HUNDREDS of retirees will have visited Petersfield during February to enjoy its coffee and tea café’s and country market town atmosphere.

Petersfield has quietly become one of a tour company’s top go-to places in Hampshire, after a ‘destination spy’ visited the town last year.

Trip planning manager Norman Bradshaw of GB Tours from Birkenhead is behind it becoming a favourite day out for up to 10 coaches at a time of retirees and pensioners.

He said: “We organise winter and autumn breaks at a holiday camp on Hayling Island for pensioners and people hat are retired.

“We normally run about 10 coaches of visitors down there every time, mainly from the Shropshire and Cheshire area.

“We are always on the lookout for new places to take them for day trips.

“Last year we heard about Petersfield and one of our people went and looked around and liked it so much it was put on the trip itinerary.”

The coaches drop their passengers of in town, and then park in laybys along The Causeway, before collecting the refreshed and happy trippers two to three hours later.

There were three trips here in the first three weeks of February, and there are more planned for October.

One delighted tripper said: “Our daughter used to work here, but we didn’t know it was such a lovely place. We are going to take her back a souvenir.”