Question for John Bull

You were so much help when I planned our 2010 British Isles cruise, and now I am delighted to find you still here helping everyone.

We are doing another British Isles cruise August 5, 2019 out of Southampton, and we are considering booking a b&b for 3 nights in Portsmouth. Other than the Navy Museum, what should we plan to see/do? Good places to eat?

Thanks for your help.

Virginia Wheat (Tillys mom)

Sent from my iPad using Forums

You were so much help when I planned our 2010 British Isles cruise, and now I am delighted to find you still here helping everyone.

We are doing another British Isles cruise August 5, 2019 out of Southampton, and we are considering booking a b&b for 3 nights in Portsmouth. Other than the Navy Museum, what should we plan to see/do? Good places to eat?

Thanks for your help.

Virginia Wheat (Tillys mom)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Adding another question- would it be possible to hire transportation for 4 to see Salisbury Cathedral, Bath and Stonehenge with return to Portsmouth?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

While you are waiting for John, you might want to look at the thread just below about ‘what to do in Southampton’ as he has put info about Portsmouth on there.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Two main areas in Portsmouth to consider.....

Yes, the Historic Dockyard & Ships is the main attraction.

There's more than a day's-worth there, but your ticket gives you unlimited re-admission for a year although your admission ticket is marked when you board a ship - you can only board the ships once on your ticket. But you can avoid overload by spending part of each day there.

Near the dockyard is a leisure / shopping / boating complex, Gunwharf Quays, so-named because it was where munitions were loaded onto warships. Its centrepiece is the "Spinnaker Tower", visible from miles away.

Between dockyard & Gunwharf is "the Hard" - bus station, Portsmouth Harbour rail station, hi-speed ferries to the Isle of Wight, cross-harbour ferries (Gosport Ferry), round-the-harbour trips. etc.

The other area is Southsea seafront.

Southsea is a seaside resort town conjoined with Portsmouth (only locals know where the join is) and the seafront is about 2 miles from the dockyard..A pleasant promenade, looking across the Solent to the Solent forts (you pass them on your sail-out) and the Isle of Wight. Along the promenade, a bit of a funfair (small & very 1950's), hovercraft to the Isle of Wight, Aquarium, D-Day museum, Southsea Castle (from which Henry V111 watched Mary Rose capsize as she headed out - topheavy with cannon & fusiliers - to face the French). The castle is small, but entrance is free. Many other smaller attractions and memorials, and Southsea Pier.

If you're feeling energetic you could walk between the two areas - starting at the promenade on Southsea seafront is simplest - walk past the funfair, hug the shoreline past the Garrison Church on Governor's Green, past the Square Tower, the Sally Port & the Round Tower to the Still & West pub at the harbour entrance (you now deserve a pint), then near the (disappointing small & modern) Portsmouth cathedral then Isle of Wight car ferry terminal and the Millenium Walk to Gunwharf for more refreshment. You'll take an hour or more

https://goo.gl/maps/uSrMqZUxEUz

Other places in the city include Charles Dickens' birthplace & the Royal Marines museum.

On the Gosport side of the harbour, the Submarine Museum (centred on a WW2 submarine but many more exhibits) and Explosions museum of naval firepower - you can visit these by waterbus from alongside Warrior https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/site-attractions/plan-your-visit/opening-times

The Explosions museum is housed in one of the ring of forts which encircle Portsmouth (google Palmerston's Follies).

Some forts are still used by the navy, some have fallen into disuse, some are now industrial estates, some have been put to other uses.

One of them (Fort Nelson) on Portsdown Hill behind Portsmouth is an excellent artillery museum - free entry but you'll need taxis to & from.

Two of the mid-Solent forts are luxury retreat hotels - as a surprise birthday treat I was taken to one for a weekend.:cool:

Also needing a taxi (it's about 7 miles away at the top end of Portsmouth Harbour) is Portchester Castle. Outer wall & (now dry) moat is Roman, the keep is Norman. Small entrance fee, but it's very much a castle ruin.

Three nights?

Perhaps you should have made it three weeks :D

JB :)

Theoretically you can fit Salisbury, Bath & Stonehenge into a long day but it's about 8 hours travelling so a 9am start & 8pm return would give you a half-hour in Salisbury, an hour at Stonehenge and 1.5 hours in Bath - all the barest of minimums that you need.

Starting at 8am instead of 9am would put you into commuter traffic between Portsmouth & Winchester so would only give you about half an hour extra.

I guess a 6.30am start would put you ahead of the worst of the traffic but Bath (the furthest) would be your first stop, Salisbury your second stop, then a 20 minute double-back to Stonehenge (which closes later than Salisbury) before heading back to Portsmouth.

You are also advised to book a timed arrival slot for Stonehenge & if the timing don't work out you'd have to give a miss to Salisbury Cathedral.

All-in-all I really think it's jamming in far too much.

If that doesn't dissuade you, e-mail www.smithsforairports.com and www.aquacars.co,uk (both based in Portsmouth) and their quotes will do the dissuading ;)

JB :)

Do they have a small train or bus to take you around the area ?

Do they have a small train or bus to take you around the area ?

In the dockyard?

No, I don't think there is, though its a couple of years since I last visited.

But it's quite compact, distances aren't huge - from the dockyard entrance to the furthest point (the Mary Rose) is about 500 yards, or to the entrance to Gunwharf mebbe 300 yards.

Local buses & taxis between there and Southsea seafront, and during the season there's a little land-train along Southsea seafront.

JB :)

In the dockyard?

 

JB :)

In Portsmouth :)

In Portsmouth :)

Other than the Southsea seafront land-train (which just goes back & forth along the prom) it's only local buses or taxis.

No ho-ho (it'd be a waste of time).

But a "travel interchange" - bus station, train station, ferry terminals, tour boats, etc - located between dockyard & Gunwharf, which as per my post are only 300 yards apart.

And the only other tourist-worthy place for a day-visitor is Southsea seafront.

JB :)

Fantastic info as usual. Thanks

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you for the information!

Just a heads-up JB. The Royal Marines museum. is now closed. It operates mainly as a very nice wedding venue (my DD had her reception there), but the galleries are no longer open to the general public.

There is talk of a new one but no action yet.

Getting around Portsmouth and Southsea is easy. Uber or Aqua Cars (Same thing) are cheap and plentiful. Drivers do not expect a tip beyond rounding up.

Just a heads-up JB. The Royal Marines museum. is now closed. It operates mainly as a very nice wedding venue (my DD had her reception there), but the galleries are no longer open to the general public.

 

Thanks for the heads-up, Bob.

I knew it was moving into the Dockyard, but surprised it's not a move over the winter months.

The present location is the "wrong" end of the seafront for visitors, and re-locating to the Historic Dockyard makes a lot of sense.

Or just mebbe greedy eyes are on the development potential of the present site. :confused:

JB :)

Thanks for the heads-up, Bob.

 

I knew it was moving into the Dockyard, but surprised it's not a move over the winter months.

The present location is the "wrong" end of the seafront for visitors, and re-locating to the Historic Dockyard makes a lot of sense.

Or just mebbe greedy eyes are on the development potential of the present site. :confused:

 

JB :)

It is a grade 2 listed building, so options are limited. To be honest, it was no great shakes as a museum anyway, and as you say - too far out for anyone on foot. DD thinks that it will soldier on as a wedding and conference venue.

All the adjacent officers quarters have been sold off as private apartments and change hands for silly money. Here's one for £1¼m https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63965170.html

It is a grade 2 listed building, so options are limited. To be honest, it was no great shakes as a museum anyway, and as you say - too far out for anyone on foot. DD thinks that it will soldier on as a wedding and conference venue.

 

All the adjacent officers quarters have been sold off as private apartments and change hands for silly money. Here's one for £1¼m https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63965170.html

Conversion to residential is what I was thinking of.

Huge swathes of Navy buildings in Gosport, opposite the Portsmouth navy base, have gone that way. Considered buying a former officer's quarters there (somewhat less than £1.25m :D) but the road in & out of Gosport is usually log-jammed

(note to folk planning to visit the submarine base from Portsmouth - use the ferry or waterbus, it's about 3 weeks quicker than driving ;) )

JB :)

The new museum is due to open in 2020

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/images-reveal-what-portsmouth-s-new-royal-marines-museum-will-look-like-1-8416201

I am married to a local and know the Portsmouth area quite well. Old Portsmouth, which is between between Gunwarf and Southsea, is a very historic area and it is well worth a stroll around there (including the Spice Island area). You could walk out along the top of the Wall of the Sally Port (the meaning is actually an exit gate where Nelson's troops Sallied from) and back through the old town area. Some good pubs there, so good for a meal. The 'Still and West' has particularly good views of the entrance to the harbour and the passing marine traffic (best from upstairs) and also has an outside sitting area. Their lunch menu is good (not sure if it is still on the menu as have not been for a couple of years, but the small fish and chips used to be plenty, as it was a big serving Similar views from the front of the Gunwarf area, though that is basically a modern shopping area with cafes and bars at the water side.

Even if you are not looking to go to a museum in Gosport, I would still suggest a quick ride over on the ferry across the harbour from The Hard if only to get the views of Portsmouth from over the water. Pleasant grassed area there and you could take a short stroll along. I would not suggest anywhere to eat on the Gosport side but you would not go without a drink as there are pit stops around. Ferry takes 5 minutes and runs very frequently.

The number 1 bus covers Portsmouth and Southsea from The Hard does a circular route out along Southsea and back through the inland area. Not exactly a Ho Ho bus, but is a useful way of getting around and you could stay on to just ride around and get a quick view of the overall area or a good way to access places from your hotel. Again that runs very frequently - I think the route goes in both directions so worth keeping a map of the route, or you could go the long way round to where you want to go:- https://www.firstgroup.com/portsmouth-fareham-gosport/routes-and-maps/route-maps If you are unsure which stop you need you will find the local people very helpful and it is mostly locals who use that bus route.

I always find Google Earth useful for any research, but could be quite good to use in this instance.

i am married to a local and know the portsmouth area quite well. Old portsmouth, which is between between gunwarf and southsea, is a very historic area and it is well worth a stroll around there (including the spice island area). You could walk out along the top of the wall of the sally port (the meaning is actually an exit gate where nelson's troops sallied from) and back through the old town area. Some good pubs there, so good for a meal. The 'still and west' has particularly good views of the entrance to the harbour and the passing marine traffic (best from upstairs) and also has an outside sitting area. Their lunch menu is good (not sure if it is still on the menu as have not been for a couple of years, but the small fish and chips used to be plenty, as it was a big serving similar views from the front of the gunwarf area, though that is basically a modern shopping area with cafes and bars at the water side.

 

agreed (the still & west and old portsmouth are on the walking route i suggested from southsea seafront to gunwharf)

 

even if you are not looking to go to a museum in gosport, i would still suggest a quick ride over on the ferry across the harbour from the hard if only to get the views of portsmouth from over the water. Pleasant grassed area there and you could take a short stroll along. I would not suggest anywhere to eat on the gosport side but you would not go without a drink as there are pit stops around. Ferry takes 5 minutes and runs very frequently.

 

agreed again.

 

the number 1 bus covers portsmouth and southsea from the hard does a circular route out along southsea and back through the inland area. Not exactly a ho ho bus, but is a useful way of getting around and you could stay on to just ride around and get a quick view of the overall area or a good way to access places from your hotel. Again that runs very frequently - i think the route goes in both directions so worth keeping a map of the route, or you could go the long way round to where you want to go:- https://www.firstgroup.com/portsmouth-fareham-gosport/routes-and-maps/route-maps if you are unsure which stop you need you will find the local people very helpful and it is mostly locals who use that bus route.

 

the bus route 1 map is misleading because it also shows the connecting service, route 3 (in brown), so it looks like a circular route. But it's two separate routes

but route 1 goes the long way round between the hard / gunwharf and southsea seafront, takes half an hour.

Route 3 is the straightforward route, takes about 15 mins. frequency about every 10 minutes.

 

jb :)

edit - lack of caps is down to a website glitch, not a lazy left thumb LOL

the bus route 1 map is misleading because it also shows the connecting service, route 3 (in brown), so it looks like a circular route. But it's two separate routes

but route 1 goes the long way round between the hard / gunwharf and southsea seafront, takes half an hour.

Route 3 is the straightforward route, takes about 15 mins. frequency about every 10 minutes.

John - re your last post regards this, route one is a circular route and follows the whole route shown (we have used it a lot) and it goes both directions (unless they have changed it recently, which is possible). It also links with the Portsmouth Guildhall area and the main train station as some routes do not go on to Portsmouth Harbour. If it is cold or raining we have often got the bus going the opposite direction as the whole route does not take long anyway and is better than standing at a bus stop. Should be easy to get up to date advice at the Hard or from a hotel if it is near to that route.

Perhaps they use the same map for route 3 as well, but not got the time to get to the bottom of it at present. If someone wants to go direct to Southsea you have obviously given an alternative. The Hard is the terminus for many buses as you must know and it is usually easy to get up to date information there, if only from fellow passengers.