What’s on in St Giles Hill Park in 2026?

St Giles Hill Park is renowned for its views and its contribution to the city of Winchester. In 2026 we invite you to enjoy the Park and join in with some of the activities and events the Friends of St Giles Hill Park are arranging. All the heritage and nature themed events are free as we want as many people as possible to appreciate this amazing historic natural open space.

In September and October we begin to focus on the future. We are creating a Strategic Framework Plan for the Park for ourselves and generations to come. Here are some dates for diaries.

Bats, Birds and Butterflies

On the birding front then we are planning a Dawn Chorus stroll on Sunday 26 April at 5am, the time when the crescendo of song is at its greatest. Tom Jordan of Hampshire Ornithological Society will be on hand to help interpret what we see and hear.

On Wednesday 29 April at 8pm and Saturday 5 September at 7.15pm we are holding Bat observation and detection nights in association with the myself and Bailey Riches of the Hampshire Bat Group. St Giles Hill Park is a bat hotspot. Home to 7 recorded species, four at least can usually be seen and heard during an evening.

On Saturday 18 July at 2.30pm we will be having a Big Butterfly Count with Steve Bolton of the Hampshire and IOW Wildlife Trust. We shall also be providing a grassland and pollinator training session in June as we increase our linkage with the HIWWT who this year have already provided guidance and seeds for areas of the Park where we have been busy clearing encroaching scrub over the winter.

St Giles Hill walks and talks

There will be themed walks during the year to enjoy Winchester’s iconic St Giles Hill Park including several during the Winchester Garden Festival in June. The dates for these being Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June both at 10.30am and a third on Sunday 28 June at 4.30pm.

For the Heritage Open Days in September two walks are being offered on Thursday 17 September at 10.30 and Friday 18 September at 10.30am with the “Exploring the heritage and everyday history of St Giles Hill, the Soke and its Park”.

A Talk: The Execution of Earl Waltheof – 950 years ago

Earl Waltheof, once favoured by William the Conqueror, fell out of favour and Waltheof became the only English Earl to be executed on the orders of William the Conqueror. Waltheof was beheaded on St Giles Hill at dawn on 31 May 1076, 950 years ago.

The plan is to mark this occasion on the day with a short commemoration at the viewpoint. This will be followed by a talk in the Cathedral Pavilion (available online also) being given by Harry Mycock on Tuesday 2 June at 7.30pm on “Waltheof and the history of St Giles Hill” for the Friends of Winchester Cathedral.

August Eclipse Night

On the 12th August there will be an eclipse of the sun with 93% totality is visible from Winchester. St. Giles Hill Park is going to be a great place to experience (with suitable eye protection) this first European eclipse in 27 years. It will begin at 6.17pm, peak at 7.14pm and end at 8.07pm. This makes it perfect for an early evening gathering with friends to enjoy this rare event from the vantage point of our wonderful Park.

St Giles Day Walk

On 1st September at 6pm, there will be an opportunity to learn a little more about St Giles and why our Park is named after him. There will be a short walk to take in the Park and the nearby St Giles Hill Graveyard.

A Talk: St. Giles Hill in the Winchester Landscape

On 22nd September, we have a talk and discussion with Kim Wilkie, the internationally famous local landscape designer, Ed Gant of Lichen Studio, who we are commissioning to prepare a Strategic Plan for the Park and Bob Wallbridge, Chairman of the City of Winchester Trust. Being held in the ARC Performance area this event will examine the importance of St. Giles Hill to Winchester and discuss how a Victorian recreation ground for “scallywags” can meet the challenges of the modern day.

Public Consultations on our Draft Strategic Plan

In October, we will be organising a series of public engagement meetings for people to give feedback on the draft plan which will then be fed into the final publication.

Working Parties

Last but not least, you are welcome to join Working Parties which are usually on the last Saturday and first Wednesday of each month, meeting at 10am at the junction of Northbrook Avenue and Baring Road. There are tasks for everyone, all with the aim of improving the Park in line with the City Council’s Management Plan. There is an opportunity to meet up with local people and sometimes other guest volunteers such as from The Ramblers, Winchester City Council, Savills and students from the University of Winchester.

To become a Friend, and find other ways to help us, click here. To learn about planned activities please visit our Events page here.