Alresford Area Guide

What’s it like to live in Alresford? 

Alresford was once voted by the Sunday Times as the best place to live in the UK. A vision of pastel perfection, Alresford (pronounced Allsford) is a handsome Georgian town of colour-washed houses. It boasts beautiful riverside walks, specialist shops and the UK’s capital of watercress farming.

The town’s history is punctuated with fires, despite the abundance of water in the area. As a result, the buildings you see today rose from the great fires of the 17th century.

If you want to learn more about Alresford’s history and inhabitants, pick up a copy of the ‘Millennium Trail’, a self-guided walk that links together footpaths with illustrated boards around the town.

Despite its modest proportions, Alresford offers a surprising number of eateries. This means locals can choose from a fine selection of old-fashioned pubs, smart bistros and traditional tea rooms.

The Mid Hants Railway, known locally as the Watercress Line, can be found here too. Hop onboard one of the powerful steam locomotives for the 10-mile trip to Alton. Or simply take in the superbly restored station’s sights, sounds and smells.

Alresford offers all the traditional shops you would expect in a market town, from stylish shops, to arts and crafts and gift and antique stores.

Alresford is surrounded by many picturesque villages, such as Ropley to the southeast, Ovington and Itchen Stoke to the west.

Some notable places to eat around Alresford such as:

• The Globe – 15th-century pub with a garden and terrace on the banks of Old Alresford pond, plus a modern British menu.
• The Swan Hotel – Rustic-chic inn featuring contemporary rooms, an informal pub and an upscale dining room.
• The Cricketers – Tranquil, rustic country pub serving local ales and a crowd-pleasing gastro-style menu.
• Bangkok Bistro Alresford – Modern Thai Restaurant.
• Pulpo Negro – A ‘Michelin Star’ awarded local tapas restaurant.

Travel

For mainline train travel, a 15-minute car journey is required to Alton station, where there are direct trains to London Waterloo in just over 1-hour. The city of Winchester is accessible by car via the A31 in around 15 minutes, with ‘park and ride’ being just 10 minutes away.

For more information about Alresford, see our estate agents in Alresford.

Location

Alresford is a market town and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. It is seven miles northeast of Winchester and twelve miles southwest of the town of Alton.

Things to do

There are some great things to do in Alresford. Still, the top attractions as rated on TripAdvisor are to take in the scenery on the Alre Valley Trail, visit the nearby Winchester Distillery and play a round of golf at the Alresford Golf Club.