Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport was our home for four nights, allowing us time to catch up with friends, re stock the boat and do some sight seeing.
The view from our boat was fascinating. We were just across the way from Portsmouth, with its naval dockyard, Spinnaker Tower and Gunwharf Quay.
The prominent feature on the horizon is the Emirates Spinnaker Tower and it is very striking. The tower represents sails billowing in the wind. It is 170m tall and is an observation tower with 360 degree panoramic views over the city and harbour with a viewing distance of 23 miles. It has three observation decks and a glass floor…. too scary for me!
(No pictures from up the tower as we didn’t go up this visit – have been up before! Worth a visit though, if you go there)
Spinnaker Tower is part of the Gunwharf Quays Designer Oulet. There are over 90 famous brands offering discounts. Plenty of places to eat and drink too.
We walked down to Gosport and caught the ferry across. We did plenty of window shopping and stopped for lunch in a great Vietnamese restaurant with amazing views across the water.
Even with social distancing, it was a lovely day out.
Portsmouth has a strong and significant naval history.
It is home to HMS Victory, Mary Rose and the historic dockyard. Sorry, did this last time too!
HMS Warrior on quayside for all to see. Launched in 1860, she was Britain’s first iron-hulled armoured battleship. Powered by steam and sail, she was the largest, fastest and most powerful warship of her day.
We were also fortunate to see the aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, coming into Portsmouth. She joined HMS Prince of Wales, so we got to see them side by side. They are both 280m long and cost £3.1 billion each. They are the largest and most advanced warships ever built for the navy. Both carry a minimum crew of around 700, increasing to up to 1,600 with aircraft onboard. An amazing sight from our little boat across the river!
Didn’t we have diner there one evening Martin?
I very much enloy your blogs!
Have a safe voyage!
Onno Bresser
Hi Onno,
Hope you are keeping well.
Yes we did!
I am pleased that you are enjoying our blogs. Keep reading, as we have ventured all the way down to Devon and are currently on our way back to Ipswich for winter.
Best regards,
Martin