Hotels in Wickham

Wickham is a small Hampshire market town built around a genuinely handsome square, laid out by the Bishop of Winchester in the thirteenth century and still lined with Georgian and older brick frontages rather than chain shopfronts. It's known locally for its monthly farmers' market and for the Wickham Festival, a mid-sized folk and roots music event that fills the town's beds for a few days each summer.

Be honest: beyond the square and the festival there isn't much to detain visitors for long, and with a population of around 2,000 it has none of the big-town infrastructure of Winchester or Portsmouth nearby. Its real value is as a base for castle-hopping — Winchester Castle, Portchester Castle, Southsea Castle, Calshot Castle and Netley Castle are all within striking distance, making Wickham a quieter, cheaper alternative to staying in Winchester or Portsmouth itself. Stay right on or just off the square for easy walking access to the market and festival grounds.