THIS IS WHAT THE SOUTH COAST'S GOT TO BOAST ABOUT (Portsmouth)

Member Name: junkboxjules

Product:	Portsmouth
Date:	04/02/03 (4188 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to do, Great Shopping Facilities, 4 miles of beach

Disadvantages: Parts of the City are run down and grotty

I have lived on the South Coast of England all my life and have to admit that I take it for granted and sometimes find it hard to comprehend why people would want to flock to Portsmouth & Southsea every time we get the slightest bit of sun. I don't live in Portsmouth but have to admit that if the weather is good my family and I tend to go to Southsea for the afternoon ourselves - even though we live in a small seaside resort ourselves.

So what attracts so many people to the City of Portsmouth? It isn't the most glamorous City in England - however there is loads to see and do and as well as boasting a booming City Centre area Portsmouth is also well known for its' seaside resort Southsea, so I guess the fact that visitors to Portsmouth can combine a trip to the shops with an afternoon at the beach helps to ensure that Portsmouth remains popular with both day visitors and holiday makers alike.

The City of Portsmouth is typical of many British cities - busy, dirty, run down in places and vamped up in others. The seaside resort of Southsea however is quite the opposite, it boasts a four mile stretch of beach and gardens and is extremely popular with both locals and tourists during the Summer months.

So apart from the best football team on the South Coast what does the City of Portsmouth have to offer visitors?

**SHOPPING**

Portsmouth City Centre is where you will find the Cascades Shopping Centre. The Cascades is a purpose build undercover shopping centre which is home to many popular High Street Shops, including H & M, Early Learning Centre, Woolworth's, Etam, Marks & Spencer, Goldsmiths, The Works and The Body Shop to name a few.

The Cascades is set on two levels - the top level consists of shops and the lower level is home to a wide variety of take away food outlets, including fish and chips, chinese, sandwiches etc.

Portsmouth also has a good selection of shops based outside the Casca
des Shopping Centre including Alders, Burton's, New Look, HMV, W H Smiths and most recently a large Wilkinsons store has opened.

If you don't want the hustle and bustle of a busy town centre you may prefer to visit Southsea. Southsea only has a relatively small shopping area but it is home to the very popular John Lewis & Debenhams Department Stores. You can also find Woolworth's, W H Smiths and a couple of other popular High Street Stores in Southsea - if you are shopping for something specific I would advise you to visit Portsmouth City Centre because there is a much wider choice of shops - however, if you just want to take a leisurely browse around the shops then Southsea is probably more than adequate for your needs.

A more recent and very popular addition to Portsmouth is the classy Gunwharf Quays Designer Shopping Outlet. Gunwharf Quays is located at The Hard in Old Portsmouth, overlooking Portsmouth Harbour. Gunwharf Quays is a purpose build Designer Shopping complex which is home to over 65 Designer Outlets, including Adidas, Nike, Oakley, Ben Sherman, Thorntons, The Perfume Shop, Clinton Cards, Prices Candles, Toyzone, Ted Baker, Monsoon, Marks & Spencer Outlet, French Connection and many, many others.

In addition to the shops Gunwharf Quays is also home to an 11 screen Warner Village Cinema Comples, a 26 lane Bowlplex 10 Pin Bowling Alley and 20 restaurants and bars, including Jongleurs Comedy Club and Ken Homs Yellow River Restaurant. As well as fancy restaurants, for those who are just looking for a light snack or a budget meal, there is a Burger King Restaurant and several cafes selling snacks

Gunwharf Quays is open 7 days a week and I believe it only closes on Christmas Day.

Retail opening hours are from 10am - 6pm Monday - Wednesday, 10am - 8pm Thursday - Saturday and 11am - 5pm on Sunday.

Gunwharf Quays has it's own very large underground car park, however, beware that parking a
t Gunwharf Quays is not cheap - I think it is approximately £1 per hour, however after 6pm there is a fixed charge of £2. If you are visiting the Cinema you can get your car park ticket validated by the Cinema staff - this enables you to park for £1 for as long as you like.

Gunwharf Quays often has events taking place throughout the year including regular French Markets, children's workshops during half term and end of term holidays, a superb firework display in November and for the last two Christmas's Gunwharf Quays has accommodated an artificial ice rink in the main square which has proven to be very popular.

**MUSEUMS**

Portsmouth is home to several museums - I have detailed below the most popular three.

*~*CITY MUSEUM & RECORDS OFFICE*~*

Located in Museum Road, near Old Portsmouth, the City Museum tells the story of Portsmouth and is home to displays of local history, furniture, decorative art and contemporary craft. As well as the permanent exhibition the Museum regularly accommodates temporary exhibitions. From February 17th 2003 - April 27th 2003 the Museum will have a "Hand-written" exhibition - exhibiting Calligraphy by members of the society of Scribes and Illuminators.

The Museum is open daily except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day and admission is free.

For Further information about current exhibitions or opening hours you can telephone the Museum on 023 92827261

~*~CUMBERLAND HOUSE MUSEUM*~*

The Cumberland House Museum is located at Eastern Parade in Southsea.

The Cumberland Museum is a Natural History Museum and two of it's most popular attractions are the Freshwater Aquarium and the Butterfly House. Butterflies fly around your head inside the Butterfly House and dotted around the Butterfly House you will find lots of information detailing the various species of butterfly.

The Cumberland Museum is open from 10am - 5.30pm during
April - October and 10am - 4pm during November - March.

Admission Charges for the Museum are as follows:-

From April - September (Butterfly Season)

Adult £2.00
Senior Citizen £1.60
Child/Student £1.40
Under 13's Free

From October - March

Adult £1.50
Senior Citizen £1.10
Child/Student £0.90
Under 13's Free

A family ticket is also available at a reduced rate and this is valid for parties of 2 adults and 2 children.

For further information telephone 023 92827261.

*~*SOUTHSEA CASTLE & MUSEUM*~*

Situated on Southsea Seafront, Southsea Castle was built by Henry VIII between 1844 & 1845 to protect Portsmouth against a possible French invasion.

The Castle is open to the public and admission costs £2.50 for Adults and £1.30 for Children - for each paying adult 2 children under 13 are admitted free.

For further information telephone 023 92827261.

*~*CHARLES DICKENS BIRTHPLACE*~*

Located at 393 Old Commercial Road you can visit the modest house that Charles Dickens was born in on February 7th 1812.

Admission prices are £2.50 for Adults and £1.30 for Children.

For further information telephone 023 92827261.

~*~D-DAY MUSEUM*~*

Located at Clarence Esplanade on Southsea Seafront - not far from Southsea Castle you will find the D-Day Museum.

The main feature of the Museum is an overlord embroidery telling the story of the Allied Invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Admission to the Museum costs £5.00 per Adult and £2.50 per Child.

For further information telephone 023 92827261

~*~ROYAL MARINES MUSEUM~*~

Located at Eastney Barracks the Royal Marines Museum tells the story of the Royal Marines from the Regiments Foundation in 1665 - the present day.

The Museum is open 7 days per week except for a few days over Christmas.

Admission is £4.00 for A
dults - reduced rates are available to the Armed Services.

For further information telephone 023 92819385.

**OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST**

*~*BLUE REEF AQUARIUM*~*

Formerly the Sealife Centre the Blue Reef Aquarium opened approximately a year ago. It is located at Clarence Esplanade on Southsea Seafront and is open daily except for Christmas Day.

The aquarium is full of brightly coloured tropical fish and other underwater creatures and is a truly enchanting place. There are huge pools that you can look into and watch the large Stingray swim about it - very relaxing and fascinating.

Another popular feature within the aquarium is the clear tunnel that you walk through - all around you and above you there are brightly coloured fish.

Admission to the Blue Reef Aquarium costs £5.95 for Adults and £3.95 for Children.

For further information you can telephone the Aquarium on 023 92875222.

~*~HISTORIC DOCKYARD*~*

The Historic Dockyard is probably the most popular and the most famous attraction associated with Portsmouth.

Located in Old Portsmouth the Dockyard is home to HMS Victory, The Mary Rose Exhibition, HMS Warrior and the most recent attraction Action Stations which is a hands on navy based attraction which offers visitors the opportunity to experience life in the Navy.

Visitors to the Historic Dockyard can walk all around Lord Nelsons famous ship HMS Victory and the equally famous HMS Warrior. My son and I visited the Dockyard towards the end of last year and had a fantastic day out. I hadn't been there since I was at school and found it much more interesting this time round - my 9 year old son loved it, especially being able to see the remains of The Mary Rose which are being preserved in a special preservation area.

Admission to the Historic Dockyard costs £13.75 for Adults and £11 for Children aged 5-16 and Senior Citizens. A Family Ticket is a
vailable for £44 and admits 2 Adults and up to 3 Children.

Individual attraction tickets are not available, however, the tickets do not have an expiry date and therefore you can chose to return at a later date if you do not manage to get all the way round on your first visit.

Each Christmas the Historic Dockyard takes you back to Victorian times with a Festival of Christmas - many actors are dressed as famous historical characters and the dockyard is transformed into a Victorian Shopping extravaganza - there are craft stalls, a French Market trade stands and lots of things for both adults and children to see and do. Admission is the same as usual admission into the dockyard and includes access to all the boats and the attractions within the Dockyard. My son and I went last year and I would highly recommend that you combine your visit to the Dockyard with this excellent event to gain even better value for money.

*~*PIRATE PETES*~*

Pirate Petes is located at Clarence Pier and is an indoor play area with lots to play on.

*~*CLARENCE PIER FUN FAIR*~*

Located at Clarence Pier on Southsea Seafront is the famous Clarence Pier Fun Fair. It is a reasonable size and is always very popular with visitors during the high season.

The fair is nowhere near as big as Blackpool but it does have several popular rides including The Power Tower, Dodgem Cars, Mousetrap Roller coaster, Waltzes and Log Flume. Also based at the Fun Fair is a themed crazy golf course, bingo and several large amusement arcades.

At the end of the fun fair there is a large Brewsters pub called The Clarence. The Clarence serves food throughout the day and has a good indoor children's play area. Linked to The Clarence there is a Travel Inn/Travel Lodge and this is always very popular with tourists.

~*~ PORTSMOUTH GREYHOUND STADIUM*~*

Portsmouth has it's own Greyhound Stadium and this is located in Target Road, Port
smouth.

Racing takes place every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evening and admission costs £3.50 - children are admitted free.

The Greyhound Stadium is quite run down, however, it is a great night out and children will love it.

The stadium has a fast food area, 3 bars, a couple of snack bars and a restaurant.

For further information you can telephone the Stadium on 023 92698000.

*~*THE PYRAMIDS*~*

The Pyramids is located on Southsea Seafront and is an all singing all dancing heated indoor swimming pool complex. Within the complex there are 2/3 pools, water slides and a wave machine etc.

*~*HARBOUR TOURS*~*

During the High Season small boat operators run tours around the Harbour. These trips run from either The Hard at Old Portsmouth or from Southsea Seafront.

*~*GATEWAY TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT*~*

If you've had enough of Portsmouth and fancy a change you can catch the Hovercraft over to Ryde on the Isle of Wight from Southsea. The trip takes 10 minutes and costs around £9 for an adult day return.

Alternatively you can opt to catch the Wightlink Car Ferry from Gunwharf, Portsmouth to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight, (approximately a 50 minute trip) or the Fast Cat Catamaran Service from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde, (a 10-15 minute trip).

*~*THE BEACH & GARDENS*~*

Southsea is home to not only 4 miles of beach but also to several themed gardens including the Rock Garden and the Rose Garden - both of which are well worth a look. Admission to the Gardens is free.

The beach at Southsea is mostly made up with Shingle but with four miles of beach there is always plenty of space to enjoy a spot of relaxing sunbathing.

Dotted along the sea front there are several kiosks where you can purchase an ice cream or drink.

Also at various intervals along the sea front there are public toilets.

*~*SOUTHSEA MODEL VILLAGE*~*

Sou
thsea has it's very own model village - located near South Parade Pier on Southsea Seafront the Model Village is set upon a small hill. It isn't huge and is probably only likely to take approximately 30/40 minutes to visit but it is always popular with small children.

Admission to the Model Village costs £2 for Adults and £1 for Children.

Further information can be obtained on 023 92294706.

*~*CANOE LAKE*~*

Canoe Lake is located near the model village and is basically a large lake with pedalo style boats that you can hire during the High Season.

*~*SOUTH PARADE PIER*~*

South Parade Pier is a popular place with tourists - there isn't really much there, mainly just a few small fun fair rides and an amusement arcade but it is quite pleasant to take a walk along the pier.

**PLACES TO STAY**

Portsmouth & Southsea both boast many hotels and guest houses including the Marriot and Hilton hotels which are both located close to the Motorway and approximately 10/15 minutes drive from the City Centre and Beach.

For further information on places to stay you can contact the Tourist Information Centre on 023 92826722

**PLACES TO EAT**

Portsmouth & Southsea are both packed with places to eat from fast food establishments such as Burger King, Wimpey, McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut through to fancy restaurants.

Again, further information on places to eat can be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre.

**NIGHTLIFE**

Both Portsmouth & Southsea have lots of pubs, bars and nightclubs. There are two casinos based in Portsmouth and Southsea and two major bingo halls.

**PUBLIC TRANSPORT**

Portsmouth has a good public transport service and access to and from the City gain be gained via train, bus, coach, hovercraft, car ferry or catamaran.

**FORTHCOMING EVENTS**

*~* 3rd - 5th May 2003 *~*

Heavy Horse Show
- The Heavy Horse Show takes place in Southsea and is a three day event including parading and the very popular Bank Holiday Monday Heavy Horse Parade along Southsea Seafront.

*~* 1st - 3rd August 2003 *~*

Southsea Show - Situated on Southsea Common the Southsea Show is a three day event packed with things to see and do including a craft tent, fun fair rides, arena events, side shows, traction engines, a flower tent, fur and feather tent, ideal home exhibition and lots of other promotional stalls. Well worth a visit.

*~* 23rd - 25th August 2003 *~*

International Kite Show - this also takes place on Southsea Common and is a very colourful event with kites flying in all different shapes and sizes. Again well worth a visit. Admission to the Kite Show is free.

To be honest the above is only a very brief description of some of the many attractions that Portsmouth & Southsea have to offer - I could go on forever, but luckily for you I won't.

I hope you have enjoyed learning all about Portsmouth & Southsea and that one day you will visit and enjoy a great day out there.

Thank you for reading.

Julie

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