Romsey
People tend to know Romsey for two things: Broadlands and the Abbey. But this charming Hampshire market town has lots more to offer and makes an excellent base for touring central, southern England.
Photo: Mottisfont Abbey, just outside Romsey in glorious River Test countryside.
The location
Romsey is just a few miles north-west of Southampton, a major city and one of Britain's biggest ports, but it retains much of its rural charm. The River Test runs through the middle of the town, which is still dominated by the famous, imposing Abbey. Stay in Romsey and you're ideally placed to explore historic nearby towns such as Winchester and Salisbury, the beach at Bournemouth, and the wooded delights and wild ponies of the New Forest. Romsey is just beyond the edge of the New Forest National Park.
The economy
Romsey has grown enormously in the last 20-30 years. Thankfully, several huge modern estates to the north of the town, housing upcoming professional workers from nearby Southampton, are reasonably well hidden in the undulating landscape. There are some small industrial estates dotted around the town and by the railway station.
Things to do
Photo: You can enjoy some absolutely lovely walks along the River Test.
Countryside
There are some fine country great walks around Romsey. Head north and you can explore quaint villages like Braishfield, with the Newport Inn an authentic, refreshing change from tarted up chain pubs, or walk to Stockbridge. Go south west and you'll come to West Wellow and the interesting, open parts of the New Forest. Why not refresh yourself at the Bramble Hill Hotel, a former hunting lodge secretly tucked away near Bramshaw. Pepperbox Hill offers views of Salisbury Cathedral.
Attractions
In the town itself, be sure to explore the Abbey. Wander round the back to the river and find a bridge over the River Test locally known as the Salmon Leap. There's a quiet municipal park here too. If you like historic houses and gardens, you need to visit Broadlands, famous home of the late Earl of Mountbatten and a favorite destination for the Prince of Wales and Princess Diana in the early years of their marriage. The main entrance gates are a short walk from the town centre, but the house is down quite a long drive. If you dislike the royal theme, you might prefer 12th-century Mottisfont Abbey, a delightful National Trust property with a stunning rose garden and some wonderful riverside walks that's a few miles to the north-west of the town. Head in the opposite direction and you'll find Exbury Gardens in the New Forest, best visited in spring for the glorious azaleas and rhododendrons, but enjoyable at any time of year. The Hillier Arboretum just off the road to Winchester has a fantastic collection of unusual trees, but a hugely out-of-scale modern visitor centre has done little for the low-key, intimate tranquility the place used to enjoy. There's a garden centre here too'indeed, there are quite a lot of garden centres in this area. The specialist water garden centre in the town was famously the spawning ground of TV garden Charlie Dimmock. Children will enjoy a visit to theme park Paulton's Park, a few miles south of the town in Ower.
Photo: Mottisfont Abbey's famous rose gardens are at the height of their glory in June.
Shopping
Thankfully, Romsey still has many attractive, independent shops and
retains a genuine market-town feel. There's a large branch of Waitrose
in the town centre, if you really must shop in a supermarket. If you
can't resist huge chain stores, head off to nearby Southampton (a few
minutes drive or about 10-15 minutes on the train) and its giant West
Quay shopping mall. For antiques, head out to nearby Lyndhurst.
Culture
Romsey's independent art-deco Plaza
Theatre, toward the train station, has been putting on am-dram
opera and theatre for a quarter of a century.
Places to stay
There are some interesting hotels and coaching inns dotted in and around Romsey. The Bramble Hill is an oasis of tranquility if you have a car or energetic legs. The White Horse in the centre of town is smarter. The Abbey (opposite the Abbey) used to serve excellent food—and hopefully still does! Cobwebs, a tea-shop on The Hundred, has been a favourite haunt for afternoon tea and light-lunch lovers for more than 20 years.
Getting here
Romsey's reasonably easy to reach by road from nearby towns like Winchester, Southampton, and Salisbury. The train station is on a mainline that serves Salisbury, Cardiff, and Bristol (to the north) and Southampton and Portsmouth (to the south). A large car-park behind the town centre shops serves as a bus terminus. You can pick up buses from here to Winchester, Southampton, and local suburbs like Cupernham and Woodley.
Map
Here's a map of Romsey from Google Images. You can use the "Find businesses" tab and search box to find local businesses, places to stay, and so on.More information
- Romsey Net: Local community website.
- Test Valley Borough Council: Mainly a resource for local people, but there's lots of information for visitors and tourists here too.
- Romsey in photos: Take a look at some of the images people are posting on Flickr.
- Romsey: A background article from Wikipedia.
