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Few places in England give you free beer but in Winchester, they do. The Brethren of St Cross still hand out the Wayfarers’ dole of a beaker of beer and a morsel of bread. ‘Ask and you will receive,’ the tradition is worth preserving.

In the lush Hampshire countryside bordering the South Downs, Winchester thrives on traditions, punctuated by the rushing waters of the River Itchen and the chiming of the Cathedral bells. Not so long ago, the city celebrated the 450th anniversary of the royal wedding which united Mary Tudor and Philip II of Spain in the Cathedral.

With its peaceful close haunted by tour groups and students gathering under the lime trees, the 900 year old Cathedral is no stranger to VIPs. Early kings were buried here and the tombs of powerful bishops mingle with those of Izaac Walton and Jane Austen. Having withstood the turbulent years of the Reformation and Civil War, the Cathedral claims Europe’s longest medieval nave, a breathtaking altar screen and among other treasures, a 12th century Bible decorated with gold leaf and lapis lazuli. Walk down the lofty aisles and when Evensong begins, you may think you’re listening to angels.

Children love it in the Cathedral. There are nine trails designed for them, top of the list the ‘woodworm trail’, then they might follow a guide to the top of the tower, try gargoyle modelling or gravestone rubbing or listen to tales of Walker the Diver who worked under water for over five years to save the Cathedral from subsidence.

Meanwhile, in the Retrochoir hung with Byzantine icons and flickering candles, visitors gaze at the shrine which held the relics of St Swithun. They were placed there against his dying wish, during a mighty downpour, and so the legend was born. ‘If it rains on St Swithun’s day…’

But with myriad attractions, many indoors and free of charge, Winchester doesn’t mind a little rain. The city has six Military Museums and its own City Museum which takes you from Prehistoric and Roman times to the present day. You can see reconstructed Victorian and Edwardian shops and examples of free flowing Winchester art predating William the Conqueror.

Down by St Swithun’s bridge, an old mill was donated to the city by Queen Mary as a token of appreciation for hosting her lavish wedding. With its working waterwheel and thundering race, its tiny island garden and occasional milling demonstrations, the later version is a modest National Trust property but a favourite for families.

Climb up the Westgate Tower to glance at the prisoners’ graffiti and enjoy a bird’s eye view of the High street, join a tour of Winchester College, a mix of medieval and Victorian buildings, clipped lawns and chapels oozing nostalgia, then follow the crowds to the Great Hall where King Arthur’s Round Table has hung high on the wall for over 600 years. It’s only a fake, with Arthur in Tudor dress closely resembling Henry VIII, but no one seems to mind. Ruins apart, the Great Hall is all that remains of the castle, empty but for the legendary Table, a Jubilee bronze of Queen Victoria and ornate steel gates commemorating Charles and Diana’s wedding.

Winchester cherishes its history but cheerfully moves with the times. Wander around and you soon come across modern sculptures sprinkled unexpectedly among ancient buildings. Don’t miss the naked horse rider sheltering under a tree, on the corner of Trafalgar Street, the mysterious man by the name of Sound II standing in the crypt or in the Cathedral Close, the ‘Luminous Motion’ column where you can change the colour of the lights by texting a message. On the edge of town, Intech is a fun-filled venue where parents and children discover the world of science through a host of interactive exhibits.

St Swithun must approve for the sun has come out, bathing the streets in golden light. Here everything is within walking distance and under the watchful eye of King Alfred. His statue greets you on the Broadway, as soon as you arrive, a massive bronze sculpture on granite blocks, complete with shield and raised sword. The great Saxon king who defeated the Danes made Winchester his capital and is remembered for his love of justice and the arts. No doubt he is puzzled by the city at his feet, its medieval and Georgian buildings standing side by side along the ancient Saxon plan but he’s sure to admire the lovely half-timbered Got Begot House, the Old Chesil Rectory and the quaint Cheyney Court, one of the most photographed spots in town. Nearby is the house where Jane Austen died, aged 41, and Kingsgate with the humble church of St Swithun sitting above the archways. The 15th century City Cross is almost hidden out of sight but topped by flamboyant Gothic turrets, the grand Victorian Guildhall is all set to compete with King Alfred.

The commercial heart of town is the Brooks Shopping Centre, carefully tucked behind the High Street while trendy boutiques line the back lanes, among antique and flower markets and jewellery shops where you might watch the goldsmiths at work. On the last Sunday of the month, Winchester holds the largest farmers’ market in the country, a great place to discover all sorts of fresh produce to enjoy in your cottage or perhaps on a night out in a friendly flower-filled pub down by the river. Try the Hampshire sausages, spicy pumpkin soup and mushroom dishes or wild trout served with generous helpings of locally-grown watercress. Wash it down with wine from Wickham vineyard or a pint of the award-winning Flower Pots ale from Cheriton. The Food Festival is just one of a string of events which brighten up life in and around Winchester.

Even watercress has its own festival but if you miss it, you can always take a trip on the Watercress Line, a Heritage Railway with special children’s events, a ‘Watercress Belle’ for luxury dining and even a ‘Real Ale Train’, or you could drive, cycle or walk on a Watercress Tour which takes in some of the prettiest villages in the Itchen and Meon Valleys. Cricket lovers stop in Hambledon, ‘cradle of the game’, while Jane Austen’s fans head for her house in the pastoral setting of Chawton.

But just a few miles away, Winchester has its own bucolic charm. A dedicated trail rambles through parks and gardens planted with weeping willows, lilac and roses or strewn with wild flowers. Among them are the formal Abbey Gardens and their neo-classical temple built over the stream and the fragrant Dean Garnier Garden overlooking the Cathedral and designed to reflect its architecture. In the shadow of the Great Hall, the medieval garden of the two Queens Eleanor is a small haven of peace huddled around a gurgling fountain and the red and white roses of Lancaster and York.

For nature lovers, the town is delightful, here the great tumbling wisteria of Priory Gate, there a cool trellis in College Street Gardens, the ornamental shrubs of Water Close or the wide open spaces on top of St Giles’ Hill. This is a place to picnic on the grass, watch children fly their kites and marvel at the view as the sun sets over the city, the glinting Cathedral, King Alfred and the jumble of roofs nestling jewel-like in a crescent of hills. There are rambling steps and quiet paths meandering through the trees and now and then pale blue butterflies hovering in the dappled light. .

‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.’

Who doesn’t remember the Ode to Autumn? Keats was just 23 when he came to Winchester but his daily walks along the river inspired one of his finest poems.

Today visitors and locals alike love to follow in his footsteps along Weirs Walk and the idyllic Water Meadows. They glance at the last remains of the Roman wall, the medieval wall and the ruins of Wolvesey castle, the old bishops’ residence where Philip and Mary shared their wedding breakfast on 25th July 1554. There are swans and ducks nesting in the reeds, moorhens and coots, sheep, cattle and great views of St Catherine’s Hill with its clump of trees marking the site of an Iron Age fort.

A mile or so from town, you reach St Cross Hospital where in the almshouses time seems to stand still. It’s the oldest charitable institution in the country, founded in 1132 by bishop Henry de Blois, grandson of William the Conqueror, as a shelter for ’13 poor feeble men’. Elderly brothers still live here, tending roses, meditating in the walled garden where squirrels chase each other in the trees and the church mirrors itself in a lily pond.

Here the air is well ‘worth sixpence a pint’, as Keats so rightly said, but the ale is free, one cool beaker to quench your thirst before you return to the City of Kings.

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