View of the countryside from Beacon Hill

Weekend getaway

With a rich history and in an excellent location, Basingstoke and Deane offers the perfect blend of a vibrant town and scenic countryside. The town offers a great shopping experience with plenty to explore and is surrounded by characterful rural villages like Whitchurch, Kingsclere, Overton and Oakley, each with their own story to tell. Basingstoke and Deane can be found with convenient transport links in the north of Hampshire in the south east of England. We have pulled together the complete guide to spending a short break enjoying some of the best that Basingstoke and Deane has to offer.

Highclere Castle

The Carnarvon family home and best known as television’s Downton Abbey Highclere Castle is nestled in the North Hampshire countryside. Highclere offers different tours throughout the year, which reflect the seasons, the history and of course Downton Abbey.

Find out more about Highclere Castle →

Beacon Hill

Bombay Sapphire Distillery

Uncover the secrets of Bombay Sapphire gin on the site of a former paper mill in Whitchurch. Behind the doors of the historic distillery at Laverstoke Mill in rural Hampshire, you can unveil the care, skill and artistry behind every drop of Bombay Sapphire.

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Whitchurch Silk Mill

Whitchurch Silk Mill is the UK’s oldest working silk mill and a gem of industrial heritage located on the River Test in quintessential rural Hampshire. For more than 200 years, the mill has been drawing power from the gin-clear waters of the river via its waterwheel and is still weaving beautiful silk using 19th-century machinery.

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A red three storey brick building with white windows. It has a triangular pitch in the middle of the roof and a tower. To the right of the image is the river.

Credit Whitchurch Silk Mill

The Vyne

Explore a former Tudor powerhouse turned 17th Century family home, set in gardens, woodlands and wetlands. Historic gems include a pre-Reformation chapel, Tudor oak gallery with 16th Century wood carvings and neo-classical staircase hall.

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View of the north front across the lake in early morning light at the Vyne, Hampshire. The Vyne is a warm red-bricked Tudor mansion built in the 16th century for Lord Sandys, Henry VIII's Lord Chamberlain, which later passed into the hands of the Chute family, who cared for the house and estate for over 300 years. It was remodelled to its present configuration in the mid-17th century.

The Vyne, ©National Trust Images/John Miller

Hidden Britain Tours

Discover the cradle of Jane Austen’s genius exploring the picturesque villages that Jane Austen knew so well as her birthplace and her father’s church at Steventon. Hidden Britain Tours will guide you through the country houses where she fell in and out of love, trace the people she mentions in her letters and where she danced at social events.

Find out more about Hidden Britain Tours →

Combine your visits to these attractions with the beautiful countryside. Follow in the footsteps of Whitchurch resident and author Richard Adams as you explore the stunning North Hampshire landscape that author Richard Adams so loved to wander and where he told his tale of the rabbits of Watership Down. Or take a gentle walk along part of the Test Valley with the Whitchurch Mill Trail. The trail is an attractive circular walk of up to seven miles taking in crystal clear waters, grazing livestock and surviving watermills. Trail leaflets can be collected from Whitchurch Silk Mill or can be downloaded.

Download the Whitchurch Mill Trail map →

Where to stay

Basingstoke and Deane is lucky to be blessed with a number of B&Bs, cottages and rural retreats to enjoy during your stay.

Did you know you can stay on the grounds of Highclere Castle? The Grotto Lodge and London Lodge are one of the best locations for country walks. The Grotto Lodge has two double bedrooms, while the London Lodge houses one double bedroom. Both lodges provide the most outstanding views across North Hampshire.
Silchester Farm’s rural retreat is a real treat! The newly refurbished barns offer a home from home for up to 14 guests, providing a perfect base from which to explore the beautiful Hampshire scenery and local attractions with family and friends.
Cedar Tree may be small but it has everything you could wish for a holiday for two. Set in the grounds of Peak House Farm, this delightful shepherd’s hut looks onto the North Wessex Downs and is only two miles away from the pretty country town of Whitchurch. If the shepherd’s hut isn’t to your taste Peak House Farm also offers a bed and breakfast serving up a traditional farmhouse breakfast.
The Watership Down Inn nestles at the foot of the North Wessex Downs, overlooking the head waters of the Test Valley. The renowned Watership Down lies to the north of the B&B.
Oakley Hall is a country house hotel in the heart of the Hampshire countryside and covers all of life’s little luxuries. Their collection of 50 bedrooms includes two four poster suites, six executive bedrooms and a three-bedroom Garden Cottage. All of which offer stunning views of the 315 acres of grounds.

Getting here and accessability

Basingstoke benefits from a central location, just 50 minutes from London and 60 minutes from the south coast by car. We are well positioned along the M3 with transport links to the M4 and M25 and in close proximity to Reading, Newbury and Winchester. Basingstoke may be best known for its number of roundabouts, but rest assured the town and surrounding areas are well-served by public transport and accessible by bicycle and on foot.

Follow the A34 off the M4 heading south and you'll pass by Burghclere and down towards Whitchurch. You can join this road from the A303 and head north to enjoy these areas.

If you are travelling by train you'll find stations in Basingstoke town centre, Overton and Whitchurch.