We like to spend the Easter weekend in a location where we can join the Sunday Easter service in one of the English Cathedrals. This year we chose Winchester, a place where we have previously enjoyed several mini breaks.

We broke our long, tedious journey for lunch at Gilks Garage café in Kineton.  The Café is themed to its former use in the motor trade. The menu is extensive and I was spoilt for choice, eventually settling on a vegetarian (vegetable) sausage bap. The sausages were served on a lightly toasted bun. Another hidden gem revealed to me by the Extra Mile book.

Suitably refreshed we continued our journey to Winchester stopping briefly at a service station for a leg stretch. When we arrived in Winchester we booked into our hotel, The Winchester Wessex. It is no longer a Mercure hotel and has been rebranded as Winchester Wessex Hotel by Sunday.

First impressions were favourable; we were greeted by a lovely young man who booked us into our room. The room itself, one that looks over the Cathedral Green with a view of the Cathedral, had been spruced up and looked cleaner and fresher than it did on our previous visit several years ago.

We dumped our bags in the room and headed into town where we checked out the board game shop. We were overwhelmed by the number of board games on offer. One game had been on my radar for a while but I chose to leave it on the shelf (for now). We had a mooch around Waterstones and Robert Dyas before returning to the hotel to unpack and enjoy a refreshing cup of tea.

When it was time to dine, we walked to the nearby Fish and Chip Shop, Shoal, for a freshly cooked chippy dinner. I chose haddock accompanied by a glass of rose wine. The food was delicious.

The night was still young so we retired to the nearby Crown and Anchor which had Timothy Taylor Landlord Ale on tap. That made Mr C content and, of course I chose a lovely glass of rose wine. The atmosphere was comfy and initially quiet until a group of very loud ladies settled on the table next to us. This caused one gentleman drinking quietly on his own to beat a hasty retreat (after finishing his beer) to move to another nearby pub.

It was Mr C’s special day so we did a little bit of what he fancied which meant that after breakfast we started the day with ‘The Long Walk’. The weather was warm but the sun had not yet broken through the clouds, a perfect time of day for walking. As we set off on the walk it was odd to hear the roar of jet planes as they approached the runway at Heathrow and not be able to see them until they emerged from the clouds. The deer in Windsor Great Park were shy and elusive, unlike our previous visit when they crossed the pathway near to me. As we walked back someone noticed the herd in the distance.

Back in town after our walk of almost five miles, Mr C had hoped to have lunch in The Pancake House but there was a 40 minute wait for food. Mr C chose not to wait so we went in search of another suitable eatery nearby. We settled on Heidi’s Bakery which had lots of tempting treats on offer. Mr C chose a quiche, this option also caught my eye but the call of a blueberry and frangipane tart was too much for me to resist. It was delicious! Whilst eating we heard loud roaring and then were visited by a dinosaur that had a few kids in tow.

Next we visited the Brooke Taverner store, one of Mr C’s favourite places for clothes, especially shirts. He came away with a few purchases. We browsed around Waterstones where I purchased a facsimile copy of a book on English Cathedrals that was written in 1934. The book is charming and delightful with its insight into history.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped off at Wetherspoon’s where I enjoyed chilling out on the terrace with a glass of rose wine.

Later we had an aperitif in the hotel bar before dining in A La Russe which was every bit as good it was on our previous visits. After dining, we returned to the George Inn for one last nightcap before retiring to our room for the night.

We awoke to bright sunshine and had a window seat at breakfast that allowed us to enjoy the golden rays.

After breakfast Mr C headed off to visit a trade show, one of the main reasons for our stay in York. I walked into York thinking I would visit the ‘Chocolate Experience’ attraction when I got there I realised that I was muddling it up with York’s other chocolate adventure. The ‘Chocolate Experience’ is something to explore with other chocolate seeking adventurers.

My plan B was to visit the nearby Fairfax House but I found that it didn’t open until 11am. The chocolate factory I had originally been thinking of was nearby but by this time I had gone off the idea of a chocolaty adventure. I spent a pleasant time browsing in Waterstones and was tempted by one of the games (Parks), but I resisted temptation. By now Fairfax House had opened so I returned to the small property before making my way to Clifford’s Tower to sit on one of the benches part way up the Motte, soaking up the sunny rays whilst waiting for Mr C. My lofty perch allowed me to view the antics in the car park below and a loud shouting exchange that followed a mini bumping of two cars. The car park has narrow spaces and is extremely busy, not a place I would choose to park.

Although we were in the location to continue our walk along the town walls we had to make our way into town for lunch, the nearby Castle Museum café was not only available to museum visitors. Our walk took us through the busy car park where people were still struggling to get in and out of the extremely narrow spaces. We lunched in Pret, where due to a miscommunication, I ended up with the wrong sandwich!

During the morning Mr C had been told that a Royal Mail parcel would be delivered but the on-line options for changing the delivery arrangements did not offer a suitable alternative delivery whilst we were away. Mr C was advised that it had been delivered to our secure porch. We don’t have a secure porch leaving us to wonder what exactly Royal Mail had done with the parcel…

We retraced our steps from Pret and resumed the wall walk. The wall walk ended in the perfect location for visiting the Yorkshire Museum which is currently exhibiting the Rydale Hoard. Just outside the museum was an ice Viking, part of the ice trail. I chose not to photograph it before we entered the museum which was a big mistake. When we left it had vanished with just a patch of water to show where it had been. Many children and parents were milling around, having just arrived to tick it off the trail list.

Back at the hotel Mr C had an update on the parcel delivery. The picture of a ’secure porch’ was a doormat? We phoned a family member to ask them to check if a parcel had been delivered to our doorstep. They came back with a negative, there was nothing left on our doorstep.

We dined in Ate O’Clock which has a charming entrance that invites you. Our delightful waiter informed us that some of the menu choices were no longer available. Although this was not ideal, at least we knew in advance so that we didn’t get our taste buds leaning towards one of the missing items.

We visited the Golden Fleece before heading back to the hotel for a nightcap which we purchased from the hotel bar and took to our room to chill out in comfort.