St Catherine’s Hill
A dramatic 220ft climb up St Catherine’s Hill’s wooden stairs reveals showstopping views of Winchester city, as well as the Itchen Valley floodplains and the downland it nestles in. At the summit are the earthworks of an Iron Age fort, buried ruins of the Norman chapel that gives the site its name, and a copes of beech trees
British white cattle and sheep graze the site to encourage wildlife to flourish.
On the way down look out for some of the 25 species of breeding butterfly that call it home, including chalk hill blues, brown arguses and marbled whites. Keen-eyed visitors might also spot some of the rarer orchids dotted across the hill’s slopes and meadows, including bee orchids, fragrant orchids, pyramidal orchids and autumn lady’s tresses. St Catherine’s Hill is a fabulous place to enjoy a summer walk
