Hampshire

Hampshire is a county in southeast England which sits on the English Channel coastline. The county town is Winchester, which prior to the battle of Hastings in 1066, was England’s capital city. The geology and geography of the area is varied, comprising uplands, downlands including the Hampshire Downs, marsh, as well as significant greenbelt and two national parks: New Forest and part of the South Downs, England’s newest national park. These areas combined make up 45% of Hampshire, so the county is a rural region.

Hampshire has a milder climate than most of the British Isles: being in the far south and by the coast, the climate is stabilised by the sea, but protected against the extreme weather of the Atlantic coast. It also boasts higher than average sunshine hours, with totals of around 1,750 hours per year. The highest rates of sunshine are in June to August, which also see the highest temperatures and June is the wettest month on average. Any fruit and veg sewn in the spring will therefore flourish during the summer in Hampshire gardens.