This was a particularly enjoyable trip that was taken to bring my son back from his university placement year at IBM’s Head Office in Portsmouth - and I was able to do the things I missed out on the previous year, due to the weather, when I brought him down. I arrived down here in July 2020, just as everything was beginning to open up again after the first wave of the Covid pandemic.
Portsmouth is a port city and Naval base on the south coast of England, and it has a lovely harbour and beautiful long sandy beach at Southsea. My first trip was to Southsea to have breakfast in the Southsea café, which is right by the beach and a stone’s throw away from the hovercraft terminal for Ryde on the Isle of White – and the trip across to Ryde only takes ten minutes! Both the food and drink in the café were enjoyable with great views across the ocean, so it comes well recommended.
After breakfast, it was time to take a trip over to Ryde. Ryde is a small town with a slight Mediterranean feel due to its tree-lined promenade, abundance of flowers, and climate – I could certainly feel an increase in the heat when I arrived here. The place has quaint, narrow streets with gift shops, tearooms, and plenty of homemade ice cream - we also managed to find a great little pub on the seafront that had plenty of shade from the sun. The beach is beautiful here, and it was great to have a walk along it while eating homemade ice cream and then paddle in the sea. It was pretty quiet everywhere, presumably due to the pandemic, as otherwise I reckon it would have been crowded at this time of the year.
The next day, it was time to do a spot of shopping at Gunwharf Quays. This is a great shopping mall that has plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants, plus a 14-screen multiplex cinema, bowling alley, and casino. Afterwards, it was off to the Spinnaker Tower, which is now Portsmouth’s most prominent landmark and reflects its maritime heritage. The lift takes you quickly and smoothly up to the top where there is a great viewing platform with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. There is also a glass skywalk which is 1,100 metres above the harbour and made from three layers of glass – this made me feel happier about going on it! If you’re feeling more adventurous, then you can abseil down the outside of the tower. Or, on a less adventurous note, you can book an afternoon tea experience on the top floor.
So, after all these exciting experiences, the next day was spent moving my son’s possessions out of his flat and saying goodbye to Portsmouth. It was then a long journey back up to the north of the country.
