The county of Hampshire is on the south coast of England known for its rolling hills and its world famous New Forest National Park. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, West Sussex to the east, the English Channel and the Solent to the south, Dorset to the west, and Wiltshire to the north-west. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, which was once the capital city of England, and a city steeped in history having developed from the Roman town of Venta Belgarum.
Tourists flock to Hampshire each year for its beautiful countryside, picturesque market towns and its vicinity to the coast. In addition to its historic buildings including Winchester Cathedral, Milestones living history museum and the real Downton Abbey, Hampshire offers quaint villages tucked away in the New Forest with wild ponies and donkeys ambling around, yachting towns from which you can peruse the passing pleasure cruises, and endless possibilities for cycling, horse riding, walking and fishing. Annual events, meanwhile, range from the Farnborough International Airshow to Cowes Week and Southampton Boat Show.
For those keen on military history, Hampshire is also home to the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force and north Hampshire is the place to head to visit the Aldershot Military Museum and attend the annual Aldershot Garrison Show.
Food lovers are in for a treat in Hampshire, a county where some fantastic food and drink is grown and produced. Hampshire is particularly well known for watercress, trout, wine and beer, all of which are celebrated in various food events and farmers' markets throughout the year. Alresford hosts the annual Watercress Festival every May, while the Southsea Food Festival is a month-long celebration in June and July in the Portsmouth area, and the Hampshire Food Festival takes over in July. The rivers Test, Itchen, Avon and Meon are destination areas for the keen trout fisher, while Hambledon is home to the oldest English commercial vineyard, covers 20 hectares on the slopes of Windmill Down, and has been producing wine since 1952.
Hampshire also boasts a great choice of restaurants, pubs, cafés, coffee shops and tea houses in which to enjoy the fruits of the land, both in its larger cities and its market towns as well as its small villages. Many specialise in sourcing local food and drink and producing dishes that vary with the seasons. The county is also proud of its weekly farmers' markets, which take place up and down the county at key towns that have a link with the local farms, and offer everything from meat, game and vegetables to cheese, dairy, bread, cakes and plants.
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