Joy to the World on 14 December 2025 – the story of Christmas through the centuries as celebrated by the people of Southampton.

A huge thank you to everyone who braved the weather last night. The evening was wet – very wet – but lots of fun!

A Glorious Day Guiding at Abbotsbury Swannery

After a fabulous visit to Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens – where my clients enjoyed seeing the amazing plants, trees and shrubs and all made it up to the Jurassic Coast Viewpoint – we then had a wonderful time at the Swannery. Seeing the swans was a delight – and everyone enjoyed the feeding time.

It’s been a real treat guiding in Dorset this summer.

I’ve taken groups to Corfe Castle, with its imposing ruins stretching up into the skyline, and the history of murder – of king and captured knights – along with the heroic defence by the Royalist Lady Mary Bankes against the Parliamentarian attacks during the 17th Century civil war. Walking through the beautiful village is also a stand-out experience for clients.

Tours of Portland, taking in visits to the lighthouse at Portland Bill and King Henry VIII’s Portland Castle have also proven popular, along with visits to Bovington Tank Museum, Athelhampton House and the charming market town of Dorchester, with its Thomas Hardy connections and stories.

While the Dorset scenery never ceases to amaze.

If you’re looking for a guide in Dorset – or across Hampshire and Wiltshire, or for Windsor and Eton – do please get in touch – I’d love to hear from you.

80th Anniversary of VJ Day Walk – Southampton in WWII

Friday 15 August 2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day – Victory over Japan Day – and the end of the Second World War in 1945.

On 8 May 1945, along with the rest of the country, Southampton celebrated VE Day – Victory in Europe Day – and, along with the rest of the country, would have to wait another three months until the six long years of war would finally be over on VJ Day 15 August 1945.

As you walk the streets of Southampton Old Town, it’s hard to miss the mix of architecture – the modern structures infilling in between the historic heritage buildings, many dating back to medieval times, and legacy of the city’s major target for the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) bombers.

This was due to Southampton being home to a vital military port and essential wartime industry – including the production of the iconic Spitfire fighter aeroplane – as well as being marked as a significant and important city during the bombing of towns in the Blitz, September 1940-May 1941.

My ‘80th Anniversary of VJ Day Walk – Southampton in WWII’ on Friday 15 August 2025 will explore Southampton’s wartime story – from her critical role as a military port, and the part played in the D-Day landings 6 June 1944, to the creation of the Spitfire ‘shadow factories’ and the building of corvettes and destroyers on the banks of the Itchen.

The walk will also feature what life was like for the people of Southampton with husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, daughters, sisters leaving for the services; the impact of the arrival of the Americans, and who in 1943 took over control of the city’s port, as the US Army 14th. Major Port; coping with rationing, the evacuation of children, and living through the air raids, with the walk including visits to medieval vaults turned air-raid shelter.

More than 3.5m servicemen and women left through Southampton for the various theatres of war between 1939 and 1945. And throughout the war, ships sailed into Southampton – carrying wounded allied soldiers and German prisoners of war.

Ships also returned allied prisoners of war after the end of the war, and my 90-minute walk will finish at Town Quay Park by the FEPOW (Far East Prisoners of War) plaque, commemorating the 28 ships arriving into Southampton, October-December 1945, and bringing 22,000 prisoners of war of the Japanese in the Far East.

The event will finish with an address given by Roger Townsend, Hon. Director fepow75.org.uk.

Walk details:

The walk will start at 11am on Friday 15 August 2025, at the West Gate, Western Esplanade, SO14 2AZ, and finish at 12.30pm in Town Quay Park.

Tickets are £10, and can be purchased online through Eventbrite.

And if you’d like more information, please do get in touch.  

‘A Weekend to Pack’ at Bishopstoke

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone at my A Weekend to Pack talk at Bishopstoke Retirement Village last week.

It was especially poignant giving a talk about the book during the week when the UK was holding so many events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day – Victory in Europe, and marking the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945.

It was fascinating to hear the recollections of people remembering that day in 1945, and the feelings of relief at knowing the war in Europe was over, mixed with the continued concern for the situation in the Far East, the war continuing there until August 1945.

They all had different stories to tell – and Hilda, David and Edward’s story is of being on their way home to the UK, on board the Stirling Castle and docked in Bermuda on that day in 1945.

And I love hearing the personal stories of those in the audiences at my book talks – from the gentleman who was a child living in Portsmouth during the Blitz, to the couple whose father and father-in-law had been a fire watcher in Southampton, and that of the lovely lady last week who’d been born in Hong Kong!

Whether I’m talking to local-based groups, interest groups, Women’s Institute branches, or historical organisations, it’s wonderful to hear those individual stories, as well as to have the feedback and comments on the story of George, Hilda, David and Edward – and as Admiral Sir George Zambellas GCB DSC DL, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff 2013-2016, writes, of “An evocative human story of a family caught up in an almost unknown dimension of the Second World War.”

Join me for some of my public City Walks in 2025

With spring very definitely here now, I thought it a good time to publish the dates of my spring and summer 2025 public city walks. If you’re interested in doing a walking tour of Southampton, Winchester or Salisbury – or of all three! – I’d love to see you.

Southampton

People on Southampton tours are always amazed at the breadth of history to be found when exploring the city, and which has more medieval walls still standing than any other city in the country. Medieval wine vaults, the stories of famous ships such as the Mayflower and the Titanic, the city’s years as an elegant spa town, the vital part played in the Second World War … There is so much to see in Southampton!

90-minute tours start from beside the lions at the Bargate, High Street, SO14 2DJ. Tickets are £10 and can be purchased online through See Southampton, or with cash or credit card on the day.

Winchester

With King Alfred having made Winchester his capital city in the 9th Century, the Cathedral dating back to the 11th Century, the 14th Century college, and the stories of palaces and castles, battles and scandals and literary celebrities, Winchester has so much history to explore, that we offer two tours – an Upper Tour (UT) of the city winding past the Cathedral and finishing at the Great Hall, and the Lower Tour (LT) taking in the river and finishing at the Cathedral.

90-minute tours start from the Visitor Information Centre, Guildhall, High Street, SO23 9GH. Tickets are £12 and can be purchased through Winchester Tourist Guides or in-person at the Visitor Information Centre.

Salisbury

Founded in 1220, Salisbury’s history is bound up with the story of the founding of the Cathedral, famous for its spire as the tallest in the country at 404ft, 123m high, as well as home to one of the four remaining copies of the original Magna Carta of 1215. There’s a wonderful mix of beautiful architecture in the Cathedral Close, along with a fascinating history of the city itself to discover, as we walk along roads, many laid out back in medieval times.  

90-minute tours start from the Salisbury Information Centre, Fish Row, SP1 1EJ. Tickets are £12 and be purchased online through Eventbrite and in-person at the Information Centre.  

Southampton
1.30pm Sunday 13 April
10.30 Sunday 4 May
10.30 Sunday 25 May
1.30 Saturday 7 June
10.30 Saturday 5 July
10.30 Saturday 19 July
1.30 Sunday 10 August
1.30 Saturday 23 August
1.30 Sunday 31 August

Winchester
11am UT Tuesday 8 April
2pm LT Thursday 24 April
2pm LT Wed. 7 May
11am UT Tuesday 20 May
11am UT Friday 23 May
2pm LT Saturday 24 May
11am UT Monday 2 June
11am UT Sat. 28 June
11am UT Sunday 6 July
2pm LT Sunday 3 August
11am UT Wed. 20 August

Salisbury
11am Tuesday 15 April
11am Friday 9 May
11am Saturday 31 May
11am Monday 16 June
11am Tuesday 15 July
11am Wed. 13 August

And also, still to come …

23 May (6-8pm), 8 June (11am-1pm), 20 June (6-8pm): Jane Austen in Georgian Southampton. Tickets are £10 and can be purchased online through See Southampton, or with cash or credit card on the day.

Jane Austen in Georgian Southampton Walking Tour

Many people are surprised to learn that Southampton was once an elegant and chic spa town, and that one of the city’s most famous residents during that time, was our famous novelist Jane Austen.


And with 2025 the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth in 1775, a guiding colleague, Christine, and I have put together a walking tour of Southampton, visiting the places Jane knew well, and exploring what life was like in Georgian Southampton.

With mineral springs discovered in 1740 and Frederick Prince of Wales, son of King George II, giving Southampton the royal seal of approval following a visit in 1750, visitors began to flock to Southampton – with elegant hotels and coffee shops built in the High Street, London shops opening Southampton branches, and streets and crescents of tall, gracious town houses constructed for the ever-growing population.

Some of those fashionable, elegant Georgian buildings were destroyed during the 1939-1945 Second World War, but there’s still plenty to see along with many of the landmarks so familiar to Jane.

Our two-hour walking tours start at 11am at the Westgate, Westgate Street,
SO14 2AY, with tickets £10 (accompanied children under 16 free) and take place on:

Sunday 9 March
Sunday 6 April
Sunday 4 May
Sunday 8 June

If you’ve any question, please just ask away – and we hope to see you at one of our Sunday morning walks.

Jane Austen in 2025 – and her 250th Birthday

Our celebrated novelist Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 in a little village called Steventon, a few miles south of Hampshire’s Basingstoke – and I’m very excited to be doing tours of the nearby market town of Overton, where Jane shopped and the town she knew so well due to her brother, James, serving as curate at Overton’s St Mary’s Church.

Jane was the seventh of eight children, with six brothers and the sister to whom she was so very close, Cassandra. And her childhood was spent, according to her niece Anna, with “all the fun and nonsense of a large and clever family”.

She lived in Steventon until 1801 and a keen walker, would often stroll across the couple of miles to nearby Overton. With her own village too small to own a shop, Overton was where Jane made her purchases.

“The Overton Scotchman has been kind enough to rid me of some of my money, in exchange for six shifts and four pairs of stockings,” she writes to Cassandra in 1798.

And a prolific letter-writer, it was to the Overton Post Office Jane would come to post her letters.

Today, Overton is a beautiful English village, the streets and country lanes lined with many of the shops and houses Jane would have known and walked past on her many visits to the then bustling and busy market town, with its sheep fairs and a major stopping point for the horse and carriages making their way up and down between London and the West Country.

On my tour, offered through Experience Hampshire, we will be Treading in the footsteps of Jane Austen, walking along those streets and lanes, visiting St Mary’s Church, and hearing about the stories of the many relations and friends for whom Overton was also a special place.

If you, too, would like to ‘tread in the footsteps’ of the novelist particularly well known for her books, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, and take a step back in time to see the background of Jane’s early life and find out what life was like in the 18th century – then I’d love to see you on one of my tours.

Historic Southampton and Christmas Past

I’m looking forward to doing my Southampton and Christmas Past tours at 1.30pm on Saturday 7 December and Sunday 15 December 2024.

These are public tours, and so if you want to join me, simply book online – details below – or pay on the day. We meet beside the lions on the north side of the Bargate.

We’ll be exploring Southampton’s historic past – from the Romans, through to the Saxons, Normans, medieval times, and on through our surprising elegant Georgian period, and into the 20th Century and the Second World War which had such a devastating effect on our city.

We’ll be visiting some of the amazing old buildings – such as medieval wine vaults – and structures, including the city wall. Did you know that Southampton has more medieval city wall still standing than any other city?

And we’ll be hearing about some of the famous stories and people connected to Southampton – along with tales of how Southampton has celebrated Christmas since the Romans were here.

Tickets are £8.30 through Eventbrite, for Saturday 7 December and Sunday 15 December – simply click on the links below – or £7 on the day if spaces are available.

People are always astounded by just how much history Southampton can boast – so do come along and find out for yourselves! I’m looking forward to seeing you and sharing the stories of Southampton’s Christmases past. 

Book for the tour on Saturday 7 December 2024

Book for the tour on Sunday 15 December 2024

What an amazing summer!

With snow on the ground, I’ve been looking back at photos from the summer – my first tour-guiding summer and it’s been absolutely fantastic.

St Michael’s Church, Southampton on a beautiful sunny day – and a stop on all my Southampton tours. I’m loving doing the evening medieval vaults and hidden Southampton tours, and the weekend vaults, walls and gateway tours, as well as themed walks, such as WWII and Regency Georgian Southampton.

I’m so enjoying guiding in Salisbury and Winchester, too – doing daily and weekend general tours as well as private engagements, taking in the amazing history of the cities and the magnificent cathedrals.

It’s been great to take people to Stonehenge and the New Forest, and to do tours in Windsor and Eton, Dorchester and to Corfe Castle and Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset, along with guiding in the city and various venues in Portsmouth – such as the Spinnaker Tower and Historic Dockyard.

And tours are carrying on, with people as enthusiastic to visit in the winter months as in the summer, and to see all these wonderful places in Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire – albeit wrapped up warmly in coat, hat and gloves!

Get in touch if you’d like more information about my general tours or to discuss arranging a private tour.