The best walks and hikes around Portsmouth

historic site, military installation, Old Portsmouth

The patronage of this church – dedicated to Saint Thomas of Canterbury – takes us back in time to the 12th century, but geographically we remain in southeastern England. Thomas Becket (born 1118) was Archbishop of Canterbury and, in the dispute between the Church and the Crown (King Henry II), a "martyr of canon law and ecclesiastical freedom," as Pope Alexander III put it on the occasion of his canonization (1173, just three years after Thomas's violent death). His feast day in the calendar of saints is December 29th. Canterbury Cathedral, where he was murdered in 1170 and which houses his tomb, can be visited virtually in the komoot system at the following link =>> https://www.komoot.com/de-de/highlight/231266

HMS VERNON FIGUREHEAD This figurehead comes from the fourth HMS Vernon, a 50-gun frigate that served in home waters, America, and the East Indies between 1832 and 1848. She was then laid up in Chatham Dockyard until 1867, when she returned to use as a floating mooring. In 1872, she was given a new lease of life as a hulk moored in Fountain Lake, Portsmouth, where she served as a tender to HMS Excellent for torpedo training. On April 26, 1876, the hulk of the Vernon, along with those of the former 26-gun steam frigate Ariadne (which served as accommodation) and the lighter Florence Nightingale, was commissioned as HMS Vernon to house the Royal Navy's torpedo department in Portsmouth, independent of HMS Excellent. On 1 October 1923, HMS Vernon was put ashore in Portsmouth at what is now Gunwharf Quays.

THE OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE This early 19th-century building was once the office of the storekeeper for this location—HM Gunwharf, Portsmouth. Between 1923 and 1986, when Vernon ceased to be an independent command, it became the Captain's Office/Administration Building of HMS Vermon. In the early 1990s, the building was used only temporarily as the offices of the British Customs and Excise Service, when the customs cutters used Vernon Creek.

THE OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE This early 19th-century building was once the office of the storekeeper for this location—HM Gunwharf, Portsmouth. Between 1923 and 1986, when Vernon ceased to be an independent command, it became the Captain's Office/Administration Building of HMS Vermon. In the early 1990s, the building was used only temporarily as the offices of the British Customs and Excise Service, when the customs cutters used Vernon Creek.

HMS Sirius This sculpture, depicting the flagship of the First Fleet, HMS Sirius, commemorates the courageous voyage of HMS Sirius, which departed from Portsmouth on May 18, 1787, and arrived in Sydney on Australian Foundation Day in January 1788. MEWAS WAS PRESENTED TO THE CITIZENS OF THE TOWN OF FORTSMOUNE ON MAY 10, 1991. A GIFT FROM THE AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE. DONATED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE KU-RING GAI MUNICIPALITY IN RECOGNITION OF FORTSMOUNE'S PLACE OF DEPARTURE AND THE ROLE PLAYED IN THE FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA. COUNCILLOR RICHARD LENNON, MAYOR. WARREN TAYLOR, CITY CLERK. KU-RING GAI COMMUNITY COUNCIL, PACINIC HIGHWAY, GORDON, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. This bronze is an exact copy of the sculpture in BU-RING GAI BICHIINNAL PARK in WEST PYBED, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

It takes 10 minutes from Southsea to Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Riding a hovercraft is like traveling back in time! Who knows how long they'll be around? If you enjoy this kind of thing, you shouldn't miss out on a hovercraft ride!

Lovely walk. Uneven ground wear appropriate footwear. No toilets on route.