Basingstoke Mini Guide
Tell Me More About Basingstoke
Located in the north east of the county of Hampshire, many people think that Basingstoke is a new town but it is not. Basingstoke is the source of the River Loddon and sprung up along its banks. Situated in the south east of England, many people use Basingstoke as a commuter town as it is only 50 miles away from London and is close to
Reading too. With cheap car hire in Basingstoke you can also go to the pretty cathedral town of Winchester which is only a short way away by car.
Driving / Directions in Basingstoke
You may find driving in Basingstoke to be confusing if you are travelling from abroad as it is full of roundabouts which have earned it the nickname roundabout city. This is part of the reason why Basingstoke is not so attractive, it is what the English refer to as a 'planning nightmare' when roads and buildings were constructed after the Second World War without much thought as to how they should look. Basingstoke was expanded during the 1960's from its original foundation as a market town. With a rental car in Basingstoke you can get out from the centre of the town to the surrounding North Downs which are quite pretty. These chalk hills stretch for more than 100 gorgeous miles.
Basingstoke also has a train station which is on a main line from a lot of different routes. This was mentioned all the way back in the Doomsday book records of the 11th century. Basingstoke has the postcode districts RG21,22, 23 and 24.
Getting to Basingstoke
Easily accessible by the M3 motorway, if travelling from abroad you can collect a
hire car from Heathrow or
Gatwick and make the shortjourney south west, or if arriving by sea, you can hire a car in
Southampton and head north east until you reach Basingstoke.