I've heard the Boringstoke joke...

October 2, 2008 2:32 PM

I may be spending one week in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. Aside from definite trips into London, what else should I do?

This town is on the Southampton and Reading railway lines and the train is how I'll be getting around (unless someone thinks a car is a better idea?). What's to do and see around these parts? Any place with particularly good food and drink? I've Googled a bit, but haven't found much.

posted by jdl to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Well.... Basingstoke is a bit of a cultural wasteland, but can be a good base... not sure exactly sure what you're looking for, but...

you could get on the train to Winchester (one stop south, about 15 minutes), which used to be the capital of England, and the home to Arthur's roundtable... a small cosy university (where I'm enrolled) and a reasonable bit of history...

or you could go to Oxford (about 45 minutes by train north), again a quaint university town, tonnes of history etc.

(as you can probably tell, I'd get out of Basingstoke if I were you...)


any more specific questions feel free to msg me :)
posted by philsi at 2:52 PM on October 2, 2008

Thanks philsi, this is exactly the type of stuff I'm looking for. Anything historical, cultural, and such--any town worth getting off the train for. Sounds like Basingstoke may not be...
posted by jdl at 2:57 PM on October 2, 2008

I'm from Southampton and live in Reading... Reading and Basingstoke are both pretty dull, but Southampton has a little history and might be worth a visit - there was a previous thread with a list of things to do there. It's only another 10 minutes past Winchester. I may be slightly biased though...

If it's a business trip, then maybe you could try and stay in London and "commute" to Basingstoke? Would certainly make life easier for seeing London, plus opens up the other places you could visit as London as many more railway connections.
posted by saintsguy at 3:22 PM on October 2, 2008

This thread:

http://ask.metafilter.com/93831/Southampton-fun-and-cheap
posted by saintsguy at 3:23 PM on October 2, 2008

I was born in Reading, grew up in London, went to university in Southampton and now live in London.

I've only ever driven through Basingstoke itself, though. It's not got the best reputation in terms of 'stuff to do'. The local council's events page does list a Billy Ocean show if you're there this Saturday. And Victor Spinetti and Dylan Moran later in the month - I'd go to either of those myself, if I was around.

Winchester is also on the same railway line and has the Jane Austen museum, if you're into that kind of thing. And there's the castle.

Depending on where you're around, there might be a band playing at the Southampton Guildhall.

If you can journey as far as Brockenhurst - in between Southampton and Bournemouth on the train - the best restaurant in the whole South East IMHO is Le Poussin. There's also the New Forest national park if you fancy a walk, weather permitting.

Staying in London and 'commuting' to Basingstoke could be an excellent idea, unless you've been to London a dozen times before and want a different experience.
posted by tapeguy at 3:26 PM on October 2, 2008

If you have a car, you can drive along the Thames, visiting some of the very picturesque pubs that lie along it. Maidenhead has some very pretty areas along the river (Thames). Also visit Kew Gardens in Richmond (for which you may need to go into London and out again on the Tube). It has some wonderful plants, a unique hothouse, and a really fascinating environment.
The London museums are really great -- the Victoria & Albert museum is the world's greatest museum of art and design. The V&A cafe is jokingly referred to as a world-class cafe with quite a nice museum attached! The Science Museum is also a great visit. Weather permitting, you can visit Kensington Gardens in London. See the Peter Pan oak, the Serpentine cafe, and the round pond (where Christopher Robin of Winnie the Pooh sailed his toy boat).
Lastly, if you do have a car, you can drive down to visit Stonehenge at Salisbury Plain. You can also travel to Salisbury by train from Waterloo Station in London (not sure if Basingstoke is on the same line). Buses go from Salisbury Rail Station to Stonehenge (but again, you'll have to check schedules). Stonehenge is the greatest ... :-)
posted by Susurration at 6:17 PM on October 2, 2008

Basingstoke is where I'm from and where I'm am, and sorry to say there is nothing there of note at all. Although if you are curious as to what an absolutely bog standard British town is like, you can walk through the town centre, which consists of entirely the same chain stores as you'll find in hundreds of others town centres across the country. Look, there's a Gap, there's an HMV, there's a Costa Coffee, there's a Primark, there's a La Tasca. So, that'll take a good thirty minutes of your week. There's a cinema if you want to catch a movie.

There's like five trains an hour to London, which is the most obvious bet for fun. Winchester and Salisbury are mostly OK for wandering about. You can also go direct (and more frequently, by changing trains at Reading) to Oxford, which is a really lovely place. And if you're feeling ambitous B'stoke has direct trains to places up north. I'm not that sure it's worth going to Southampton when London is exactly the same distance, but what do I know. You could catch a train further to Brighton or something, where there is The Sea.

If you go to Reading and then to London from there (this is much slower than going direct so don't go that way if you just want to get to London) the train stops at Virginia Water which is quite a nice woodlandy lake type of affair.

No doubt there's probably a few things scattered about the surrounding countryside, but they'll be difficult to get to without a car. If you're feeling adventurous you could get the no. 2 bus to Baughurst, then walk for a bit, and go and eat at the rather charming Wellington Arms... or you could, you know, get on a train elsewhere where there's lots of places to eat.
posted by so_necessary at 5:55 AM on October 3, 2008

Thanks so much everyone--I know have a better idea of where to go and what to do. Just looking at the map, I couldn't figure out exactly what seemed close enough to train/drive to. I'd like to mark you all best answer.
posted by jdl at 7:44 AM on October 3, 2008

Read The Natural History of Selbourne then make the fifteen mile journey there.
posted by Dr.Pill at 1:28 PM on October 3, 2008