Walking in the footsteps of Keats and Austen in picturesque Winchester

Stunning cathedral city boasts royal pedigree, literary leanings and enthralling history

Winchester Cathedral has a dramatic history. Photo: Getty

Isabel Conway

There’s poetry in motion walking in the footsteps of John Keats, to a cacophony of birdsong and dancing sun rays while following the River Itchen through water meadows on the outskirts of the small cathedral city of Winchester.

The poet would stroll through these very meadows every day for a couple of miles on the same walk while residing in “the pleasantest town I was ever in”, having moved to Winchester to restore his health and have access to a good library.