The beautiful South: why house hunters are flocking to Winchester and Bournemouth

Those still contemplating an exit from the big smoke will no doubt be eyeing up the well-worn path down the M3 to Winchester and, beyond it, Bournemouth. Winchester notched up one of the highest levels of population growth in the south last year – more than Guildford and other popular areas of Surrey: a phenomenon that has no doubt been expedited this year as increasing numbers of house buyers look to the South. 

Winchester has often featured in lists of the best places to live in the UK. Large enough to be considered a city with all the services, culture, and connections that entails, it offers house hunters a pleasing compromise between urban convenience and rural charm. Plus it’s 1 hour 23 minutes to London on the train. But with a population of 125,000, it’s still small enough to feel like an escape from the rat race. For a short period, it was capital of England and with good reason.