Mini Stays
Christchurch
Mini Stays are for teachers, language schools, agents or other organisations who would like to bring a group to one of our wonderful small and friendly English towns! This service is especially suitable for school groups coming to England during term-time.
35 People
Max capacity
100 Mins LGW
90 Mins LHR
Time to/from airport by road
115 Mins
Time to/from London by road (coach)
Direct
Train to London
Best Time to visit?
Mar - Oct
What’s the vibe?
Quaint, Coastal, Historic, Relaxed, Picturesque
Why Christchurch?
Christchurch is the perfect place for a group of young students to explore.
It's safe. It is a small, friendly town where your students can safely experience life in England.
It's interesting. It has a ruined castle, a quay and harbour. The New Forest and the beach are nearby.
It's beautiful. It has a medieval priory, nature reserves and riverside walks.
It's fun. It has the beach, sailing, tennis, and a cinema.
It's under two hours from London on the train!
A small friendly town on the south coast of England, Christchurch has a harbour, beaches, nature reserves and historically important buildings. Tucked between Bournemouth with its pier and beaches to the west, and the New Forest famed for its wild ponies to the east, there's lots to see and do in the area.
It's also very easy to get to lots of other fantastic places from Christchurch - including Stonehenge, Southampton, Bournemouth and the New Forest.
It's easy to get to London - and the main London airports - from Christchurch.
Activities & Excursions
We can organise the perfect itinerary for your group. This can include private coach trips or use trains and buses.
Here is a typical week's itinerary - this example is for Winchester. We can adapt your group's activities to take account of your budget and your students' interests.
If you don’t want us to organise the itinerary for you and include all planning and transport in the price, you can do-it-yourself. We will make a small charge for advising/helping you with this.
|
Sun |
Mon |
Tues |
Wed |
Thurs |
Fri |
Sat |
|
|
Morn |
Lessons |
Lessons |
Lessons |
Lessons |
Lessons |
London full-day trip |
|
|
Noon |
Arrive, collection by host families |
Visit Winchester Cathedral, Round Table |
Trip to Stonehenge |
Visit Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium |
Swimming at River Park & Walk up St Giles Hill |
Free for shopping in town! |
London full-day trip |
|
Eve |
Dinner and settle in with families |
Dinner, meet for a sing-song with local guitarist |
Dinner with families |
Dinner with families, cinema trip |
Dinner with families |
Party |
London full-day trip |
Places to visit
There is a wide range of places you can visit, starting with local visits and places futher afield.
Local places you can visit on foot
The Quay
Christchurch is on two rivers (the Avon and the Stour) about one mile from the sea. The Quay, on the other side of the beautiful Priory (church) from the High Street, is a great place to chill out and watch the swans and local boat traffic on the Stour.
Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head is a promontory with a cliff on its sea side, with a lovely beach below. “The Head” as we know it locally, is a large nature reserve with views back to Christchurch over the natural Harbour. At the end of the Head, there is a famous beach-hut community (beach huts are small, wooden houses) which enjoys views across to the Isle of Wight. There’s a popular café/restaurant there. It’s a magical, car-free place. Dolphins are often seen out to sea.
Southbourne beach
Just west of Christchurch is one of Bournemouth’s best beaches, with its own café area, lifeguards (in summer) and water-sports options.
Other local activities
Tennis
There are lots of public tennis courts around the Winchester area for a game or two!
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!
Easily reached by coach or public transport
London
Christchurch is on an express train line to London. Trains take around 2 hours 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.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth, with its famous Pier, central gardens, shops, restaurants and pubs is Christchurch’s big neighbour – just 10 minutes on the train, or you can take a bus.
Winchester
Winchester, with its spectacular cathedral, is an hour away.
Other places you can visit by train or coach
Brockenhurst (New Forest)
Dorchester (Thomas Hardy country)
… and many other places of interest.
Visits by mini-bus or coach
(places not easily visited by public transport)
Jurassic Coast
New Forest
Transport
options
Getting around is easy for groups based in Christchurch
On foot
Christchurch is a small town, and the centre, Priory, Quay and ruined Castle, 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 kilometres both toward the sea and inland on the Avon Valley long-distance path.
Local bus
You can visit some very interesting and attractive towns, for example Ringwood, Lymington. Fares are reasonable, though more expensive than similar journeys in most other countries.
Train
Christchurch has direct connections with:
London
Winchester
Dorchester
Weymouth
and many other places of interest.
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+