"Southsea" a Southsea Travel Page by Angelal

When I was a kid, my Nan and Grandad always used to take me and my brother Mark to the seaside in the Summer School Holidays. We always used to go to Southsea in Portsmouth and I still love it to this day. My Grandad was in the Royal Marines in the Second World War so loved it here as there is a Marines Museum.

The beach at Southsea is really pebbly and certainly not the prettiest in the world but there is something about Southsea that gives it a charm that never fades. There is loads to see and do.

There is a path that runs along the sea front from Southsea that takes you right into Old Portsmouth. On a sunny day it is lovely to take this walk. There is a park with a lake where you see the Dads and their kids trying out their remote control boats and ships that they have made and a chap from whom you can rent a pedallo for half an hour. There is a Seaside Pier that was built at the beginning of the 1900's, there are usually people fishing there. Inside there is an arcade and fish and chips and candy floss shops the usual British Seaside tack! If you continue along the path you come to Southsea Castle that was built in 1544 by Henry VIII to protect the coastline, it was in front of here that the Mary Rose sank. By now you will probably be in need of a rest, there is a cafe where you can buy a cuppa, a bench to sit on or sea wall where you can sit and dangle your feet in the water.

When you look out to sea you can see the car ferries in the distance departing from Portsmouth Harbour on their way to St Malo or the Isle of Wight and the odd person on a jet ski. As you get nearer the harbour there is an old building where a local artist displays his paintings and pastel drawings of the local area and coastline.

By now you will almost be in Old Portsmouth and the Historic Dockyard where you can see the HMS Victory battle ship etc, the Mary Rose Museum and the wreck that was pulled from the sea at the beginning of the 80's. The wreck has to be sprayed continuously with water, this has happened since the wreck was pulled from the sea and will need to happen for years or the wreck would simply disintegrate. You view the wreckage from behind a window and because of the water spray the view is not that great as it steams the window up and there is quite a strong smell of stale water. Worth a visit though! There is a nice little cafe at the Old Harbour where you can buy tea and cakes and sit outside by the water. They also do some great iced fruit juices that go down well on a hot day and after a very long walk.

Portsmouth has a new shopping centre, Gunwharf Keys which has loads of designer shops and cafes and restaurants. There are spectacular views of Portsmouth Harbour and it is a particularly nice play to indulge in a nice glass of white wine while enjoying the view and catching some rays!

When I was a kid the highlight of the day was the visit to the Funfair on the seafront. I remember when I was about five there was a nationwide craze of a piece of head gear called ' The Bonce Bouncer'. This was a plastic hairband with two springs attached, on the end of the springs there were either silver glittery balls or blue glittering stars etc. If you nodded your head they bounced like mad! It was here that my Nan bought me my first pair of 'Bonce bouncers' - it was a proud day!!!

In the 'old days' (circa 1981!), we always used to stop the car for fish and chips before making our way home. I can remember sitting on a bench with my Nan, Grandad and brother eating fish and chips out of newspaper and watching the sun going down over the English channel. Feeling tired but very happy! On the drive back to Reading we always used to have a good old sing song!

On a summers day I still love going to Southsea - I've got some great memories!!!