An eco-light trail, refreshing walks and Jane Austen: how to get festive in Hampshire | Christmas and New Year holidays

IIt’s raining and blowing a gale as I flash my UV flashlight around, looking for lights in the darkness. There a bright red spider web; here some glowing mushrooms; now a sparkling turtle, Timothy, taking shelter on the wall. I’m exploring the gardens of Gilbert White’s House in Selborne, Hampshire, where a light trail with a difference is taking place this month.

Gilbert White (1720–1793) is considered the father of ecology and was one of the first people to observe living things in their own habitats rather than studying dead specimens. He discovered the role of earthworms; developed the idea of ​​the food chain; and identified species including harvest mouse, noctule, chiffchaff, reed warbler and willow warbler.

It’s fitting that his home – now a museum – hosts an Eco-Light Festival (£12.50 adults/£9 children, open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 4.30pm to 8pm until December 21). Light trails have become a festive part of Christmas: the Jolly Festive website lists more than 125 light trails across the UK for 2024, from city centers to stately homes, from botanical gardens to ancient woodlands. But bright light can be bad news for nocturnal animals. In its advice on how to safely light your garden at night, the Royal Horticultural Society suggests keeping it as dark as possible (although it does run RHS Glow, “an after-dark light spectacle”, in all five gardens. Hmm).

In White’s garden, lighting is low-level, solar-powered or renewable, and opening hours are strictly limited. Visitors expecting Blackpool Illuminations or a singing and dancing Kew-style Christmas may be in for a disappointment. But anyone who wants to discover “fireflies” and other representations of forest creatures among the softly twinkling lights will be fascinated. And yes, there is still a light tunnel for selfies…

The festival is also an opportunity to explore the house after work, including the library, study, bedroom and the large drawing room built to host parties. Artists added to the atmosphere with animal-themed paper lanterns, willow sculptures, an image of a wiggly worm and a poetry audio celebrating swifts. There is a fascinating installation by visual artist William Lindley depicting the house, the local landscape and its wildlife. The cafe is open for mulled wine and hot chocolate, and Jubilee Tap across the street serves beer from the on-site brewhouse, which White opened in 1765 (it reopened as a nanobrewery in 2021).

If you want to make a weekend of it, this part of east Hampshire is less well-known than the New Forest but has a lot to offer, especially at Christmas. Next on my list was another home-turned-museum: Jane Austen’s house in Chawton, a village about four miles from Selborne. It was here that Austen lived for the last eight years of her life and wrote or revised all six of her novels. It is moving to see the dining room where she wrote on a tiny table by the window, the drawing room where she practiced piano and read aloud every morning, and the bedroom she shared with her sister Cassandra. The house is decorated for a simple Regency Christmas, with evergreen garlands, ribbons and paper decorations, and in Emma there is an audio installation of a Christmas Eve scene (until January 7). The two candlelight tours in December are sold out, but there is still availability on February 28th and March 28th.

After the house, we braved the weather on a four and a half mile circular walk through Austen, passing landmarks such as Chawton House Library – the Big House, as Austen called it, where her brother Edward lived. It’s decorated for A Storybook Christmas (admission £12.50 adults/£6 children/under six), with festive stories, a light show at Glimmering Gardens (until January 5) and wreath and decoration displays. Workshops. There is a bonfire welcome pub halfway up Upper Farringdon, the Rose and Crown, and another further back in Chawton, the Greyfriar.

Another option is to take a steam train on the historic Watercress Line from nearby Alton to Alresford. It’s running Steam Illuminations, an immersive light and sound show (£32 per person, children under two free, until January 4). Alresford is about eight miles from Winchester, which is described as the ‘Christmas capital of England’ and has a German-style market in Cathedral Close (until December 22nd).

We had another festive stay at Hinton Ampner near Arlesford, a country house now owned by the National Trust. The theme this year is “An Enchanted Christmas,” with rooms set up for a forest ball, a gingerbread village, a North Pole workshop and more. Outside there are lighted trees, a Christmas sleigh, Santa’s candy shop, an antiques shop and a cafe serving turkey sandwiches and mince pies with brandy butter. We joined them on another exciting four mile estate walk through farmland and woodland.

There are many cozy pubs with overnight accommodation nearby. The first choice is the Anchor Inn in Lower Froyle, five miles from Alton. Believed to date back to the 14th century, it has wooden floors, low ceilings, beams and open fireplaces, as well as five Tudor-style bedrooms (doubles from £81). There are lots of Christmas specialties on the menu, such as my Jerusalem artichoke risotto with chestnuts and winter herb gremolata (£15.95) and my friend’s turkey, ham and leek pie with all the trimmings (£19.95). It also serves festive afternoon tea, shares tables and menus and hosts a Christmas film breakfast (December 14).

The Thomas Lord in West Meon, about five miles from Hinton Ampner, is a good alternative. Guests can order bar snacks and pub classics by the fire (I liked the Korean spiced cauliflower, £5.80) or enjoy a festive three-course meal in the restaurant (£39.95 for three courses). There are five wooden cabins in the garden to stay in (doubles from £83.30) as well as caroling, quiz and party nights.

The stormy weather didn’t let up throughout the weekend, but we still left Hampshire with a warm, festive glow – and a much Inspiration for this year’s Christmas decorations.

Accommodation was provided by the Anchor Inn and the Thomas Lord; visit-hampshire.co.uk