HERITAGE | Colour, otters and sunshine at Winchester City Mill

As I write this, the weather in the UK is in rather a tempestuous mood. With fallen trees, cancelled flights - and in my garden, broken pots - the past weekend of spring sunshine is long gone.

Switching our usual rural weekend jaunts to a city stop, my husband and I sought out nearby Winchester and its city mill.

The sunshine was glorious - and while it was short-lived, it certainly felt like spring was in the air. The colours of leaves, moss and buds in the mill's garden were equally vibrant and seemingly full of life.

Inside, or rather underneath the mill, the rushing water that still powers the millstones was exceptionally fast - far more so than I expected! And, it was fantastic to see such a traditional practice in action. The bonus of which is that I was able to buy some of Winchester City Mill's own wholemeal flour.

Check out my next post for a yummy National Trust recipe using the mill's flour.

Another pleasant and unexpected addition to the trip was learning that otters are frequent visitors at Winchester Mill! Cameras record their activity in and out of the River Itchen that runs through the building - it's amazing to watch them on the TV screens when they're not active.

You can even subscribe to the otter's very own Youtube channel and Twitter account.