BY INDER RAJ AHLUWALIA
( THE WRITER IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED , MULTIPLE AWARD – WINNING TRAVEL JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR)
NEW DELHI | 22 JUNE 2025
Earlier days recorded this to be a place with great marine activity. Today tourists hog the scene. Its true salt and spray country!
And nowhere has the sea had a greater influence than in Portsmouth. It has shaped the town’s past and present, with the sea and the famous ships that sailed it, still very much at the centre of things.
A bit of nostalgia! With its narrow lanes and cobbled streets, Old Portsmouth takes one back in time. One discovers the story of a city by the sea, and traces the footsteps of the famous heroes and convicts who inhabited it. One can relax and watch the world sail by at places like Spice Island, one of the old city’s fashionable areas, flouting a colourful past.
Thanks to the fact that Southsea features four miles of promenade offering sweeping views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, and a dozen odd museums showcase their history, Portsmouth Harbour shows true pedigree. The D-Day Museum with its magnificent Overlord Embroidery, records the largest invasion force ever assembled on earth. The Royal Marines Museum is a celebration of over 3 centuries of the elite naval fighting corps. The City Museum records the city’s fascinating history, from Saxon fishing village to thriving commercial hub.
The local historical relics also include Southsea Castle of Henry VIII-fame, which exposes the infamous dungeons and amazing time tunnel. The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson stock guns, gunpowder and a bag full of bangs. Adding a literary touch to things is Charles Dickens’ birthplace.
The sun shone brightly as I found myself standing at one of Portsmouth Harbour’s main attractions. With a lively shopping and leisure complex featuring a hundred-odd designer shops, over 20 restaurants and bars as well as a 14 screen multiplex cinema, outdoor ice skating rink and bowling centre, all set in an unrivalled waterfront location, Gunwharf Quays is the showpiece site, and with good reason.
Set on the edge of the harbour, the quays are an ideal location to take a seat in the amphitheatre or enjoy the festival waterfront hosting year-round events. And Flagship Portsmouth is a world-class centre for marine heritage, featuring Britain’s most famous, historic ships.
Raised from a watery grave in 1982, Henry V111’s Mary Rose is everything an old ship should be. The ship sank in 1545 with up to 700 men on board. 437 years later, the world held its breath when she was finally recovered from the seabed.
Taking a guided tour of HMS Victory, Lord Nelson’s famous flagship and the world’s most famous warship, I saw the spot where Nelson died, then went below deck and saw vividly recreated, life at sea for the 820 men and boys who lived, worked, fought and died during battle. This done, I visited the Trafalgar Experience – a unique insight into what the Battle of Trafalgar was like.
It was now time for me to hop on to the pride of Queen Victoria’s fleet, HMS Warrior 1860, that showcases Victorian naval artifacts that capture the essence of life on board. Bigger and faster than any other ship afloat, this was the world’s first iron-hulled armoured battleship. Powered by steam as well as sail, she drove fear into the enemy, so much so that she never went into battle.
Also featured here are The Royal Naval Museum, the Dockyard Apprentice Exhibition, and ‘Action Stations’, a thrilling high-tech Royal Naval experience using film and interactive exhibition technology.
Just a short trip over the water from Portsmouth Harbour lies Gosport. Steeped in naval history, Gosport and its historic waterfront provide a unique backdrop to Portsmouth Harbour. A legacy of Gosport’s militant connections is the variety of fine historic buildings and attractions like the famous Royal Navy Submarine Museum and Fort Brockhurst.
With 17 miles of coastline around Portsmouth Harbour along the Solent, Gosport offers clean and safe beaches at Stokes Bay, Hill Head, and Lee-on-the-Solent. The Millennium Promenade includes spectacular panoramic vistas across Portsmouth Harbour, and also features architectural lighting and Time Space – a huge sundial and light clock 40 metres across with a mast 17 metres high at the centre indicating the time.
But things go beyond ‘salt and spray’! Though the sea shaped its destiny, Portsmouth is also a celestial and historical city. There are several churches of note, the oldest being St. Thomas’ Cathedral and the Garrison Church, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, and the Holy Trinity Church in Gosport. Worth seeing are the Square Tower and the Round Tower, built by King Henry V after the French had raided the town six times during the Hundred Years War.
As it has done for decades, Portsmouth attracts more tourists than most towns in Britain. They converge on the harbour to watch the famous ships and soak up the unique local marine flavor, Climb the tower to get magnificent views of ships around the harbor, or just relax and watch the world float by.
It’s all come together nicely for this historic old town, and the result is that there’s simply never a dull moment around.
The Facts:
Portsmouth is easily accessed from London via good rail and road , connections. It is about three hours by road.
City accommodation comes by way of deluxe hotels, standard hotels and also budget establishments.
The harbour area bristles with restaurants and pubs that offer a selection of cuisine.
If driving, seek out the designated parking lots located all around town, but it is best to find parking space near the harbour area.
Though a year-round destination, the best time to visit is from May through October., when things are always abuzz with activity.
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