Southampton: Where Journeys Begin

Southampton: Where Journeys Begin kicks off at The Bargate on Saturday 5 September, a guided walking tour run by the Southampton Tourist Guides Association. The walk was created to mark the association's 50th anniversary, and it's led by its own members, so you're out with the people who know the city's stories inside out.

The route takes in the Old Town, threading together the quiet corners and side streets that visitors rarely see on guided tours with the city's most well-trodden paths, including the Bargate itself. It's a good way to see the parts of the centre that usually stay in the background while you're passing through on your way somewhere else.

Much of the narrative comes from the testimony of long-standing local residents who witnessed the city's evolution first hand, so the stories aren't just pulled from a guidebook — they're told by people who lived through them. The route spans Southampton's history from medieval times and before, right through to the more recent decades since the 1970s, so it covers a huge stretch of time in one go.

It starts at The Bargate, High Street, SO14 2DJ, at 11am, and tickets start from £11.