Wake up in our hotel in Portsmouth.. the room with a view turns out to be looking at the shopping centre with the Spinnaker Tower poking over the top!

Shower, pack bags which we stow in the car and head for breakfast.. feels like we are in the kitchen!  I have a baby croissant and a banana and a cup of tea.

The receptionist calls us a taxi, he’s a very chatty man as he drives us to the Hayling Island ferry. He tells us about the restaurants and pier that have closed down and the intriguing military compound and warns us of the nudist beach.

We start our walk looking back over to Hayling island and walking on a whole bank of seashells reminiscent of the walk on Hayling! At first the coast is clear as we attempt to walk around the headland the seaward side of Cumberland Fort, admiring the brick chimney. However the sea and perimeter fence are soon too close to each other for comfort.

Thankfully others were attempting the same route and we encourage each other’s along the slippery seaweed draped concrete defence, over some large boulders and finally up a steep bank to the other side.

Continuing our walk our eyes were pulled towards the derelict brick warehouse like structures in the military compound surrounded by razor wire which evidently hadn’t kept everyone out as there was some stunning graffiti adorning the walls.

The pull of the sea finally drags us to dodge the waves for a bit as we wander along Eastney beach. We zigzag along heading inland to admire the buildings of a navy museum and rose garden. The now fairly bland monoculture walled garden interestingly was once a training ground for  a secret mission using rowing boats. Sadly only two of the ten rowers returned from their mission, one of whom opened this garden.

Next stop Southover Beach café, a modern wooden clad building with large picture windows looking out to sea which looked like they opened in the summer. Despite slow service the juice and scone were very good.

The pier looks like it could soon open again but a lack of interpretation leaves us wondering when?

Portsmouth turns out to have the most amazing array of fortifications. Southover castle is free for the public to view and well worth a look round, especially the hidden tower to the viewpoint on top and the gorgeous black and white lighthouse.

It gets busier as we wander through the pier area, voted best pier 2016 and it isn’t even a pier, just an area of amusements and rides next to the sea?

The millennium promenade with its chain like pavers has some fabulous interpretation boards. The pavers lead us through both the square and round tower and onto Portsmouth old town where the Still and West pub right on the waterside turns out to be a very enjoyable place to watch the boats go by whilst enjoyinf a fish finger sandwich washed down with a local beer.

The chain link path leads us through the old town around the Isle of Wight ferry port, passed the Isle of Wight hydrofoil and right into Gunwharf keys. A short but very enjoyable walk ends with a wander round the shops before visiting the Spinnaker tower. The lift swiftly takes us way up to the first viewing gallery and wow what a view on a clear sunny day. I remove my boots and do the obligatory walk on the glass floor (Nigel declines the offer due to fear of heights…). The top floor is smaller and open to the elements, we then savour their tea on the middle floor and enjoy the view sitting down for a while and resting our tired legs. From here you can see back to where we’ve walked on Hayling island and beyond to the Witterings as well as the other direction to Gosport and what looks like many more military buildings.

Back down for some more shopping before heading back home.