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From couple’s cuteness to giggles with your galantines, love is in the air this February in Hampshire and these heartwarming things to do are the perfect match for filling those February days with fun.
Read on for our gorgeous guide to Valentine’s Day 2024 in Hampshire.
1. Share the love of food
When it comes to irresistible food to share together, Hampshire has an abundance of romantic restaurants perfect for a Valentine’s Day lunch or dinner.
The Avenue restaurant at Lainston House near Winchester is a dreamy setting for an elegant dinner, and the hotel’s Wellhouse restaurant is a mouthwatering woodfired eating experience.
The 600-year-old grade II listed Chesil Rectory in Winchester city centre has so many cosy corners that it has been voted one of the most romantic restaurants in the UK by the Times.
Say Te Quiero with tapas in Alresford with Michelin bib gourmand restaurant Pulpo Negro where the candlelit cellar bar will transport you to the bodegas of Spain.
For seafood, sample the fruits de mer at The Jetty Ocean Village in Southampton. For the ultimate marina-side atmosphere, make it a double date with friends and reserve a jetty pod right on the water's edge.
For a more casual dining date, head to seaside Southsea for some fresh coastal air followed by a cosy lunch with sea views at the Beach Club or Southsea Beach Café.
Or visit Pizza Express in Basingstoke to show the love for their Valentine's Day heart-shaped dough balls and special two or three course set menus.
See more restaurants in Hampshire
See the full guide to food and drink in Hampshire
2. Have a dreamy night away
Spend some quality time together with a night away at a Hampshire hotel or in a home from home at a holiday home or cosy cottage.
The Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire has so much to love this February with a special Valentine’s dinner on 14 February with live music, romantic private horse-drawn carriage rides across the Hampshire country estate, and Valentine’s fun for younger guests with a range of love-inspired activities including sweet cupcake decorating.
Enter the fairytale gates of the beautiful country hotel Lainston House on the outskirts of Winchester and be enchanted for the weekend by the hotel’s elegant comforts and its stunning surrounding countryside.
Two Bare Feet is a beautiful former scouts hut in the centre of Winchester contemporarily converted into a self-catered 3-bedroom house where the bedrooms can either be booked individually or together as a whole house.
And New Forest Cottages has perfect places for romantic Valentine's breaks from Bijou little pads to funky apartments, and dinky cottages with cosy log fires.
Read our full guide to romantic breaks in Hampshire
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3. Go hand in hand on a Hampshire walk
Step out together for a romantic walk with your loved one or spread the love and invite friends and family along too.
Walking is a wholesome and budget-friendly way to spend time together, and if the weather is fair, why not pack a picnic to make it extra special.
Valentine’s walks in Hampshire:
Follow in the footsteps of England’s most romantic novelist on the 4.5-mile Jane Austen Circular Walk starting at Jane Austen’s House in the pretty village of Chawton.
Climb Old Winchester Hill in the South Downs National Park and admire the sweeping views together at the top.
Stroll the 5-mile Lepe Loop in the New Forest National Park looking out for wildlife along the beach and surrounding parkland.
Discover the largest freshwater lake in Hampshire at Fleet Pond and enjoy a romantic 2.5-mile walk around its varied habitats including heathland, woodland and reedbeds.
Follow the Beaulieu River from Beaulieu to Buckler’s Hard in the New Forest National Park and pick up a handcrafted box of chocolates from the Beaulieu Chocolate Shop.
See the full guide to walks in Hampshire
4. Shake things up at the Bombay Sapphire Distillery
The Bombay Sapphire Distillery is a great place for a date at any time of the year where visitors can mix up their own cocktails and learn about the botanicals behind the gin-famous brand.
This Valentine’s Day the Bombay Sapphire Distillery has teamed up with nearby Norton Park Hotel to offer a Valentine’s Day Ultimate Gin Getaway including an exclusive day at Bombay Sapphire Distillery followed by a luxurious overnight stay at Norton Park with spa access, dinner and breakfast included.
There will also be special Valentine's Cinema Nights on 10 and 14 February with a screening of The Notebook starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in the Distillery’s cinema accompanied by Gin and Tonic from the Turbine Bar and chocolate dipping sharing platters.
Find out more about the Bombay Sapphire Distillery
5. Cook up a romantic meal
Cook up a storm together at a Hampshire cookery school and recreate the dishes for a romantic meal at home.
The Season cookery school at Lainston House near Winchester has state-of-the-art kitchen facilities where you can learn from award-winning and Michelin-starred chefs using ingredients from the kitchen garden.
Hampshire Chef James Martin is behind The Kitchen at Chewton Glen, a superb cookery school at the 5 star New Forest hotel with February classes including South East Asian street food and Spanish tapas.
Or if your sweetheart has a sweet tooth, try making your own chocolates together with a Chocolate Craft workshop.
Find out more about Hampshire cookery schools
6. Say cheers with the finest fizz
Raise a glass to each other and sample some of England’s, and the world’s, very best sparkling and white wine from a vineyard in Hampshire.
Discover England’s oldest vineyard and savour some award-winning bubbles with a vineyard tour and tasting at Hambledon Vineyard or delight in dinner with live music at Quob Park in Wickham.
Discover vineyards in Hampshire
7. Dance under the moon at Winchester Cathedral
For a dazzling date with a difference, the much acclaimed and incredibly Instagrammable Museum of the Moon artwork by artist Luke Jerram will be in Hampshire this Valentine’s Day, with the chance to see this out-of-this-world installation at the Festival of the Moon at Winchester Cathedral from 5 to 18 February 2024.
There’s also an unforgettable chance to dance the night away in the Cathedral with the a silent disco under the moon on 17 February.
8. Share the love of flowers
February is prime snowdrop season and there are plenty of places to see those stunning blankets of white flowers in Hampshire.
Chawton House holds dedicated Snowdrop Sundays in February for visitors to take in the carpets of pretty white buds popping up in the grounds.
Gilbert White’s House & Gardens has so many of the beautiful blooms that it holds an annual celebration of the snowdrop; this year it takes place just in time for Valentine’s Day on 10 and 11 February 2024.
And near Romsey, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens has over 20 different varieties of snowdrops dotted throughout one of the largest winter gardens in Europe.
Find out more about gardens in Hampshire
9. Love is in the Air at the Spinnaker Tower
Love is in the air 105 metres above the city of Portsmouth this February at the Spinnaker Tower’s Sky Bar with a special Valentine’s evening on 14 February with live music, stunning panoramic views and a special selection of love potion cocktails to complement the romantic mood.
10. Treat your valentine to a ticket
Make the Valentine’s Day romance last a little longer by buying a ticket for a date to look forward to in 2024.
Experience Hampshire has a carefully curated collection of unique Hampshire-based activities and experiences, from sushi masterclasses to forest bathing.
Why not gift a day out at a Hampshire attraction or look forward to a special event together like tickets to one of Hampshire’s 2024 festivals.
See what events are on in Hampshire this Valentine’s Day
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Related
A charming 17th century William and Mary country house standing elegantly in 63 acres of Hampshire parkland. Delicate archways and loggias frame the picture perfect entrance and a small amble reveals a beautiful 12th century chapel ruin.
Taking its name from the magnificent mile long avenue of lime trees viewed from your table, The Avenue at Lainston House Hotel is an intimate, elegant restaurant for lunch or dinner at. An extensive, seasonally influenced menu of ostensibly English cooking with a modern twist is complemented every evening in this award-winning restaurant with a superb tasting menu tempting all palates and tastes.
The Wellhouse is one of the UK's few restaurants to have all dishes cooked by woodfire. Offering unique food, drink and social experience, celebrating the simplicity of woodfired ovens and smokers. Sat inside the historic rustic-luxe surroundings.
Dating back to 1450, this beautifully preserved city landmark, located in central Winchester, serves modern British classics.
Sister to the multi-award-winning restaurant in Christchurch, The Jetty, on the Southampton Harbour Hotel’s ground-floor, specialises in fresh seafood, caught daily by local fisherman, served with locally-grown, seasonal ingredients from the New Forest. Expect nothing less than exceptional food and wine from renowned local chef Alex Aitken.
A proudly independent beachside bar and restaurant, combining a passion for food and drink with the South’s most sought after view.
This Georgian manor house, set in 500 acres of rolling grounds and English Heritage listed gardens, offers the upmost in luxury and relaxation, just an hour from London.
Offering Self Catered living in central Winchester, two bare feet is a 3 bedroomed house with a shared kitchen. All the rooms are split over 2 floors giving you a duplex feel. They have a king size bed fully made up with Egyptian cotton sheets. The en-suite bathrooms have large walk in showers with towels and toiletries provided. All the rooms have their own sitting room area on the ground floor with 32 inch smart TV.
Jane Austen’s House in the picturesque Hampshire village of Chawton is one of the most important literary sites in the world. It was in this inspiring cottage that Jane Austen’s genius flourished and where she wrote, revised, and had published all six of her globally beloved novels.
A 4.5-mile circular walk in the heart of Jane Austen country. Start at Jane Austen's House in Chawton and follow in her footsteps across fields and through the village of Farringdon. Jane was inspired by this beautiful countryside to write and revise all her novels.
The Lepe Loop in Lepe Country Park follows a beautiful coastal and countryside route with picturesque views of The Solent. Follow the beach along until you get to the parkland, here you will experience the peaceful countryside.
Located in the South Downs National Park Old Winchester Hill consists of 150 acres of National Nature Reserve and is home to many species of plants and wildlife. From the top of the hill enjoy views across the rolling hills as far as Portsmouth, Southampton and on a clear day, the Isle of Wight.
Fleet Pond is the largest freshwater lake in Hampshire. The nature reserve has 141 acres (57ha) of varied habitats including heathland, woodland, reedbed and marsh, and is home for many species of birds, butterflies, dragonflies and wild flowers. This walk takes a full circuit of Fleet Pond and offers excellent views. The path crosses Brookly Stream, one of the two feeder streams into the lake and passed by the oldest section of Fleet Pond’s woodlands which has good specimens of oak and Scots pine.
In 1204 Cistercian monks founded an abbey here near the site of a royal hunting lodge and called it Beau-lieu, meaning beautiful place. This easy walk for all follows the route of the wildlife rich Beaulieu River and finishes at Bucklers Hard, where Lord Nelson’s favourite ship Agamemnon was built in 1781.
The Bombay Sapphire Distillery based at Laverstoke Mill in rural Hampshire, just 15 miles from Winchester and 10 miles from Basingstoke. The Distillery is in a conservation area with over 1000 years of history. The distillery showcases the care, skill and artistry behind every drop of Bombay Sapphire, and allows you to discover the flavours of the botanicals which make Bombay Sapphire gin so unique.
An English Original, Chewton Glen is a luxury country house hotel and spa set in 130 acres of Hampshire countryside on the edge of the New Forest National Park, and just a few minutes' walk from the sea.
Chocolate Craft are an award-winning chocolate company producing handcrafted chocolates for customers throughout the UK, including Fortnum & Mason and offer chocolate making workshops.
The award winning vineyard in the South Downs National Park, Hambledon is open for tours throughout the year.
Quob Park offers a range of tours, tastings and events, and through its wine merchant brand, Great Cellar, offers a Wine Club membership with significant discounts and priority access for all offerings, including wine, food boxes, vintage bar box hire, Wine & Pairings experiences and luxury stays.
The Museum of the Moon artwork by artist Luke Jerram is coming to Winchester for the first time in February 2024. Pop into the cathedral to marvel at its beauty or join one of the many events and activities that will be taking place in the moonlight, from pilates to silent discos.
Invite your friends and grab your dancing shoes for an unforgettable disco under the moon. Don't miss your opportunity to dance the night away to your favourite party tunes (from ABBA to Stormzy) under the Museum of the Moon artwork by artist Luke Jerram.
Chawton House was owned by Jane Austen’s brother Edward, and known to her as ‘the Great House’. Jane lived in a cottage on his estate and would stroll up to ‘dawdle away’ many an hour in the grand Elizabethan manor and its picturesque gardens.
Located in Selborne, a stunning corner of the South Downs National Park, Gilbert White’s 17th century home is now a museum open to visitors. Museum highlights include, the original manuscript of ‘The Natural History of Selborne’, White’s 18th century floral embroidered bed covers and White’s taxidermy hawfinch.
The magnificent Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is world famous for its arboretum and gardens – set over 180 acres of rolling Hampshire countryside; this garden is stunning whatever the season.
Experience Hampshire is the gatekeeper for Hampshire’s best kept secrets. Their mission is to help visitors to seek out original Hampshire-based activities and experiences.
Join us for a special screening of a classic romantic drama starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams on Saturday the 10th or Wednesday the 14th of February. Each ticket includes welcome and interval cocktails, popcorn, and a chocolate dipping sharing platter for two.
Looking to make your Valentine's Day extra special this year? Indulge in a truly unforgettable experience by booking our exclusive VIP Ultimate Gin Getaway! Enjoy a fully immersive day at Bombay Sapphire Distillery, followed by an overnight stay at nearby Norton Park Hotel with spa access, dinner and breakfast included.
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