My theme for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is – Places I Have Been. After some contemplation I decided to limit it to Places I Have been in the UK, this is because I have been to far more places in the UK and have very limited experience of places outside of the UK. I hope you enjoy my post.

PORTSMOUTH

Not only have I visited Portsmouth numerous times, but I have also lived there, so it is a place very dear to my heart. Portsmouth is a great waterfront city and was once home to the Royal Navy. I believe the Navy are still located there but it is not a big as it once was. In fact it is thanks to the Navy that my parents met, as my father was a sailor.

One of the reasons visitors flock to Portsmouth is due to the Historic Dockyard. There are several historic navy buildings to look around and some great old ships, such as the Mary Rose and The Victory. The Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s flag ship. If you are not interested in going to the Historic Dockyard, you can go on a boat tour around the docks. I did this on my last visit and really enjoyed it. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and I got to see some of the new navy vessels fairly up close.

If ships are not your thing, then not to far away is Gunwharf Quays, a nice shopping area with lots of places to eat, where you can look out over the docks. Part of Gunwharf Quays is Spinnaker Tower. It is fun to go to the top, the views are spectacular as you can look over to the Isle of Wright. There is also a some glass flooring to scare yourself on.

Besides the above, Portsmouth was also the birth place of Charles Dickens and there are lots of references to him around the City. Other notable residents from literature, include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G Wells, who both lived in Portsmouth at some point in their lives. Though I have no idea whether Jane Austen visited Portsmouth or not but the city is mentioned in Mansfield Park.

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The irony is even though I have visited the place so many times, none of my photos can be used in this post, as they all feature family members. Next time I go I will have to take some specific scenic shots.

Thank you for reading x