This blog post is about the Portsmouth Harbour boat tour / trip.
We were not about to waste the last day of our holiday, by donning our backpacks and heading home! So instead we opted for a long stroll, hopped onto a ferry from Hayling Island to Portsmouth and then a connecting bus to the terminal. From there we strolled into Portsmouth Quay.
Other than breakfast and a cheeky chocolate bar and fizzy drink earlier, we required nourishment! There was plenty on offer, and from our lunch-time perch we saw a tour boat heading out for a harbour tour.
Even though we had been to Portsmouth countless times, and had even been on that particular boat before (occasionally replacement for fastcat to IoW), we had never done the tour. We took our time, enjoying the sun and our lunch and decided it was a good day to catch a tour later.
So stomachs full, feet complaining, but plenty of energy in reserve, we donned our coats and backpacks and ventured out to find the ticket office. The booth was easy to find and the staff member friendly. Then we strolled to the gates, where only a few people were waiting.
Given our previous experience of the tour boat and given our limited knowledge of the docks, we knew we wanted to head upstairs and sit on the right hand side. Soon the boat arrived, we grabbed our seating and then shortly we set off. I’ve always been an admirer of the HMS Warrior which is permanently docked. So I was happy to see it again.
With a stop at the Portsmouth Dockyards, a swarm of school children and various tourists piled onto the boat. Soon the boat was relaunched and given that we quickly were shown an aircraft carrier, the excitement of most on the tour was noticeable, enhanced by the good humoured tour commentary.
Unfortunately one parent got so excited, that he promptly walked away from his young child, and then the unattended child’s baseball cap flew into the sea!
Cameras were out, people were discussing the ships and everyone was looking at the right hand side! So that was a result for our seating choice.
Before we knew it, it was ship after ship and given the pleasant weather, it was nice to sit there and take in the impressive vessels.
There were quite a few different types of boats docked, not just including military and we saw a monster boat that transports bananas, plus some small cruise ships, police, tug boats and if remembering correctly an expedition boat..
There unfortunately where some boats that were purely there waiting until the day they are towed away and scrapped. However at the time of our visit, there were plenty of active vessels.
It is true that the Dockyard is no-longer in its prime and is in its decline. You won’t see the massive cruise ships as they are based elsewhere, such as at Southampton.
I’ve not shared all my photos, with most being military vessels, but I hope you gained a good idea from the write up and photos shown. For the price and approximately forty minutes, given good weather it is a great tour.
Leave a Reply