Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

A Great Day in Portsmouth

Anne, my wife, and I had a great day out recently when we went to Portsmouth.

Quite a long time ago now, back in the 80s, we lived in the Portsmouth area, while I managed the cinema at Havant, and I have since taken "Portsmouth" Coach Trips to the city twice, featuring my own Guided Walk.

But things change, and I was invited by two of the main attractions in the city to come and have a look at latest developments.

So we set out for Portsmouth, and arrived via London by train.

We were met at the Royal Dockyard by Holly Langridge, who gave us a whistle stop tour of the site, after which we visited HMS Victory and some of the museums, including the Mary Rose Hall. The whole complex is very well run indeed.

Then it was round to Gunwharf Quays, for our visit to the fabulous Spinnaker Tower. The last time I was in Portsmouth this was almost , but not quite, finished and consequently I had never been able to visit it. We were met here by Liz Parker, who took us up in the high speed lift.

The building is amazing, and the views as expected were absolutely fantastic. This too is a site very much worth visiting.

Before we caught the train, we decided that we should go for a meal, as it would be quite late at night when we got back home to Leicester. We chose the Indian Empire restaurant, in Gunwharf Quays. The service was good and the food palatable. However, we felt that it was nowhere near spicy enough (and I normally shy away from that sort of thing), and I paid twice as much as I would at home. We agreed afterwards that we have been well and truly spoiled by living in the wonderful multi cultural city of Leicester.

However, we had a smashing day, and I would like to thank Holly Langridge and Liz Parker for their help in organising it.

You could experience the outstanding waterfront city of Portsmouth by coming on my "Portsmouth" Coach Trip on Saturday 29th May.