| Day 23 - Portsmouth |
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| Copyright Famocon Tours 2001 |
| Our guest house was in the area of Portsmouth known as Southsea, at the southern end of the city. This area is predominantly residential but also houses the city's main restaurant areas. We walked through this area to the harbourside and to the historic ship wharves. This is where you can see Nelson's famous ship of the line, The Victory, which is the oldest commissioned warship in the world. Guided tours start every 5 minutes and take you on a fascinating trip in time over this original ship which has been well preserved. You will see what it was like to serve on a 5 deck, 104 gun ship that was one of the most battle successful ships in history. You have never seen so many cannons on a single ship - the fire power must have been devastating. Near Admiralty House you can also visit the remains of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's pride of the fleet which accidentally sank in front of Henry. The probable cause was the newly appointed Admiral having everyone standing on the one side to wave to the king when the winds were blowing the wrong way. This caused the ship to list heavily and take water through the portholes which were open to fire a salute to the king. It is not true that the Mary Rose sank on its maiden voyage - in fact it had seen many years of active service. The museum of articles taken from the ship is also well worth a look. The other historic ship is The Warrior, a mid 1800's ironclad ship which, upon launch, made all previous warships instantly redundant. Again, this ship is well preserved and in excellent viewing condition. At the time of our visit a Navy wedding took place. We had the good fortune to see the groom and honour guard all dressed up in their spiffy best uniforms and ceremonial swords. The bride looked nice. Also in this area is the Royal Navy Museum where you can find out all about Nelson and British naval history. There is an excellent collection of original ships' figureheads on display. After leaving the historic ships we passed the Ferry Terminals before walking through the impressive new shopping and marine residential complex called Gunwharf Quays. This area is part of the massive redevelopment of the harbour frontage that has now been mostly completed. The new landscapes offer attractive pedestrian avenues that overlook one of the world's busiest waterways - the Solent. Continuing along the harbour front we passed the Round Tower, the Square Tower Sally Port and the Royal Garrison Church and braved the gale force wind and high waves sweeping up over the wall. It was quite fascinating watching those who tried to time the waves and spray as they walked along the wall - some were successful and were cheered by amused watchers - most, however, were unsuccessful and received even bigger cheers by the watchers. We arrived, mostly dry, at the Clarence Pier fun park. The usual pier amusements and funfair did not entice us - except for the two games of minigolf which we just couldn't resist. Further on, if you have time left, is the Hovercraft Terminal, Sea Life Centre and Southsea Castle. The Charles Dickens Museum and the D-Day Museum are nearby and make good viewing. That night we dined at the Chinese restaurant we went to the previous night, because the food was so good. |
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