The Guided Tour

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Portsmouth, The Waterfront City, has played a central part in Britain’s maritime and naval history. Stories of Kings, Queens, war and peace, conquest and trade across the Globe are all there to be told.  We discover the links great personalities such Richard I and Henry VIII, Nelson and Eisenhower had with Portsmouth and enjoy engaging with literary figures such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dickens and Jane Austen who lived or wrote about the city.  However, the most fascinating stories are those usually hidden from view: we uncover the ordinary people who lived, worked, spied and fought from this great port or those who sought new lives in the New World, Australia and New Zealand.

 

This walking tour takes us along the seafront Millennium Promenade stopping to take in the Gunwharf Quays, once a huge naval ordnance depot now full of shops and restaurants. On through historic Old Portsmouth and Spice Island to stop at the redoubt where Admiral Nelson stepped from these shores for the final time on his way to the Battle of Trafalgar. At Southsea Castle we imagine Henry VIII looking out to sea, aghast at the sinking of his great ship, the Mary Rose and then end our walk outside the D-Day Story Museum. We spend time exploring the memorials to the great voyages of migration and Portsmouth’s Cathedral of the Sea. This is a fascinating walk covering centuries of history with superb views of the Isle of Wight, Gosport and the comings and goings in the Solent through the narrow port entrance to her Majesty’s Naval Base, home to the great warships of Britain’s modern day surface fleet.

 

Optional addition: refresh with a coffee in a local cafe in Old Portsmouth en route (refreshments at guests expense).

 

This tour is suitable for any age and level of interest.  Families are welcome as this tour may be particularly enjoyed by children who have studied WW2 at school or are learning about the voyages of discovery and migration.