Best of British; Great British bargain breaks are the order of the day this credit crunch summer. JENNY GROUTAGE visits historic Winchester for the day.

Byline: JENNY GROUTAGE

HAVING travelled around the world on my gap year, taking in different cultures and experiencing different adventures, I was struck by a thought.

When travelling, of course, you get to meet different people from all walks of life and from all corners of the world.

And as I trekked in Cambodia, discovered ice caves in New Zealand and swam with sharks in Fiji, I came to realise I'd explored very little of my own country.

When I chatted with a well-travelled Korean woman, I had to come clean.

Not only had I not visited many of the British sights she had enjoyed on her recent visit to the UK but also, I could not give her a good reason as to why not.

"But everything is so easy in your country!" she exclaimed. "You can get on a train and be on the other side of the country in a few hours!" Embarrassed that someone from over 5,000 miles away had visited more of my own country than I had, I made a vow that when I returned home, I would make a concerted effort to see what all the fuss was about.

And so, feeling a renewed sense of excitement for exploring the best of Britain, I set out to the historic ancient capital of Winchester.

I had moved down to London to start a new job only two weeks previously and was starting to feel claustrophobic in the 'big smoke' with its busy streets and fast pace. What I longed for was a bit of space - a typical English town with history and lots of (hopefully free) activities to keep me amused.

Winchester fitted the bill. I arrived on a sunny day armed with a visitor brochure and a head full of tips from my fellow travellers.

One thing that did become apparent on my gap year was that while countries such as Australia may have the weather and the beaches, they have very little in the way of history. I knew Winchester would definitely come up trumps in this respect.

To get an insider's feel to the city, I decided to join a 'Blue Badge' tour - a 90- minute whistle-stop trip around the city accompanied by guide Helen Sutcliffe, who told interesting anecdotes along the way.

Winchester is a relatively small town where everything is within walking distance. Exploring the city on foot was a great way to get my bearings.

After taking a walk down the High Street, Helen pointing out interesting buildings along the way, we ended up at the beautiful 900-year-old Winchester Cathedral, located right in the centre of the city.

Among Helen's fascinating facts was the story of William Walker, the scuba diver who helped save the cathedral from collapsing almost 100 years ago when the structure began to sink into the ground.

He worked six hours a day in complete darkness to build supporting walls under the cathedral and is now honoured with a statue inside. It makes scuba-diving in the Great Barrier Reef seem tame by comparison!

We passed Jane Austen's College Street residence - the house where the famous author spent her last weeks before her death. Having already viewed her tomb in the cathedral, it was apparent that Winchester has a strong literary history.

My guide informed me that John Keats had also been inspired by the city to write his famous 'Ode to Autumn,' a poem I knew from school. Judging from the wide-open spaces and masses of greenery, I could easily see how inspiring the city could be to a poet.

Next stop on my guided tour was the Great Hall - the last remaining part of Winchester Castle, where the king dined and discussed affairs of state with his barons and clergy. Hung high on the wall was the impressive Round Table made famous in the 14th century.

The Great Hall still retains much of the charm and grandeur more than six centuries on. After completing my guided walking tour, I decided to visit Winchester College.

As an insight into the oldest continually running school in the country, it turned out to be a fascinating look back in time and a far cry from my own experience at school. Entering the grounds, I felt as if I'd walked into a

Harry Potter film - the students wore long gowns, the buildings were grand and the pupils all well-behaved.

After exploring various classrooms, the impressive dining hall and the gothic chapel, I was inducted into the world of 'notions' - a secret language formed by students at the college in which a bicycle is a 'bogle' and a teacher is a 'don.' All very confusing but it beats learning Latin any day! Deciding what to eat at lunchtime was a challenge. Winchester is filled with restaurants, pubs and cafes, many of them award-winning.

I decided upon the Wykeham Arms, a quaint little pub tucked away down a side street behind the college. The menu was extensive but I eventually decided to try a traditional 'Wyk' pie, a local speciality similar to cottage pie.

The food was delicious and the pub itself a great find. Amazing collections of all sorts of items hung on the walls, and here, too, were all the old school desks from Winchester College that you can sit at when you eat.

It brings a whole new meaning to school dinners.

After lunch I headed off to the recently refurbished Winchester City Museum, where visitor services manager Sher Kent led me around lots of hands-on activities and period clothing you can try on.

On the ground floor two shop fronts had been made to resemble those from the Victorian age, complete with retro products and advertisements. The museum was a great end to the day. This was an inexpensive day trip with so much to see that I only scratched the surface of the city.

As I made my way back to the station, walking down the cobbled high street I noticed a number of boutique shops and quaint little pubs that would be great to explore if I had more time..

For tourist information about Winchester and its attractions, call 01962 840 500 or click www.

visitwinchester. co. uk For details of the Wykeham Arms, ring 01962 853834 or visit www.fullershotels.com fact file

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HISTORIC: Winchester's beautiful High Street REAL TREASURE: The gothic splendour of Winchester Cathedral.