Days out with a difference
From cocktails to kitesurfing, Hampshire is serving up something for everyone to enjoy in 2020, with an array of events and activities taking place across the local area.
We’ve picked a few of our highlights from a packed events calendar which offer a day out with a difference during your stay at Woodlands Retreat B&B…
Full steam ahead
Hampshire’s Watercress Line is set to play host to the record-breaking Flying Scotsman - the most famous steam locomotive in the world - for the first time in February 2020.
Advance tickets will be available for visitors to travel in style on this iconic locomotive through the glorious Hampshire countryside along the ten-mile route from Alresford to Alton station, and then return.
The Flying Scotsman will be tackling the 1 in 60 'over the Alps' climb to the summit at Medstead and Four Marks, in each direction.
In the mix
Now into its fifth year, Winchester Cocktail Week (Monday 8 – Sunday 14 June 2020) offers the opportunity to explore this historic city while sampling an array of delicious cocktails.
A whole host of Winchester’s cafes, bars, restaurants and shops will be getting involved by offering discounted signature cocktails and hosting special events and parties.
This popular event provides a perfect chance to discover more about the city’s venues and culture… and perhaps even find a new favourite tipple!
Surf’s up
The Kitesurfing Armada Festival on Hayling Island (19-21 June 2020) is the biggest kitesurfing and live music event in Europe, bringing together visitors and the kitesurfing community for an action-packed weekend of kiting, live music, fundraising and entertainment.
There’s something for everyone, with the chance to kitesurf at one of the best spots in the UK, enjoy three days of live music and relax in the festival area with great food, bars and entertainment.
This free-to-attend festival has been voted Best UK Kitesurfing Event for three years in a row, and has raised more than £200,000 for charity.
Creative influence
Winchester Hat Fair (Friday 3 – Sunday 5 July) is the UK's longest continually running Outdoor Arts festival in the UK, taking place every year during the first weekend of July across this historic city.
Initially conceived as a busking festival, Hat Fair takes its name from the tradition of the audience showing their appreciation by putting money in the hat at the end of the show.
Free to attend, the 2020 event will feature two jam-packed dates of arts and culture all around Winchester city centre. The festival concludes on the Sunday with an all-day family picnic at North Walls Recreation Ground, with some of the world’s most spectacular street performers.
Over and out
The Ageas Bowl welcomes some of the world’s best cricketers as part of a brand new competition in Summer 2020: The Hundred.
The family friendly competition will run throughout the summer holidays from 17 July-15 August 2020.
England stars Jofra Archer and Danni Wyatt are among those representing the Southern Brave, and visiting teams to The Ageas Bowl will include the Manchester Orginals, Oval Invincibles, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire.
As the competition hots up, the teams will compete in a home-based double header, with Trent Rockets travelling to the Ageas Bowl on Tuesday 4 August 2020, to take on the men’s and women’s teams back-to-back.
Southern Brave will have their sights set on the 14 and 15 August 2020, when the women’s and men’s finals days will be taking place respectively.