We hired the 1934 Rolls Royce for our bridal car, driven by owner Brian. It had always been my…read moredream to have a vintage Rolls as my wedding car and Cathedral Cars did not disappoint! From the get go Brian was super friendly and professional, even taking in his stride when another vendor let me down, having a knock on effect on the journey from a different hotel to my venue - he was so understanding and helped to make me less stressed! Communication was so easy and he was great at letting me know everything i needed to know for the day (timings etc, where was the best place for him to pick me up at the hotel for the best pics, the lot!!). He produced bottles of water for us for the journey and helped me with my dress and bouquet getting in and out of the car and also right up to the building we were getting married in at the venue - it was like having my own chauffeur, butler and handmaid rolled into one - Brian, you simply are a gem!! I cannot recommend Cathedral Cars highly enough, I can't say a single negative thing about my experience with them - except that it was over all too quickly!! Thank you so much for all your help and for helping to make our day all the more magical!!

Shocking behaviour, exceptionally Rude…read more My partner and i came across one of their cars parked outside a venue in Fareham and went over to enquire about hire for our wedding. We approached smiling and i put out my hand to shake the drivers hand while introducing myself only to be met with crossed arms and an arrogant and condescending stare for about 15 seconds while i explained who i was and why i was coming over, hand still held out in front of me. It wasn't until the guy realised he could sell us something that he then proceeded to uncross his arms and go to fetch a brochure. Needless to say this was stunningly rude and grimy behaviour. The look alone was just shocking, without the wait to see if he felt i was worth him uncrossing his arms to shake my hand! So if arrogant used car salesman is the vibe your going for on your wedding day, cathedral Cars is for you. With so many options with better cars and more affordable prices in the area, we'll unsurprisingly be booking with someone else.

Hidden Britain Tours provides some unique tours in the Hampshire countryside. We took their Jane…read moreAusten tour - a day tour of where she grew up, lived and wrote her novels. Fantastic tour for Austen lovers packed with places that still have hardly changed since Austen's time. Phil Howe, our guide, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, providing lots of historical insights and society gossip of the time that gives you a new perspective on her writings and life. Easily train accessible from London (45 mins). Highly recommended!!!

Phil was a great tour guide, who knew his stuff about Jane Austen and her times. He is a local in…read moreBasingstoke and was really able to get in and around lesser known locations. There is a wealth of information, some speculative and not, that is so fascinating about Austen. It is so exciting to be able to witness the spots that inspired her. I would recommend this tour to any Jane Austen fans, as it takes you through her birthplace, home and family seat. Although many of the large estates are privately owned, not allowing admission, it was quite a wonderful experience.

Really lovely shop with a great history. During Christmas they have more of the house open for a…read morefestive shopping section, so you can look around a bit more. They've had some lovely new ranges more recently and I love that they switch up their collections so it's always worth popping in.

The Merchants house was built in the 17th century for a silk merchant called Thomas Bailey…read morefollowing the great fire of Marlborough. The house is open on the weekend (from about May to October), and always has a friendly guide to show you round. Even if you've been before it's worth going again because they are constantly rediscovering old features and restoring it to its former glory. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the progress of historical reconstruction. Added bonus - there is always live 17th-century music in the house on Saturdays. Also - If you enjoy concerts, and live in the area, then make sure you ask them for their list of events. They are always high-calibre and thoroughly enjoyable if you like that sort of thing. (And I do)

Not to be confused with Mitt Romsey, who is not related to Mitt Romney. And even if he was, I…read morewouldn't give a mitt. So this is a little old station in Romsey, which is on the line from Waterloo into Southampton, and it's a listed beautiful old building with a very unique and very attractive design. It feels like a tiny little town station, but with a truly grand building and style, and is definitely one of the nicer stations you'll find in this part of the country.

The historic town of Romsey has a well-preserved and well maintained traditional railway station on…read morethe line from Salisbury to Southampton. It is used by over 330,000 passengers a year. The station opened in 1847 on the line from Southampton to Salisbury (via Eastleigh). In 1865 the route from Andover to Southampton via Romsey and Redbridge opened, making Romsey a junction; also known as the Sprat and Winkle Line, it closed between Andover and Romsey in 1965, but the southern section from Romsey to Redbridge (on the Southampton-Bournemouth line) remained to form the main Salisbury to Southampton line. The Eastleigh to Romsey line closed to passengers in 1967 but reopened in 2003, making Romsey a junction station once more. It is served by the Cardiff/Bristol to Portsmouth service (roughly hourly, half-hourly at peak times) and the Salisbury-Romsey-Southampton-Chandler's Ford-Romsey service, which provides an hourly service in all directions (and thus provides two trains and hour to Southampton, one direct, and one via Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh and Southampton Airport). Facilities include a ticket office (open part time), ticket machines, toilets, waiting rooms, covered bicycle storage, a small cafe (open part-time) and a small car park.

Great service from Brown's Taxi's on 25th May. Booked to take us to WIndsor races for my husband's…read morebirthday. Pick up and drop off's all very prompt. Enjoyed the choice of music in the car too. Will definitely use this taxi service again

Basingstoke railway station is a major junction on the line between London Waterloo and…read moreSouthampton. Opened in 1839, through services to Southampton commenced in 1840. It is effectively the junction where the line to Salisbury and Exeter Central diverges from the main line to Southampton and Bournemouth; and a further line, from Reading, joins from the north. Around 6 million passengers a year use the station, with an additional 2 million changing trains here. The station has both fast and stopping services to London Waterloo, as well as regular services to Salisbury, Exeter Central, Southampton, Bournemouth, Portsmouth Harbour, Weymouth, Reading, Birmingham, and Manchester. There is a more infrequent service to Bristol Temple Meads via Salisbury. The station has a large ticket office, buffets, secure cycle storage, parking, and a taxi rank. Level access between platforms is provided by a lift. The station always seems to be busy, with trains arriving and departing every few minutes.

I came through here for a quick change of trains on my way to London. It is bigger than I expected…read more Platform 5 is a bit hidden and off to the side, I almost couldn't find it. The station was clean, but could do with some more benches or seats at the platforms.

Services on trunk roads (as opposed to motorways) are always a bit of a lottery: some are…read moresurprisingly good, others disappointing. Tot Hill is one of the latter: it's not really a service station, just a collection of different businesses: a Shell petrol station, a MacDonald's, a Little Chef and a Travelodge providing accommodation. There's no shop other than in the petrol station, and a correspondingly limited choice of food. I opted for the Little Chef, which was OK, though the service was slow - I was quoted a 40-minute wait when I arrived, although that shortened to 15 minutes after 10 minutes... At least the staff were friendly and apologetic. Sutton Scotney is usually a better bet, but at the moment there's no petrol station there as it is being rebuilt.

Opted for the Little Chef. Met by very friendly member of staff who was actually the chef. Order…read morewas taken quickly and food came in under ten minutes with the very welcome tea coming in two. The food was great. All the staff were nice and friendly. Excellent.