In the second of our series, DAVID WICKERS uncovers the many highlights of genteel Hampshire

ALTHOUGH best known for its pair of distinctly maritime cities, Portsmouth and Southampton, Hampshire is rich in both rural and small-town pleasures. Within easy reach of the capital, the county is a picturesque patchwork of fields and heathland, village greens, chalk downlands and woodlands, fringed to the south by a jagged coastline. It is warmer, sunnier and drier than most of the UK, which has to be a serious bonus for visitors.

TOWN Winchester, the ancient capital of England, is all about heritage. Its cathedral (01962 857 200 / www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk), in service since William the Conqueror, fills the heart of town surrounded by its close, which is as clipped as a bowling green. It claims the longest knave in Britain (though hotly contested by Exeter) and its bishop is number five in the ecclesiastical hierarchy (uncontested).

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Celebrity tombs are a cathedral speciality.

They include those of Jane Austen, Izaak Walton, who spent much of his last two decades fishing for trout in the River Itchen (and whose chapel is said to smell of fish on Fridays), King Canute and Bishop Wykeham, born poor as a church mouse but who went on to become Chancellor.

He founded Winchester College in 1382 so that other poor boys could rise above their station.

The city's top treasure, on show in The Great Hall, is King Arthur's Round Table, carbon dated to the 13th century much to the disappointment of Arthurian groupies but impressive nonetheless.

Although Southampton and Portsmouth are more commonly associated with leaving the county than staying to enjoy it, both showcase a number of highlights for visitors, with the latter's Historic Dockyard (02392 839 766/www.historicdockyard.co.uk), home to Nelson's HMS Victory, the essential sight, along with the 560ft Spinnaker Tower.

COUNTRY
The country begins in town, with a walk through Winchester's Water Meadows, little changed since Keats set his Ode To Autumn along the lush green banks of the River Itchen and its tributaries. It is on the edge of the South Downs, Britain's newest National Park, although Hampshire's most wonderful rural retreat is the New Forest, also a National Park.

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First bagged by William the Conqueror as his royal hunting ground, the 80 square miles of the New Forest are a splendid mosaic of woodland, marsh, heath and farmland.

The story of its unique landscape, its herds of deer and wild ponies, its archaic laws, its characters such as Brusher Mills the snake catcher, is well told in the New Forest Museum (02380 283444/www.newforestcentre.org.uk) at Lyndhurst, honeypot capital of the region.

Nearby Beaulieu (01590 612 345/www.beaulieu.co.uk) also beckons. The National Motor Museum here traces the history of wheels in Britain, with 250 classics from historic bangers to Del Boy's Reliant Robin, Mr Bean's lime green Mini, Bond's Aston Martin and Campbell's Bluebird.

EXPLORE
The most rewarding way to enjoy the New Forest is on two wheels. It is one of the most cycle-friendly areas in the country with more than 150 miles of waymarked cycleways and gentle gradients. Several cycle hire outlets can provide mounts and also maps. Try Country Lanes (01590 622 627/www.countrylanes.co.uk), housed in a disused railway carriage in Brockenhurst.

STAY
Winchester's Hotel du Vin & Bistro (01962 841414/www.hotelduvin.com/winchester) is a recycled Queen Anne mansion that is now a buzzy wine-themed brasserie with rooms.

Doubles from £140 per night (two sharing), room only. Portsmouth has a new swish boutique hotel, The Clarence (02392 876 348/ www.theclarencehotel.co.uk), converted from an Edwardian house. Doubles from £85 per night (two sharing), B&B. In the New Forest, New Park Manor (01590 623 467/ www.newparkmanorhotel.co.uk) was Charles II's favourite hunting lodge and has its own equestrian centre and spa. Doubles from £99 per night (two sharing), B&B.

DON'T MISS
A prize-winning cream tea at Thatched Cottage (01590 623 090/www.thatchedcottage.co.uk) in Brockenhurst, best enjoyed, conscience-free, after a long day's pedalling in the New Forest. Thatched Cottage Complete Cream Tea, £12.50pp.

INFORMATION: Visit Hampshire: 01962 840 500/www.visit-hampshire.co.uk