It is doubtful if any other small English village (pop. less than 600) can offer such a rich range of attractive and interesting places to visit and enjoy.

In Selborne, The Wakes, is home not only to The Gilbert White Museum but also a fascinating collection celebrating the life and times of Captain Lawrence Oates, the gallant hero of Captain Robert Scott's ill-fated 1910 expedition to Antartica.

The reason that the countryside surrounding the village remains much as in Gilbert White's time is that much of it is owned and managed by The National Trust and it is also protected by its status as a Conservation Area and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It will soon form part of The South Downs National Park.

Selborne makes a wonderful centre for walking - for relatively gentle hikes around the village or as a take-off point for longer distance treks as it links easily to The South Downs Way and similar cross country paths.

Riders can be put in touch with nearby stables for either tuition or hacks out on the many local bridlepaths. For less energetic equestrians, arrangements can be made for carriage rides around the sunken lanes for which the district is famed.

Other sporting activities in the immediate area include golf, with several championship class courses within six or seven miles. Gliding is availabloe at Lasham, just north of nearby Alton.

Selborne is only four miles from Chawton, where Jane Austen's former home is now a museum. 

Other places of interest within easy travelling distance include the historic cathedral cities of Winchester and Salisbury, and the market towns of Alton, Farnham and Petersfield.