Portsmouth Off The Beaten Path

The seafront is one of the most fashionable places in Portsmouth, loved by people & locals alike. The beach goes along the whole southern end of Portsea Island from Old Portsmouth to Eastney. Next to the beach & seafront esplanade, Southsea Common is a huge open space that was bought from the War Department in 1922. It is perfect for kite flying, picnics & casual ball games. Southsea Common is also the location for Portsmouth & Southsea Show in August & many other things all through the year. There’s a bandstand where there’s always music on Sundays as well, all the entertainment is free. There’s also a few hotels & B&’s in Southsea.

Fratton is a residential and formerly industrial area of Portsmouth, Hampshire. It consists of mostly Victorian terraced houses, and is typical of the residential areas in the city. In the past it housed a huge railway depot, but this has mostly been dismantled now, making way for a shopping complex and the redevelopment of Portsmouth F.C.'s stadium, Fratton Park.

There is also a modest shopping centre on Fratton Road, called The Bridge, which is dominated by a large ASDA supermarket, and in atmosphere reflects the working class roots of the neighbourhood, with local, low-budget shops and cafes.

Paulsgrove is an area of northern Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Paulsgrove existed as a small hamlet on the old Portsmouth to Southampton road for many years. During the early twentieth century Paulsgrove Racecourse was built north of the village on the slopes of Portsdown Hill and a halt built to cater for raceday traffic[1] . The area was incorporated into the city of Portsmouth in 1920.

Towards the end of World War II it became clear that to the City Council that a massive programme of house building was needed to replace those homes destroyed by bombing. As part of this programme, land in Paulsgrove was purchased and building began in 1945. The initial housing was prefabricated but later houses were built more conventionally.

In August 2000, Paulsgrove made the national and international news as mobs attacked residences of suspected and actual paedophiles. These disturbances came shortly after the News of the World put pressure on the government to give parents the right to know if their children are living close to a convicted sex offender, in response to the Murder of Sarah Payne in nearby West Sussex in July 2000.[

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"hardway" is on the Gosport side and is a good view point to see the Battleships at anchor.
The history goes a bit like this:
In October 1943 lorries began tipping brick rubble from the Bomb Sites of Portsmouth over the sea wall at the end of Priory Road; by April 1944 a pier had been added and the Hardway D-Day invasion ramp was ready for use. The next year was indeed Hardway's 'Finest Hour', when thousands of British and Foreign troops, tanks, guns and vehicles were embarked for Normandy, cheered on by the local residents who made every effort to make their short stay in Hardway as pleasant as possible.

Open first weekend of the month between May to Sept, with activities for young & young at heart, or by arrangement. This is a must for anyone interested in history or archaeology. Even if you are not, there are few more more beautiful places to be on a summer's day.

It is an experimental 'Iron Age' farm set in the most stunning countryside 20 minutes north of Portsmouth along the A3. More info and 'how to get there' tips on their website www.butser.org.uk.

If you are here for the first Sat in May the Wicker Man Festival is not to be missed.

Gosport is just a short 5minute ferry ride across the harbour, and offers more shopping opportunities, particularly on tuesdays when the highstreet fills to the brim with allsorts of market stalls and marquis.

There is also the Explosion naval museum in close proximity, which details the experiences and facts about World War II, as well as plenty of traditional outdoor-seated cafes and pubs......... truly a british town!!!

It is only £1.60 for an adult return across the harbour, so all the more reason to give Gosport a check out!!

You take the ferry from the pontoon alongside the Harbour Train Station, down from the Hard Interchange.

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To me, Gosport really feels like a 'lived-in' city.... it doesn't try to hide its true character, and it may be a little tatty around the edges, but its proud to be a down-to-earth english town..... For that, i forgive it for its scruffy appearances in places.

During the weekends, there are many markets in Portsmouth. A smaller one is held at South Parade Pier, on the right side and sometimes in a room next to the pub. By Southsea castle is a quite huge car boot sales and I usually find some nice & cheap things there last time. They also had a small fun fair for the children. By Clarence Pier are a lot of markets. Both on a field on the other side of the road and also on a hugher field, it's called Southsea commons.
Go there as early as you can cause they pack up quite early in the afternoon.

Old Portsmouth by the harbour is really lovely, especially in the summer. Last time I was there we had a long walk around there and it was amazing.

Start at Clarence Pier and go along the beach over til the Round Tower. Here you have a great view of all the boats who enter the harbour as well as over Old Portsmouth. Kids should like to run around in the old fortress. Continue to Spice Island and the famous pubs there. Maybe a bit pricey, we went to a cafe around the corner instead. ;-) The pubs around there also have amazing flowers. They were feautered on some local flower TV program. ;) Next stop I suggest the new big complex Gunwharf Quays if you like shopping. It's filled with outlet stores selling cheap desginerwear. But, they don't really have that much cool things. Next is the navybase and old ships to look at. They cost a bit, but not much, so if it's your first time there, go see one of the ships.
Make sure that the weather will be nice and sunny that day. :)