The Day We Hit The Coast: Portsmouth
After dinner on the Isle of Wight at a Malaysian Restuarant we caught the hovercraft back to Portsmouth.
Portsmouth is a port city which is fun to visit because of the walls and towers defending the city and because of the big dry dock with lots of old ships. The city centre is easily walkable but if you would like to take public transit this is the link: http://myjourneyportsmouth.com/bus
Back in Portsmouth we all walked along the water front towards the train station and watched the sun set.
We really like to visit the ocean every once and awhile. One thing that we lack living in Birmingham is a waterfront area unless you count the canal.
We walked along the sea wall. Portsmouth is heavily fortified being a port city. The wall makes for a great place to go for a walk.
An art gallery moved in to these spaces called Hotwalls Studios. This happened awhile after this visit.
The Round Tower started out as a wooden one back in 1426 in the time of King Henry V and then a stone tower was created later on. Changes were made over the years such as improvements during the Napoleonic Wars.
We got a little bit lost trying to make it back to the train station. Eventually we found our way. We did find a lot of boats in the harbour.
We dropped my Uncle off at the train station then walked to the Airbnb we booked.
We used Airbnb for our stay in Portsmouth. We looked and found that hotels in Portsmouth were expensive at least for the days we needed. We use Airbnb in these sorts of situations when we are only staying a couple nights.
For those of you who don't know what airbnb is, its a website for people all over the world to list their bedrooms, sofa beds, cottages, flats, houses, caravans etc. out to people who want to rent them. It's a really cool concept, you can view their property and reviews on the website. If you like what you see you book online, they don't get paid until after your stay.
We booked a private double bedroom. We shared the bathroom and living space with the couples who owned the house. They were nice people and we spent a few hours getting to know them. To view their Airbnb go here. If you ever find yourself in Portsmouth, check and see if their place is available to stay in.
The next morning we had tea with our hosts at the Airbnb and got to know them a little more. Then we walked to Gunwharf Quays.
We walked through the city centre area which had some nice buildings like the Portsmouth Guildhall.
Gunwharf Quays is a nice shopping area that we had fun walking around.
One of the attractions of Portsmouth is the Spinnaker Tower which you can go up.
There is a lot of boats to see in the Portsmouth harbour.
We had lunch in the harbour and then walked over to Portsmouth's Historical Dockyard
There were old ships in the dockyard which were quite cool to see. Some of the ships you were able to go on board.
We went and sat along the sea wall and watched the boats until our bus was scheduled to leave.
We went back to Portsmouth's harbour and boarded our Mega Bus back to Birmingham.
This was a really great weekend.I would definitely recommend visiting the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth. It felt like we saw quite a bit in a pretty short amount of time.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post and want to see more seaside towns, check out our post on "Behind the Walls of Southampton"
Portsmouth is a port city which is fun to visit because of the walls and towers defending the city and because of the big dry dock with lots of old ships. The city centre is easily walkable but if you would like to take public transit this is the link: http://myjourneyportsmouth.com/bus
Back in Portsmouth we all walked along the water front towards the train station and watched the sun set.
We really like to visit the ocean every once and awhile. One thing that we lack living in Birmingham is a waterfront area unless you count the canal.
We could see Spitbank Fort out there which is apparently a place you can visit.
We walked along the sea wall. Portsmouth is heavily fortified being a port city. The wall makes for a great place to go for a walk.
An art gallery moved in to these spaces called Hotwalls Studios. This happened awhile after this visit.
There were some areas of the fortified wall that we were able to go inside.
We got a little bit lost trying to make it back to the train station. Eventually we found our way. We did find a lot of boats in the harbour.
We used Airbnb for our stay in Portsmouth. We looked and found that hotels in Portsmouth were expensive at least for the days we needed. We use Airbnb in these sorts of situations when we are only staying a couple nights.
For those of you who don't know what airbnb is, its a website for people all over the world to list their bedrooms, sofa beds, cottages, flats, houses, caravans etc. out to people who want to rent them. It's a really cool concept, you can view their property and reviews on the website. If you like what you see you book online, they don't get paid until after your stay.
We booked a private double bedroom. We shared the bathroom and living space with the couples who owned the house. They were nice people and we spent a few hours getting to know them. To view their Airbnb go here. If you ever find yourself in Portsmouth, check and see if their place is available to stay in.
The next morning we had tea with our hosts at the Airbnb and got to know them a little more. Then we walked to Gunwharf Quays.
We walked through the city centre area which had some nice buildings like the Portsmouth Guildhall.
Of course they had a red telephone booth as it wouldn't be England without them.
Spinnaker |
There is a lot of boats to see in the Portsmouth harbour.
HMS Warrior |
HMS Victory |
We went and sat along the sea wall and watched the boats until our bus was scheduled to leave.
This was a really great weekend.I would definitely recommend visiting the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth. It felt like we saw quite a bit in a pretty short amount of time.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post and want to see more seaside towns, check out our post on "Behind the Walls of Southampton"
Cool! It looks like you experienced a lot of neat things! I love traveling and seeing new sights and eating new food.
ReplyDeleteSo do we! We had a wonderful time in Portsmouth.
DeleteThose pictures are amazing. Can almost smell the sea salt!!
ReplyDelete:) thanks
DeleteLooks like a truly wonderful weekend trip! I enjoyed looking at your pictures, fascinating architecture.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes it was a great weekend trip.
DeleteI have never heard of Portsmouth before! Looks like loads of fun!
ReplyDeleteIt was great.
DeleteYour photos are beautiful and make me want to visit Portsmouth. Maybe someday, because my son and DIL live in England!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Hope you make it there soon!
DeleteThis are beautiful pictures! I especially love that little teal building.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yeah Its cute.
DeleteWOW! What a trip! I would love to go here someday.. Thanks so much for sharing this and all of the pictures!
ReplyDeleteHope you make it there. Thanks for reading.
DeleteAll of your pictures are lovely! I have never used Air bnb, i have been tempted but it has always kind of scared me for some reason lol
ReplyDeleteThis was our first one and not our last. We love it.
DeleteIt looks like a great place to visit! So much to see!
ReplyDeleteYeah Its lovely. :)
DeleteLooks like it was a great trip! Glad you guys had such a good time - I would have loved being able to go into the ships!
ReplyDeleteYeah the ship's were pretty cool!
DeletePortsmouth is a pretty city. I used to go to the Naval Hospital there when we were stationed at Fort Eustis, but I wish I had spent more time exploring it.
ReplyDeleteIts actually a pretty big city. I think we missed quite a bit.
DeleteSuch a cute little town! I love how clean it looks. And the sights look amazing! I haven't tried Airbnb yet. I'm hoping to try them out in the next year or so.
ReplyDeleteIt was really clean! I think because it seemed to be an older generation that lived here. Airbnb is great! It is a much better experience than a hotel.
DeleteYour pictures are lovely. Looks like a great place to visit!
ReplyDeleteThank you. It was wonderful.
DeleteThat Spitbank Fort looks old in the outside but very glamorous in the inside. You can even held your special occasions here. It was so impressive.
ReplyDeleteGood to know! We didn't make it in. Thank you.
DeleteI love harbor towns! Looks like great trip!
ReplyDeleteus too!
DeleteThat was a busy trip! It's good to know that you can do so much there. I've never been to Portsmouth before and it would be nice to visit.
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely place to visit. We recommend going if you get the chance.
DeleteLove the view. Portsmouth has a humid continental climate in spite of its maritime position, due to prevailing inland winds. Summers are moderately warm with winter days averaging around the freezing point, but with cold nights bringing it below the required −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm to have a humid continental climate.
ReplyDeleteGreat view isn't it. :) We didn't find it too bad when we were there. I guess with is being on the coast it could get some chilled winds!
Delete