I Saw The Crescent, You Saw The Whole Of The Moon

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As I approach the twilight of my working life, I never envisaged adding the role of taxi driver to the CV. However, I find myself volunteering for a 671 mile weekend jaunt to the North East, then back down to Hampshire before returning to base. The Outlaw needed to be in the Isle of Wight. A quiet pint with the lads was therefore off limits for the weekend.

Sunday morning. It was purely coincidental that we left for Portsmouth at 0657 hours. In the day, it was a popular time to depart Portsmouth. The original plan never featured Portsmouth at all. However when the eventual destination was across the Solent, a trip to coincide with Cowes Week was never a smart idea. It was a relatively straightforward journey, bar the accident outside Newbury reducing the A34 to one lane. The M27 approach to our destination was also tortuous. The motorway was being revamped to become smart, although the idea of removing a hard shoulder has never seemed to a clever idea in my mind. We were still on schedule for a lunchtime FastCat departure.

My first visit to Portsmouth was for an end of season classic in May 1992. I don't recall much else, other than a crumbling Fratton Park. It is a much changed city. I have surveyed the changing skyline from the Isle of Wight on occasions in recent years and at the forefront of those improvements is the Spinnaker Tower.

The Spinnaker Tower is a 170 metres observation tower on the waterfront.It is the very much the centrepiece of the redevelopment of Portsmouth Harbour, larggley funded by a National Lottery grant. The tower reflects Portsmouth's maritime history and is modelled and named after a spinnaker - a type of sail that balloons outward. The tower was opened on 18 October 2005. It cost nearly £36 million, but I am sure it will more than bring in a decent return for years to come. The Tower dominates all around - easily visible from the Isle of Wight, it can be seen from Wothing and the hills of Dorset. I bet they love a glimpse from Southampton. The viewing distance from the observation decks is officially 37 miles.

Portsmouth is an island city. The main settlement covers the island of Portsea, linked to the mainland by 3 road bridges and the railway line. The urban conurbation now overs beyond these limited to include Gosport. The dominant influence is the sea. This is the traditional home of the Royal Navy. I drove over the causeway on the motorway bridge. The first task of the day was to find the Wightlink FastCat terminal. It is discreetly tucked away behind the Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station. The 2nd railway station of the city was logically built to allow trains to roll straight into the quay, giving easy access to the ferries for the Isle of Wight passengers. I guess Queen Vic might have even have passed through on the way to Osborne House. The forecourt now houses the Bus Station, a taxi rank. Alas, a drop off zone with a 10 minute restriction out front can accomodate 5 cars at a push. The occupants were predominantly mini cabs waiting for fares off the arriving FastCst. I dropped the Other Half and the Outlaw to negotiate the final few metres, whilst hunted around for a more suitable place to park. The whole process was complicated by Vera the Norfolk Terrier, who was keen to get out and explore the sights and smells of old Portsmouth. I am sure Queen Vic would never have had this trouble. The Outlaw was safely dispatched across the Solent to Ryde for a reunion with her brother.

A lot of the street name plates in the city contain the unusual addition of the Star and Crescent. It is the official Portsmouth Coat of Arms - it consists of an eight pointed star, above a crescent moon and traditionally on an azure background. The Star and Crescent symbol has been used by the City of Portsmouth as it's coat of arms for at least seven hundred years. There are various theories on the origins of use, but most point to King Richard The Lionheart. He used the symbol and it was he in 1194, who granted the then town a first charter. Portsmouth is said to have adopted the symbol to use as its coat of arms in tribute to King Richard, for his patronage in the granting of Town status. The motto 'Heaven's Light Our Guide' was incorporated into the coat of arms in 1929.

The quayside and railway approach were busy with daytrippers, enjoying a day out and the historical attractions of Portsmouth. This area is known by the intimidating title, The Hard and the bus interchange Carrie's the same name. It was originally Portsmouth Common and whilst I am sure it was a bit tough in the day, the name apparently comes from the clay deposits on the waterfront. A group of lads was making merry in the pub opposite. The Gosport Ferry was coming and going in the sunshine. A steady queue was building in front of the Portsmouth Historical Dockyards opposite. The exterior boasted HMS Warrior. At launch in 1861, she was the largest iron clad warship in the world. The race was on at the time to keep the French expansion at bay and this 40 gun monster was the pinnacle of that race. The world moved on though and by 1871 and she was effectively consigned to a role of coastguard. There were no takers when she was put up for sale in 1924 and she eventually found a home as floating oil pontoon in Pembroke Dock from 1929 onwards. There are plenty more attractions within the walls of the Dockyard, but there was no time to visit. The attractions on offer include HMS Victory - Nelson's flagship from the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar. I read with interest that it has been a tourist attraction for 200 years. The other big attraction is the remains of the Mary Rose - the pride of Henry VIII's navy. I made a mental note for a return visit, although given the hefty admission charge I reckon it will be on an annual ticket with unlimited access for 12 months. The annual ticket is currently £39 and rather disappointingly, the discount for senior citizens was a measly £1.

I relocated the car, so we could take a closer look at the Spinnaker Tower. As highlighted above, HMS Victory is in the Historic Dockyards. A statue of Nelson himself stands on the foreshore down towards Southsea. The closest we would get would be parking the car on Victory Road opposite Nelson Terrace. Gunwharf Quays opposite is buzzing. The landmark of the Spinnaker Tower draws customers like a magnet towards the largest designer shopping outlet experience on the South Coast. It is a very impressive layout of upmarket shops - think Bicester Village by the sea in a more attractive setting. The shops lead you through to the waterfront, where restaurants line the quay and marina area. Vera the Norfolk Terrier took it all in her short stride, weaving her little legs in between the shoppers. She showed off her charm in the visitor information office and secured herself a drink. The Spinnaker Tower was open for business. General admission at £13 secured all day access to the viewing platform... go up as many times as you like and see how the view changes at different times. It also comes with a View Guarantee. If you can't see any of the 3 closest Napoleonic War forts out in the Solent, you could be eligible for a free return ticket. A good idea and a nice touch. High Tea in the Clouds was also on offer, as well as abseiling. I am not sure I would want to put myself through it, but if you are a thrill seeker it is probably £100 well spent. If you want to push the boat out, a Platinum Package secures you the abseil, video, photo, medal and a tee shirt. On the subject of boats, the marina boasted one of the biggest yachts you are ever likely to see. At anchor lay the 113 metre, Le Grand Bleu. It is described as a superyacht and as of 2019, was the 36th longest yacht on the high seas. The original owner was an American businessman, but it was acquired by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in 2002. It was possibly loose change to him at a time when he was buying a certain football club from London SW6. I reminded the Other Half we had seen it before - moored off the slightly more glamorous surroundings of Estoril during Euro 2004. Roman moved it on in 2006. The current owner had apparently been anchored off Seavies in the Isle of Wight watching a round island Cowes Week event. The alleged current value of the yacht - $90 million. What his exact plans in Portsmouth were remain a mystery.

We left Gun Wharf Quays and stumbled across an interesting piece of Australian history by chance. It turns out that Henry Ayers - he of Ayers Rock (now Uluru) fame. It transpired that the former Premier of South Australia was born and educated in the backstreets of Portsea. He emigrated to Australia with his trade as a carpenter in 1840. As they say, the lad did good!

We headed to the seaside. It was a pleasant, but busy afternoon in Southsea. Ample parking comes at a price, but there was space in the streets behind the seafront with a 3 hour limit. The Victorian seaside resort used to be known as Croxton Town, but later adopted the name of Southsea Castle - a defensive fort built by Henry VIII in 1544 to dissuade attack on the Solent area. The promenade stretches for a considerable distance, backed by ornate gardens from the Victorian era. The beach is just pebbles, as opposed to sand. Signs indicated that Vera was not welcome to enjoy it's delight, but suffice to say she was unlikely to want to walk on this surface anyway. The South Parade Pier is the focal point of the beach area. It has had a chequered history since being built in 1879, not least of which has been catching fire during the filming of Tommy in the 1970s. It underwent a major refurbishment, which was completed in 2017.

Black clouds loomed pier over this summer Sunday. The weather was in keeping with a British summer. A light shower fell from the sky. In the true spirit of Keep Cam & Carry On, a party on the beach just put up their umbrella and continued to gaze out towards the forts and the Isle of Wight. It had been a brief visit and there was so much more to see. A return visit is on the cards.

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