Mini Stays
Petersfield
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.
30 People
Max capacity
70 Mins LGW
65 Mins LHR
Time to/from airport by road
90 Mins
Time to/from London by road (coach)
Direct
Train to London
Best Time to visit?
Mar - Oct
What’s the vibe?
Outdoorsy, Picturesque, Peaceful, Rural, Active
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 & 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 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.
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!
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, independent 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 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)
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+