Romsey
Romsey is a small market town located in the county of Hampshire. It is 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Southampton and 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Winchester. Just over 18,000 people live in Romsey, which has an area of about 4.93 square kilometres.
Romsey lies on the River Test. A large Norman abbey dominates the centre of the town. The town centre has been recently renovated.
The Mayor's Picnic takes place in early-mid summer and is held in Romsey's Memorial Park. There is music performed by local schools, a variety of stalls, and the popular Duck Race.
The Beggars Fair is held in the streets and pubs of Romsey on the 2nd Saturday in July. It is a free festival featuring all types of music, together with dance and other street entertainment.
Romsey Carnival week takes place during July with the highlight being the procession through the streets of Romsey on the final Saturday evening.
The Romsey Show is a large agricultural show which takes place every September at Broadlands. In addition, Broadlands has twice hosted the CLA Game Fair, the largest agricultural show in the world, most recently in August 2006.
The Winter Carnival takes places each year when Romsey's Christmas lights are switched on. Shortly afterwards, on a Friday evening in December, to the delight of local children, Santa Claus appears on the rooftops, to be rescued by the local fire brigade, who bring a vintage fire-engine to the event. This marks the beginning of Romsey's Christmas late night shopping.
The Romsey Arts Festival occurs every 3 years, showcasing talent from local area. The next festival is due in 2008.
Romsey is within 10 miles of both the M27 and M3 motorways, providing fast links along the south coast and to London, and to the Midlands and the North via the A34. The A36 runs a few miles west of the town, providing a direct but not particularly quick route to the West of England and South Wales.
Romsey has a railway station with frequent services (operated by First Great Western) running on the route between Portsmouth and Cardiff, via Southampton, Salisbury and Bristol. Additionally, a new hourly South West Trains service which runs to Chandler's Ford and Eastleigh and then down to Southampton and Totton started in 2004.
A dedicated bus shuttle links Romsey with fast London trains at Winchester. The ticket bought from the bus driver in Romsey covers the entire journey, which ironically is cheaper in some off-peak cases than an eqivalent Winchester to London ticket. The combined journey time from Romsey Bus Station to London Waterloo is just 90 minutes, making the service popular with commuters.
Other bus services are provided by Wilts and Dorset within the town and to Eastleigh