From Jane Austen’s house to a gastropub dinner and cider tasting – a Hampshire gem that history fans & foodies will love

History fans and foodies will love this Hampshire gem, says Beauty Writer Mia Lyndon.

My eyes shoot up to Winchester’s Westgate, which towers over me, complete with gargoyles, gunports and holes for lobbing weapons at enemy heads.

Guide Nichola points out: “Above your head are five murder holes.”

Fortunately, we’re more than 600 years too late to the battle.

My boyfriend Jamie and I are on a 90-minute walking tour, where we’ve strolled down the UK’s oldest high street, wandered past performers on unicycles and spied trouts in the Itchen River.

Tours cost £12 a person (Winchestertouristguides.com).

BOUTIQUE FINDS

Leaving our guide behind, we meander through the cobbled backstreets, before stumbling across local boutique The Hambledon (Thehambledon.com).

Inside are cosy knits, matchbox toys and the remains of William the Conqueror’s Palace – in the basement!

A stone’s throw away is P&G Wells, a 296-year-old bookshop with reams of vintage novels that make us feel like we’ve stepped into a shop on Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley (Pgwells.co.uk).

Exploring local history proves thirsty work, so it’s lucky we’re staying in a pub.

We hunker down in The Wykeham Arms, sipping pints of hoppy Frontier craft lager, £6.60, among the beer tankards, walking sticks and map etchings that adorn the walls.

Our attic room comes complete with a fireplace and a freestanding bath, perfect for winding down while the tinkling sound of church bells drift through the­ window.

SIEGE THE DAY

After a hearty breakfast of shakshuka, we wander around Winchester Cathedral’s gothic aisles.

Chests of Saxon bones once used as weapons during Oliver Cromwell’s 1645 siege loom over our heads. Entry costs from £12 per person (Winchester-cathedral.org.uk).

Jane Austen’s tomb is also here – she lived and died in Winchester – and a 30-minute taxi takes us to the home in Chawton, where she worked on her novels, including Pride And Prejudice.

Here, we admire her writing desk and ponder over her handwritten letters. Entry costs from £10 a person (Janeaustens.house).

Back in the city, snug gastropub The Old Vine makes the perfect setting for an intimate dinner.

We sip on Crémant de Loire, £35 a bottle, while tucking into scallops with sizzling chorizo, £9.50, and tender pan-fried lamb rump, £20.50, followed by tangy lemon curd and vanilla cheesecake, £7.50, which is so delicious Jamie announces it’s his favourite part of our trip (Oldvinewinchester.com).

WATER SIGHT

We wake up early the next day to stroll along the leafy South Downs Way to Winchester City Mill – a 1,000-year-old working water mill – and climb down to its churning wheel to hunt for the otters often spotted here.

They prove elusive, but entry is free (Nationaltrust.org.uk).

Pizzeria The Stable is a short walk away and its Guac-a-Doodle-Do, £14.95, is loaded with moreish chipotle chicken and guacamole, while a cider tasting board of five British tipples, £12, also goes down a treat.

Snails Bank Very Perry, a mellow lightly spiced pear cider, wins our vote (Stablepizza.com).

As we wander back to the train station, a couple stops us to ask for directions, which we deliver effortlessly. “Local?” they ask. “We wish,” I respond.