Out & About December 2017

HOTEL & RESTAURANT

To book call 01264 736 444 www.esseborne-manor.co.uk Monday 18th December Royal Christmas by Siobhan Clarke Ladies Lunch Club Every last Monday of the month Esseborne hosts a Ladies Club where guests are entertained by interesting speakers after lunch. There is a set 4-course menu with a glass of wine, coffee and petite fours. £28 PER PERSON

What’s on Find out what’s happening in West Berkshire and the surrounding area this month, with concerts, theatre, fetes, lectures, exhibitions and markets to choose from. You can find more detailed listings every Thursday in the Newbury Weekly News or online at www.newburytoday.co.uk Top winter walks and glorious views in Hampshire

From Boxing Day 2017 to February 2018 A winter walk after Christmas provides the perfect antidote to all that time spent indoors over the festive holiday season. To help, the National Trust has revealed its top walks and winter views, chosen by their rangers in Hampshire to blow away the festive cobwebs.

For a winter challenge, set out on an adventure with The Vyne’s free geocaching trail using the OpenCaching app on your smart phone. If you’re up to another 70-odd steps when you return, take the route up to The Vyne’s exhilarating rooftop walkway. It’s only open until the end of January 2018 and you’ll be rewarded with huge views across the roof as it’s being repaired, and over the wider estate. There’s a lift option if you don’t fancy the stairs. The tea-room, shop and house (ground floor only) are open every day except December 24 and 25. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vyne or call 01256 883858

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Hinton Ampner Guided and downloadable walks Hinton Ampner is a great place to shake off the post- Christmas ‘fuzz’. The ancient parkland and beech woodland are easy to navigate using four downloadable trails, or you can collect one when you arrive. Or join a guided walk where Hinton Ampner’s head gardener will take you on a four-mile stroll, with hot drinks plus biscuits for all walkers. Dogs very welcome. Guided walks: December 27 and January 1, 1pm–3pm, £10 per person, book on 0344 249 1895 The tea-room, shop and wider estate are open every day except December 24 and 25. House closed. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hinton-amper or call 01962 771305 The Vyne, nr Basingstoke Wildlife- and

Stockbridge Down Walking through history to huge views

You’ll be buffeted by winter winds as you make your way up Stockbridge Down, but it’s worth it. The downloadable walk takes you over ancient Bronze Age burial mounds to 3,000 year old Woolbury Ring fort and ramparts at the very top of the hill. From there, you can take in vast expanses of the Hampshire countryside, and Wiltshire’s famous Salisbury Plain. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont/features/stockbridge- down or call 01794 340757 This former 13th-century priory sits in 1,600 acres of garden, woods and meadows. Choose from several downloadable walks, including the six-mile estate walk. Download the walk at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont. Garden, shop, café, house and grounds: open every day except December 24 and 25. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont or call 01794 340757 For further details on the National Trust’s winter walks, events and activities visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hampshire. Mottisfont, nr Romsey Historic estate walks

history-rich trails Cross The Vyne’s expanse of north lawn, away from the mansion, and you’ll come across a footpath leading to a dramatic winter landscape. The Vyne’s estate is criss-crossed with waymarked routes and

The twenty decorated trees can be viewed until Twelfth Night (6th January) on Mondays and Wednesdays between 10.00am and 11.45am All donations to the West Berkshire Hospital Rosemary Appeal

there is also an easy downloadable woodland walk, which is a very pretty experience in winter. Taking in archaeological remnants from The Vyne’s medieval and Second World War past, you’ll also discover newly restored historic views across the lake to the mansion.

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