Spend a day in the Candover Valley

Beautiful countryside, seriously good coffee, local English sparkling wine and a village pub worth making the journey for. If you haven't explored the Candover Valley yet, here are a few very good reasons to change that.

One of the best things about living in Winchester is just how quickly the city disappears in the rear-view mirror. Head north-east through the Hampshire countryside and before long you'll find yourself in the Candover Valley… a collection of small villages and hamlets surrounded by rolling fields, country lanes and some rather lovely walking country.

It feels wonderfully rural, yet it's close enough to Winchester to make it an easy destination for a lazy weekend morning, lunch out or an afternoon exploring… and there are a few local gems giving us an especially good excuse to visit.

Coffee first: The Yard

Tucked away at Chilton Manor Farm in Chilton Candover, The Yard is exactly the sort of place you hope to stumble across on a drive through the Hampshire countryside. Housed in a beautifully converted 19th-century livestock building, it's a light-filled rural café and events space that has become a destination in its own right.

Inside, you'll find locally roasted Moon Roast coffee alongside a menu built around simple, seasonal ingredients… think toasties, salads, cakes and plenty of good things to accompany your morning coffee. On sunnier days there's outdoor seating too, making it a particularly good stopping point for walkers and cyclists exploring the valley.

But The Yard goes well beyond coffee and cake. There's a programme of workshops, talks, exhibitions, live music and other events throughout the year, giving you plenty of reasons to keep coming back.

Then there's The Candover

A few minutes away in Preston Candover you'll find another brilliant addition to the valley.

The Candover is a proper Hampshire country pub — roaring fire in the colder months, a terrace when the sun makes an appearance, great food and the sort of relaxed atmosphere that makes a quick lunch very easily turn into an afternoon.

Its story makes it even more special. Formerly The Purefoy Arms, the pub had been sold for residential development before three friends who live locally stepped in. In 2023, following what they describe as a rather drunken lunch, they decided the village needed to keep its pub — so they bought it. The result is The Candover, a pub with rooms created both for the local community and for visitors wanting to discover this corner of Hampshire.

Pop in for a pint, book Sunday lunch, settle beside the fire or make a night of it and stay over.

We rather like the idea of three locals simply deciding their village pub was too important to lose.

Bluebell season is worth the trip alone

If you visit in spring, there's another reason to pull on your walking boots. The countryside around Preston Candover includes Bluebell Wood, with one of the area's established circular walking routes taking you through the surrounding landscape. Time your visit for bluebell season and the woodland floor becomes a sea of colour — one of those fleeting Hampshire sights that's well worth planning a walk around. The wider valley is criss-crossed with footpaths and bridleways, so you can easily make the walk part of a longer day exploring the area.

Just remember: admire the bluebells, photograph the bluebells, but stick to the paths and leave them exactly where they are.

And there's wine...

You might not immediately associate this quiet corner of Hampshire with winemaking, but tucked into the landscape at Preston Farm is Candover Brook, a family-run vineyard producing award-winning English sparkling wine.

The vineyard forms part of a wider regenerative farm estate, where biodiversity, ancient woodland and the landscape of the Candover Valley are central to the way the land is managed.

Even the name comes directly from the landscape: Candover Brook is the rare chalk stream that runs through the valley.

It's another reminder that some rather special things are being produced surprisingly close to home.

Visits aren't generally a case of simply turning up (vineyard tours are private and by arrangement) but you can buy the wines locally and keep an eye out for future events and opportunities to visit.

Make a day of it

The Candover Valley is made up of a collection of villages and hamlets between Winchester and Basingstoke, with a network of public footpaths and bridleways running through the surrounding countryside. There are several established circular walking routes around Preston Candover, including routes through Chilton Candover and Bluebell Wood.

Which gives you the makings of a pretty good Saturday:

Countryside walk
Coffee at The Yard
Explore the valley
Lunch at The Candover
A bottle of local Candover Brook for home

We'd call that a day well spent.

Keep exploring

Part of the appeal of the Candover Valley is that there isn't a huge checklist of attractions to race between. Instead, it's somewhere to slow down.

Drive the country lanes. Walk through the fields. Discover the tiny villages and churches dotted across the landscape. Look out for the Candover Brook winding its way through the valley and stop when somewhere catches your eye.

And if you're not quite ready to head home, historic Alresford is only a short drive away, giving you another excuse to extend the afternoon.

Just beyond Winchester

We're lucky to have so much happening right here in Winchester, but some of Hampshire's best independent businesses, producers, pubs, cafés and countryside are hiding just beyond the city. The Candover Valley is a perfect example.

So next time you have a free Saturday or Sunday and find yourself asking “What shall we do today?”, point the car towards Candover.

Just make sure you arrive hungry.