Explore Basingstoke and Deane this summer

Long days, warm evenings and countryside in full colour make summer the perfect time to explore Basingstoke and Deane. Whether you’re planning a family day out, a peaceful walk, a foodie treats or a new experience, you’ll find plenty to enjoy across the borough.

You can jump straight to the parts that interest you most, from active days out, heritage highlights and rural experiences, to scenic summer trails and perfect picnic spots. You can also head to food and drink to find great places to eat, drink and enjoy time outdoors.

Activities and experiences

Active days out

Summer invites you to get moving, try something new and pack your days with adventure. These spots are all about fun in the sunshine.

4 Kingdoms Adventure Farm Park

4Kingdoms Adventure Park

Enjoy a full day of summer fun with a popup beach, giant pool, waterslides, foam parties and a lazy river. The park also has 21 play zones, an animal barn, jeeps, laser tag and dinosaurs. It is ideal for families who want to make the most of the sunshine.

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Two adults sit on three wheeled scooters with children in front of them.

Baboon Adventures

Explore the Kingsclere Estate on three wheeled electric scooters, with summer routes running from the beginning of February. While you’re there, why not try your hand at axe throwing too?

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An image from the air of the adventure golf. You can see people taking part and a number of different holes.

Knights Realm Adventure Golf

Embark on a voyage at the Knight’s Realm, an epic 18-hole crazy golf adventure perfect for the whole family. Set in the Basingstoke Leisure Park, this themed course is packed with playful challenges and plenty of medieval inspired fun.

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An outdoor adventure‑golf course set among trees, with winding artificial‑turf putting greens, wooden edging, and landscaped areas of bark and plants. A few people are walking and playing across the course, with numbered hole markers visible and sunlight filtering through the woodland setting.

David Mulholland

Woodland Garden Adventure Golf

At Sherfield-on-Loddon Garden Centre, this imaginative 18-hole course is set in a beautiful woodland landscape and winds around a gently flowing stream. With natural planting and decorations, the course changes with the time of year and summer is no exception, as the gardens look especially vibrant. With seating areas and the Greenhouse Café nearby, it’s a great choice for families, grandparents and groups.

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A golf course green with a yellow flag sits in the background under a bright blue sky, framed in the foreground by vibrant purple and pink flowers, including one prominent pink bloom. Trees line the edge of the course.

Bishopswood Golf Course

A course that gets plenty of sun, with shady spots under the trees and a terrace perfect for cooling off with a cold drink after your round.

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Activities and experiences

Heritage highlights

Soak up the sunshine with heritage days out that bring history to life. These places are made for summer exploring.

A three storey red building with a grey roof. In front is a lawn and the river.

Whitchurch Silk Mill, copyright: Joe Low

Whitchurch Silk Mill

Step inside a working 19th century mill powered by the River Test. Discover the historic creel, thought to be the only surviving example of its type still in use today, and learn how silk has been woven here for over 200 years. Afterwards, wander the riverside gardens, follow the nature trail, feed the ducks or enjoy a treat from the Riverside Café.

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The Vyne ©National Trust Images/John Miller

The Vyne

A former Tudor powerhouse set in gardens, woodlands and wetlands. Walk Lime Avenue to the 17th century summerhouse, explore the walled garden and orchard, or follow the lakeside path for views of the house. Summer brings swathes of wildflowers, colourful borders around the summerhouse, neat rows of produce in the walled garden, dahlias from August and a wildlife rich wild garden.

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A green space with walls and a building. In the middle you can see a planted garden carefully curated with shrubs and flowers.

The Walled Garden at Basing House, courtesy of Hampshire Cultural Trust

Basing House

Uncover the stories of the largest private house in Tudor England. Wander through the Great Barn, explore the extensive ruins, visit the walled garden and enjoy views across Basingstoke from the viewing platform. Only open during the summer months, Basing House comes to life with workshops and activity days throughout the season.

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Highclere Castle

Explore the real life setting of Downton Abbey. The castle and grounds offer a memorable backdrop for summer tours and gardens to roam. Highclere’s historic gardens include the Monk’s Garden, Secret Garden, White Border, Wood of Goodwill, Rose Arbour, Wild Flower Meadow and the Healing Herb Garden near the castle.

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A row of cylindrical stone information pillars lines a gravel path at Silchester Roman Town. Each pillar has an illustrated interpretation panel, with the nearest one titled “Welcome to Silchester Roman Town Calleva Atrebatum.” Leafless trees and open grassland surround the path, and a few visitors walk in the distance, exploring the historic site.

Silchester Roman city walls and amphitheatre

Take a warm weather wander around Silchester's impressive Roman city walls and amphitheatre, once part of the bustling town of Calleva Atrebatum. You can still walk the complete line of Roman walls, some of the best preserved in England, and explore the impressive remains fo the amphitheatre.

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Activities and experiences

Rural experiences

Bright days are ideal for countryside adventures. These places will help you make the most of summer and enjoy time outdoors.

Photo credit Bombay Sapphire Distillery

Bombay Sapphire Distillery

Set beside the River Test, the distillery’s iconic intertwining glasshouses make it a photographer’s dream. Discover the craft behind the gin, explore the botanical displays and enjoy the unique architecture of Laverstoke Mill.

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A grassed area with white flowers in the foreground. Behind you can see tables set out on the grass and some accommodation behind.

The view at Silchester Farm

Silchester Farm

Summer days are perfect for making the most of the outdoor spaces - from the Cow Shed terrace and garden seating to the Dutch Barn and lawns. Guests can enjoy alfresco dining from the outdoor kitchen, drinks in the sunshine and a real sense of escape in the countryside. The End of Summer Market is the perfect chance to enjoy Silchester Farm spaces, and support local suppliers.

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A rustic café-style room with a wooden table, dark wooden chairs, a woven rug, and a counter behind it fitted with multiple beverage taps, neatly arranged shelves of bottles, jars and pottery, and a ladder leaning against the tall shelving under warm pendant lights.

Dummer Down Farm

Dummer Down Farm and Brewery is a family-run micro-brewery set on a rural farm that has been hosting events of all kinds since 1997, from weddings and music festivals to theatre productions, cricket matches and country fairs. Open on Fridays and Saturdays throughout spring and summer, the taproom offers a relaxed atmosphere with a rotating lineup of local street food vendors and seasonal events.

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A photograph of strawberry plants growing in raised beds.

Bourne Valley Pick your own

Bourne Valley Pick Your Own

Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this is the place for juicy summer strawberries. With raised picking beds, a café, hay bales and a play area, it’s a great family outing.

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Images of bright yellow sunflowers laid on top of a hay bale. The background sunflower field is out of focus.

The Sunflower Pot

The Flower Plot – Sunflower Fields

Open for a short time in August, the fields burst into bright yellow. Pick your own sunflowers, enjoy fun photo props and take home five stems as a sunny souvenir.

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Walks, trails and parks

Scenic summer trails

Summer is made for exploring trails, discovering big views, quiet spots, and the stories woven into our landscapes. These routes offer some of the most rewarding ways to explore the borough.

Overton Jane Austen Trails

“…we will take long walks together every day....I know we shall be happy. I know the summer will pass happily away" – Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Make the most of the long summer days by walking or cycling from Overton to Jane Austen’s birthplace at Steventon, where she wrote early versions of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey. Follow the gentle Hampshire scenery she knew so well, passing homes of friends and family that shaped her early life. There are plenty of benches for a picnic or a rest, you can even dip your toes in the River Test at Flashetts as you leave Overton. You can also explore Overton in Jane Austen’s time, enjoying the dappled lanes, clear waters of the Test and the village that served as the nearest hub for the Austen family. Finish with a refreshing drink or bite to eat in one of Overton’s pubs, restaurants or cafés.

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Two people stand leaning against a wooden fence looking out at the greenery. They are surrounded by trees.

Crabtree Plantation

Basing Trail

A seven-mile circular heritage walk linking Basing House, Basingstoke Common, Crabtree Plantation, War Memorial Park and Eastrop Park. Shorter routes of two, three or four-and-half miles are available.

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A countryside scene featuring a historic wind engine on a small hill, surrounded by green trees and bushes. Yellow wildflowers fill the foreground under a bright blue sky.

Whitchurch trails

Experience patchwork fields, flinty trails and wide vistas, listen out for the skylarks hovering above the downs. The 4.7-mile Wayfarers and Crux Easton circular walk is perfect for a picnic and includes views of the Hampshire Stud, Beacon Hill and Ladle Hill, plus the Grade II listed Crux Easton wind engine, open on select dates from April to September. When the Highclere Estate path is open you can also visit Heaven's Gate. Enjoy sweeping views and rolling hills made famous by Richard Adams on the Watership Down Trail. Park at White Hill and take in one of the best picnic backdrops in the borough.

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A colourful illustrated map of the Chilton Manor Farm Poetry Trail mounted on a stone wall, showing fields, paths, trees and numbered poem locations across the farm.

The Yard Poetry Trail

Soak up the sunshine on the Poetry and Play Trail at The Yard, a family-friendly wander through the Candover countryside. Follow 30 poems by a diverse mix of writers as they lead you between fields, views and playful spots tucked into the landscape.

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Walks, trails and parks

Perfect picnic spots

Sunny days call for laying a blanket and enjoying the simple pleasure of a picnic. These spots are perfect for a summer pause.

Beacon Hill

Climb to the impressive hill fort for panoramic views over the North Wessex Downs. A brilliant spot for a breezy picnic.

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Image shows groups of people enjoying a park, boating lake and picnic areas on a sunny day.

Eastrop Park in Spring

Eastrop Park

A central family favourite with a boating lake, play areas and a paddling pool. Its town centre location makes it easy to pick up food and enjoy a relaxed lakeside picnic.

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War Memorial Park

Wide open lawns, sports pitches, a skatepark and an aviary make this a great all-rounder. Just a short walk from the town centre.

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The entrance to the Walled Garden

The Walled Garden

A peaceful, historic garden with yew hedges, gothic-style gates, a wildlife pond and beehives. A lovely spot for a picnic and dogs on leads are welcome.

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Beggarwood Park

Beggarwood Park Nature Reserve

Open meadows, linnet birds and colourful butterflies make this a lovely summer wildlife spot. A nearby café offers refreshments.

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Crabtree Plantation

A rustic woodland setting rich in wildlife. In summer, butterflies fill the meadows including the rare White Letter Hairstreak.

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Black Dam Pond

A wildlife rich setting with picnic tables, walking trails and free parking. Great for an afternoon outdoors.

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Food and drink

Country pubs and rural dining

Summer is a great time to relax in pub gardens and enjoy easygoing meals outdoors.

Whitchurch has several traditional pubs perfect for a sunny lunch, including the Watership Down Inn with its conservatory and terrace, and The White Hart in the town centre.

Oakley Hall offers laid-back lunches on the Garden Terrace, with seasonal menus that highlight local produce. Visitors can also explore the historic kitchen garden which dates back to 1860.

The Portsmouth Arms has a large beer garden, hearty pub classics and a wide choice of beers, making it a popular spot on warm days. The Hatch is another great choice, with a sunny garden and great value favourites.

The Holly Blue in Beggarwood has a wildflower-edged terrace, ideal for a meal or drink outside. Bartons Mill in Old Basing offers rustic dining inside and spacious riverside gardens outside, set beside the remains of its historic water wheel.

Restaurants

Warm weather makes eating out feel even more enjoyable, and many local restaurants offer patios and outdoor tables.

The Palm Brasserie serves modern British, European and Asian dishes, with a private patio that's perfect for bright summer days.

Basingstoke's Top of the Town has a range of independent restaurants with outdoor seating. Visitors can enjoy Italian dishes at Mono Pizza and Da Mariu, or try something different at Elai, which also offers tables outside.

Festival Place adds even more choice, with outdoor seating at Pizza Express, Wagamama, Cote Brasserie, El Bigote and Nando's.

Cafes and coffee spots

Sunny days pair well with a good coffee, and there are plenty of places to sit outside and enjoy something sweet.

The Street Bakeshop has outdoor seating at both its Old Basing and Lychpit locations, and is known for its artisan breads, pastries and cruffins.

The Greenhouse Cafe at Sherfield on Loddon Garden Centre is another relaxed choice, with outdoor seating and a varied menu.

Basingstoke's Top of the Town offers several cafes with outdoor tables, including Willows, Alchemy Bar and Lounge, Poppins and The Coffee Barn.

The Yard is a bright, welcoming cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. The café has its own Chilton Manor Farm Poetry Trail and play equipment, making it a fun day out for families and visitors.

Summer brings colour, sunshine and countless ways to enjoy Basingstoke and Deane. Explore attractions, hidden corners, great food, outdoor adventures and heritage highlights across the borough.