Luxury holidays in Hampshire

When to go

Hampshire is handsome year-round, but rural walks and roof-down drives are particularly pleasant in the summer. Avoid Bank Holiday weekends to dodge the crowds (and country-lane queues).

Getting there

• Planes

  London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports are both within a two-hour drive of the county, but the domestic airports in Bournemouth and Southampton are better placed if you’re hitting the coast or the New Forest.

• Boats

  Make the most of Portsmouth’s maritime credentials and arrive by sea: hop on one of the regular car ferries from the Isle of Wight, cross the Channel from Caen in Normandy or the Channel Islands, or set sail from Bilbao or Santander.

• Trains

  Southern and South Western Railway lines link Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester with London Waterloo, and CrossCountry Rail run services from Southampton to Manchester and Newcastle. Short distances from town to town mean touring Hampshire by train is an easy and eco-friendly option.

• Automobiles

  The M3 snakes from south-west London to Southampton via Basingstoke and Winchester. Once you arrive, Hampshire’s tree-lined lanes and forest roads make for rural-road-trip perfection.