The Cultural Experience Winter Weekend
Expert Talks, Historic Visits and a Private Dinner aboard HMS Warrior
A Weekend of History, Great Company and Dinner aboard HMS Warrior
Spend a winter weekend immersed in history and surrounded by people who love it as much as you do. Join our historians, fellow travellers and the Cultural Experience team in Hampshire on 22–24 January 2027 for fascinating talks, a choice of historical excursions and a memorable private dinner aboard HMS Warrior.
Whether you are catching up with familiar faces or joining us for the first time, you will find a warm welcome. Our Winter Weekends bring guests and historians together over shared meals and lively conversations: a chance to exchange travel stories, discuss the history that fascinates you and find inspiration for your next journey.
A Private Dinner aboard HMS Warrior
Picture an evening of good food and conversation aboard one of Britain’s most remarkable historic warships. On Saturday, we step aboard HMS Warrior at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for a private dinner: the centrepiece of our 2027 Winter Weekend.
Launched in 1860, Britain’s first iron-hulled, armoured warship transformed naval warfare. Today, she offers an extraordinary setting in which to round off a day of discovery with our historians and fellow travellers.
Share the day’s stories, continue the historical discussions and enjoy the company that makes these gatherings so special. Your private HMS Warrior dinner is included in the weekend price.
Header photograph: HMS Warrior by HJ Mitchell, CC BY 4.0. Resized for display.
Interior photograph: Interior of HMS Warrior, Portsmouth, Hampshire by Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for display.
Inside HMS Warrior: a glimpse of the historic ship hosting our private dinner.
Expert Talks and Your Choice of Historical Excursion
Let your curiosity lead the way. Friday’s illustrated talks bring you together with historians leading a selection of our 2027 tours. On Saturday, choose between two very different journeys into Hampshire’s past.
Portsmouth at War: D-Day and the Defence of Britain
Explore the Victorian defences at Fort Nelson, then discover Portsmouth’s role in Operation Overlord at The D-Day Story, including the surviving landing craft LCT 7074.
Kings, Bishops and Power: Medieval Hampshire
Walk through the world of medieval Church and Crown with Dr Katherine Weikert of the University of Winchester. Visit the evocative ruins of Bishop’s Waltham Palace, Romsey Abbey and Wolvesey Castle as she brings their royal and ecclesiastical connections to life.
Lunch is included on either excursion. Choose your Saturday excursion when booking, then come together again for our private dinner aboard HMS Warrior.
Photograph: Bishop’s Waltham Palace by Michael Coppins, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display.
Bishop’s Waltham Palace: part of our medieval Hampshire excursion.
Your Winter Weekend Package: £995 per person
- Two nights at the Solent Hotel & Spa.
- Friday’s programme of illustrated historical talks.
- Welcome coffee and pastries, plus Friday lunch and refreshments.
- Your choice of Saturday historical excursion, with lunch included.
- Friday evening dinner at the hotel and Saturday’s private dinner aboard HMS Warrior.
- Sunday breakfast before departure.
See the full programme below. Please arrive by 09:30 on Friday; additional hotel nights before or after the weekend may be booked separately.
Join us for £995 per person. Choose your Saturday excursion when booking. The single supplement is £125.
Book your Winter Weekend place or call 0345 475 1815 if you would like to talk through the weekend with our team.
Tour Details
Interested in this tour but not ready to book? Register your interest using the link below and we will keep you updated on the progress of the tour.
"The talks from the experts were the highlight – fascinating, accessible, and delivered with real passion."
Previous Winter Weekend Attendee
Great Company, Shared History: Our 2026 Kent Gallery
A look back at our wonderful Winter Weekend in Kent in January 2026, when guests joined us for a memorable few days of fascinating historical talks, visits to historic sites, excellent food and, above all, great company.
Our Winter Weekends have become a much-loved opportunity for guests, historians and the Cultural Experience team to get together, share their enthusiasm for history and catch up with familiar faces, while making plenty of new friends along the way.
Browse the photographs below for a flavour of the occasion, and join us for our next Winter Weekend in Hampshire, 22–24 January 2027, featuring a fresh programme of expert talks, a choice of historical excursions and a very special private dinner aboard HMS Warrior.
Join us in Hampshire: book your 2027 Winter Weekend. £995 per person.
Itinerary
Friday 22 January 2027 – Arrival and Historical Talks
Friday 22 January 2027 – Arrival and Historical Talks
Arrive at the Solent Hotel & Spa by 09:30, where pastries and coffee will be served during our introductory welcome. During the day, choose from up to five illustrated talks given by historians who will be leading a selection of our 2027 tours. Lunch and refreshments will be provided during the day, followed by dinner at the hotel this evening.
Saturday 23 January 2027 – Choice of Historical Excursions
Saturday 23 January 2027 – Choice of Historical Excursions
Clients must choose one of the following excursions when booking.
Portsmouth at War: D-Day and the Defence of Britain
Visit Fort Nelson, one of the great Victorian forts built to protect Portsmouth, before continuing to The D-Day Story at Southsea, exploring the city’s role in the planning and launch of Operation Overlord. The museum includes LCT 7074, a rare surviving D-Day landing craft.
Kings, Bishops and Power: Medieval Hampshire
Led by expert medieval historian Dr Katherine Weikert of the University of Winchester
Explore medieval power through Bishop’s Waltham Palace, one of the principal residences of the Bishops of Winchester; Romsey Abbey, with its strong royal and aristocratic connections; and Wolvesey Castle, the Old Bishop’s Palace at Winchester. Throughout the day, our historian will examine the relationship between Church and Crown and the influence of bishops, abbeys and royal authority on medieval society.
Lunch is included during both excursions.
Dinner aboard HMS Warrior
Our final evening provides one of the highlights of the weekend: dinner aboard HMS Warrior in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Launched in 1860, Warrior was Britain’s first iron-hulled, armoured warship and represented a revolution in naval warfare. After the day’s excursions, we will step aboard this magnificent Victorian warship for a memorable private dinner in one of Portsmouth’s most atmospheric historic settings.
Sunday 24 January 2027 – Departure
Sunday 24 January 2027 – Departure
The weekend concludes after breakfast at the Solent Hotel & Spa. Additional nights at the hotel may be booked both before and after the event, allowing more time to enjoy the hotel and its leisure facilities or explore the surrounding area.