Upper Parsonage Farm

Rural rambles or rides are a must, of course. If you’re not sure where to aim for, perhaps pick either the Butser Hill National Nature Reserve (five minutes’ drive) or Queen Elizabeth Country Park (15 minutes), or set forth on the car-free Meon Valley Trail from Clanfield. Upper Parsonage Farm may have been in the family for well over a century, but it’s a youngling compared to Butser Ancient Farm (10 minutes), where the archaeological displays go all the way back to the Stone Age, and the activities include ancient skills such as foraging, cooking over fire and building rafts. Once satisfied that you could survive in days of yore, take in some of the history of intervening centuries with trips to Winchester’s medieval centre (20 minutes), the historic dockyard in Portsmouth (20 minutes) or Jane Austen's House Museum (25 minutes), where the famed novelist penned some of her best-loved books.