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A Message From The Walk Leader

Within our 2 hour walk we will be taking in both the old historic parts of Portsmouth and some trendy, vibrant, rejuvenated areas of the city.  There will be a wide variety of colourful photo opportunities in and around this very busy harbour area. 

We will be walking in big circle to take in the best views and opportunities. The walk will start at the Hovercraft Terminal, along the sea front, past the sea defences to Spice Island, around the inner  harbour on the Millenium Walk to Gunwharf Quays and back to The Bridge Tavern to cool our aching shutter fingers with some liquid refreshment. The walk is mainly flat but some steps are present to take you to the top of the elevated walkways along the harbour entrance.

There is a huge contrast in this area between the old and the new and plenty of images to make your shutter finger twitchy.

There will be rusty ironwork;  gleaming chrome;  faded timber weatherboarding;  stone windows and doorways to frame your images;  fishing boats;  leisure boats; wave piercing catamarans; water, waves and reflections; hovercraft bouncing over the stony beach; seaside fun fair; cobblestones; flower beds; an old stone Garrison church without its roof - and so much more.

The stunning Spinnaker Tower with its panoramic views over the city and old buildings with stone spiral steps give elevated views right over the harbour entrance. You only really appreciate how big the ferries are when they glide past you as you stand on the peninsular outside Spice Island.

The Spinnaker Tower is 560 feet high with 3 viewing platforms and a glass floor for those confident enough to stand it - some people simply stand back and look around rather than straight down through the floor. On a clear day you can see for over 20 miles across the harbour entrance,  Portsmouth Naval Base, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, The Isle of Wight, The Solent and south east Hampshire.  

You can get a idea of the history of the area, where we will be going and what we will be seeing here.

http://www.portsmouth-guide.co.uk/local_f/old-port.htm

As with all city locations, car parking can be difficult but the walk will be close to Portsmouth Harbour railway station for those that want to come in via train and there are car parks located around where we intend to walk. If anyone needs a lift in from outside the city - please let me know and I’ll see what we can do with car sharing.

Please note that car parking charges will be applicable on the day.

There is a large car park on Southsea Common - immediately opposite our start point at the Hoverport Terminal. The hovercraft “fly” over the beach and across to the Isle of Wight every 30 mins, so if you want to arrive a little early you can get an arrival and a departure as we begin the walk.

http://www.hovertravel.co.uk/pages/timetable/

There will be some great photo opportunities around Gunwharf Quays. Please remember within Gunwharf Quays it is Private Land. Tourist style images are permitted from commonly accessed areas but if you want to use “professional looking” equipment or a tripod or feature particular shops, brands or logos you must get written permission first from the management. Shop owners pay for Corporate advertising and have strict controls over how their image is presented. Written permission is required beforehand for any “Professional” shots on the day. Please respect these wishes or ask the management to clarify if in any doubt whatsoever.

 Ordinary tourist style shots are taken by the thousand there every day and the security staff are used to people taking shots of the stunning Spinnaker Tower as it dominates the skyline. At the weekend, there are also many events planned to entertain the children - so once again - the usual caution applies.

http://www.gunwharf-quays.com/

I thought we could end our walk at the Bridge Tavern in Old Portsmouth. Access, food and beer are good and we can unwind, talk about the ones that got away on the day and those that we are proud of.

The pub is surrounded by fishing boats in the inner harbour - so there should still be a chance of some good, colourful images as the sun goes down.

There are organised boat trips around the harbour and trips up to the top of the Spinnaker Tower for anyone wishing to make some extra time on the day.

I look forward to seeing you all on the day and thanks for coming along. You will all get the chance of taking some great images on the day.