Why Petersfield?
Petersfield is the perfect place for a group of young students to explore:
- It's safe. It is a small, friendly market town where your students can safely experience life in England.
- It's interesting. It is full of historic buildings, monuments and museums.
- It's beautiful. Its famous Heath and Pond are just 10 mins walk. It on the edge of the South Downs National Park.
- It's fun. It has swimming, tennis, golf and a cinema.
- It's 2 hours from London on the train!
A small, country town, set in the South Downs National Park. With its
beautiful Market Square and famous Heath and Pond just 10 minutes’ walk
from the centre, it’s a very special place – with a town and country feel.
It's also very easy to get to lots of other fantastic places from Petersfield - including Winchester, Portsmouth, South Downs National Park Forest, Brighton, Jane Austen’s house in Chawton and many more. See our Group activities page for things your group can do in Petersfield and beyond.
It's very easy to get to London - and the main London airports - from Petersfield.
Activities and Excursions
See our Group activities page for information about how we can help to arrange activities for your group.
Petersfield Places to visit
There is a wide range of places you can visit, starting with local visits and then places further afield.
Local places you can visit on foot
The Square and Market
Petersfield has a lovely central square, surrounded by shops of all sorts and with its attractive church right on the Square itself. There is a market every Wednesday and Saturday
The Heath and Pond
This is probably Petersfield’s top attraction! Just 5-10 minutes’ walk from the Square you will find this hug nature reserve with a beautiful lake (known the Pond). A wonderful place to relax, play ball sports and enjoy nature.
South Downs
Petersfield is in the heart of the South Downs, a National Park. The Downs go from Brighton in the East to Winchester in the West. It’s a range of hills which have beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. People are often confused by the word “Down” used for something that is actually “up”! It comes from the old English “Dun”, a hill.
Open-air swimming pool
Petersfield is lucky to have an open-air pool, situated very close to the centre.
Specialist shops
Petersfield has all the usual big chains, but also a lot of specialist, independing shops.
Easily reached by coach or public transport
London
Petersfield is on an express train line to London. Trains take around 1 hour, 10 minutes to reach Waterloo Station, which is on the south bank of the river Thames, very close to many of the main sights, including the River, Houses of Parliament (Big Ben), London Eye.
Portsmouth
The naval city of Portsmouth is easy to get to by train. There you will find the Historic Dockyard - you can go aboard Nelson’s ship, the HMS Victory, and the 1860 HMS Warrior. Gunwharf Quays is great for designer clothes - this Portsmouth retail park also has water side bars and restaurants. Spinnaker Tower - the views are great from the top!
Winchester
Winchester, with its famous cathedral, is an hour away.
Other places you can visit by bus, train or coach
- Chichester
- Brighton
… and many other places of interest.
Visits by mini-bus or coach
(places not easily visited by public transport)
- South Downs
- Chawton (to visit Jane Austen’s house)
Other local activities
Tennis – there are lots of public tennis courts.
Golf – organised by arrangement, including group sessions where students are taught the basic shots.
Sing-songs – we can organise a young guitarist to meet your group and get them singing some English songs!
Transport options
Getting around is easy for groups based in Petersfield.
On foot
Petersfield is a small town, and the centre and Heath, with its Pond, can easily be visited on foot. For groups wanting to walk further, there are also fantastic countryside itineraries on foot of between 3 and 15 kilometers.
Local bus
You can visit some very interesting and attractive towns, for example Chichester, Winchester. Fares are reasonable, though more expensive than similar journeys in most other countries.
Train
Petersfield has direct connections with:
- London
- Portsmouth
- Guildford
Train travel in the UK is not cheap, but special fares are available for groups.
Coach
A private coach gives you total flexibility and is the best option for groups of 30+