Well the morning was sunny and warm. We got up a lot earlier, very excited, looking forward to our day trip to Portsmouth. Salisbury’s minibus is already waiting for us. So a quick shower, light breakfast and we are ready for our summer adventure. The bus moved dynamically and we reached M25 very fast. Then, we turned onto the A 3 and passed the border between Surrey and Hampshire through the Hindhead Tunnel, near Devil’s Punchbowl.
The landscape changed from flat to hilly then wooded. Right in the middle of the forest we found a place to stop. We bought some sandwiches and drinks, fuelled up the bus and stretched our legs for a while to get to Portsdown Hill in a good mood. Portsdown Hill is a chalk ridge that overlooks Portsmouth and provides a stunning viewpoint over the city, the harbours and over to the Isle of Wight. There is also Fort Nelson – home of the big guns and first point of our excursion.
We discovered an extremely interesting collection of artillery and almost got lost wandering in the secret underground tunnels and ammunition bunkers. The view from Fort Nelson over Portsmouth was really breath taking and we were curious to see the city especially as our next stop was the Bridge Tavern; a beautiful and tasty country pub right in the heart of Old Portsmouth. We had a fantastic lunch in the stunning tavern’s interiors and picturesque surroundings of the old harbour and fish market. All of us ordered the juicy beef burgers served with chips and coleslaw. You know, English tradition.
We were refreshed but a little bit scared under the Spinnaker Tower soaring 170 metres above Portsmouth Harbour, taller than London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Big Ben. We took the express lift and after a few seconds we gained our first of three view decks. The panoramic views were amazing, magic and unforgettable. We did bravely walk across the glass sky walk, 100m high above sea level and enjoyed views, snacks and drinks in café on the top of the tower.
Then finally, we touched the sea, the water was cold and refreshing and the shingle beach was full of people. We were watching boats, yachts and noisy hovercrafts shuttling between the mainland and Isle of Wight when the seagulls squawked that it’s time is go back home… What a Great Day!
