Discussion
It's a good day out, well worth it: as above, there's the Mary Rose & Warrior, you can do a harbour trip, there's various displays of naval history through the ages, I've certainly spent a good few hours there. You can spread across to Gun Wharf quay & go up the tower thing as well.
But...it's pretty wind swept: the main displays are inside, but there's quite a lot of transitting between different buildings. For me, it would be a bit too perishing cold for a 4 hour round trip. It's only 2 for me, & I'd wait for it to warm up a bit!
But...it's pretty wind swept: the main displays are inside, but there's quite a lot of transitting between different buildings. For me, it would be a bit too perishing cold for a 4 hour round trip. It's only 2 for me, & I'd wait for it to warm up a bit!
I went in August. Parking is problematic. No large car parks. Long queues for tickets and a several hour wait for the Mary Rose stuff. Each exhibit (Warrior, Victory, Naval Museum, Mary Rose) is ticketed separately unless you get an expensive all-inclusive ticket. I only had a few hours to spare so just did HMS Victory. No masts. Some of the decks were being worked on so not accessible. A lot of the cannon seemed to be plastic replicas. Those were the bad points. However to walk around Victory, walk her decks, see the spot where Nelson fell, crouch along the gun decks, stand on the quarterdeck where the they played Hearts of Oak as the ship ghosted towards the combined enemy fleet, unable to return fire, was incredibly moving.
The masts are not her own. Taken out of a later (circa 1890s I think) ship, possibly an ironclad (would have to google this to confirm). Much of her timber work is original however, as she escaped any rot issues due to the length of time between her being laid down and commissioned - so she was well seasoned.
DoubleSix said:
Inspired by Dimbleby's program last night i'm thinking of taking the family down to see HMS Victory, so quick question; is it worth a two hour drive and entrance fee?, is it a really good day out?
I suspect the answer is yes but keen to hear PHers thoughts.
Thanks all
HMS Victory is worth a visit, regardless of it`s present condition. I was fortunate enough to be dined out on HMS Victory at the end of my 23 years military service. As a pongo serving at a NAS at the time of retirement it was an absolute honour.I suspect the answer is yes but keen to hear PHers thoughts.
Thanks all
.I would say no it's not worth it, but that depends on if you think the entrance fee is extortionate in the way I did, add two hours drive and the total cost = too much for a walk around a boat. It is an impressive boat but a boat none the less.
If Pompey is two hours away then I wouldn't mind betting that there is a much better way to spend your day for the same amount of money.
If Pompey is two hours away then I wouldn't mind betting that there is a much better way to spend your day for the same amount of money.
Ayahuasca said:
I went in August. Parking is problematic. No large car parks. Long queues for tickets and a several hour wait for the Mary Rose stuff. Each exhibit (Warrior, Victory, Naval Museum, Mary Rose) is ticketed separately unless you get an expensive all-inclusive ticket. I only had a few hours to spare so just did HMS Victory. No masts. Some of the decks were being worked on so not accessible. A lot of the cannon seemed to be plastic replicas. Those were the bad points. However to walk around Victory, walk her decks, see the spot where Nelson fell, crouch along the gun decks, stand on the quarterdeck where the they played Hearts of Oak as the ship ghosted towards the combined enemy fleet, unable to return fire, was incredibly moving.
Alternatively, you can park on the Gosport side, and take the ferry over.Finish up with a visit to Alliance in the Submarine museum, and look through Conqueror's attack scope.......
Just to add as I cant see it mentioned.
If you buy the 'all attractions' ticket its valid for an entire year so you can go back and visit all the boats as many times as you like. You have to gift aid it though.
In my eyes if you are fairly local or go twice in a year its very good value indeed!!
If you buy the 'all attractions' ticket its valid for an entire year so you can go back and visit all the boats as many times as you like. You have to gift aid it though.
In my eyes if you are fairly local or go twice in a year its very good value indeed!!
DoubleSix said:
Inspired by Dimbleby's program last night i'm thinking of taking the family down to see HMS Victory, so quick question; is it worth a two hour drive and entrance fee?, is it a really good day out?
I suspect the answer is yes but keen to hear PHers thoughts.
Thanks all
Go. Simply put, you MUST go. But don't go solely for HMS Victory, especially at the moment, with her being slightly less than complete. She's still worth the visit, and unlike the old days where they punched your 'all inclusive' ticket meaning you only got each attraction once, nowadays its a barcoded ticket and there's no limit to how many times you can see everything.I suspect the answer is yes but keen to hear PHers thoughts.
Thanks all
Th REAL jewel in that dockyard is Mary Rose. The new museum is awesome, what's left of the hull, plus thousands of artefacts and some reconstructed items all used cleverly to bring Tudor seafaring to life. And it's only going to get better as the boat dries out and the drying apparatus gets removed. You will need a timed ticket to get into the Mary Rose museum, but it doesn't cost any extra, it's just to control visitor numbers.
The harbour trip is well worth a go, too. Even if it is just to look at the Navy's current crop of scrap metal tied up in the creak.
There's a whole building called Action Stations for the kids too, with simulators and a climbing wall etc. Aside from that, I can't really say. Every time I go I fail to visit the other museum spaces, because I've spent too much time aboard Victory or Warrior.
There's more stuff over on the Gosport side too, as others have mentioned - 'The Submarine Museum' and 'Explosion - The story of Naval Firepower'.
If you do manage to exhaust the supply of things to do in Portsmouth/Gosport, or you fancy a bit of a freebie, then head up to Fort Nelson on the hill overlooking Portsmouth. It houses part of the Royal Armouries collection of field artillery pieces and is a fascinating Napoleonic era fort to explore in it's own right. There's also the D Day museum and the Royal Marines museum in Southsea. Portsmouth isn't the prettiest city in the UK by a long stretch, but it's jam-packed with history, and things to do.
When I go down, I park at Gunwharf Quays. It is expensive, but it's a clean, bright, award winning car park where you'll feel confident leaving your pride and joy for the day, and you only pay for the time you actually stay (pay on exit).
Food wise, the dockyard has the usual fodder, with nice cake at the Georgian Tea Room, but you can't beat a decent plate of fish and chips, and there's a good one just over the road, right outside the dockyard, facing HMS Warrior, or there are plenty of chain restaurants in Gunwharf Quays itself, and it's only 5 minutes walk from the dockyard gate.
Thanks for your thoughtful post.
I will be honest and say that the lack of masts/sails has dampened the likelihood of us embarking on what will be a 4 hour round trip. I had an image in my head and would be disappointed not to see it in it's full glory.
Does anyone per chance know when the sails/mast go back up?
I will be honest and say that the lack of masts/sails has dampened the likelihood of us embarking on what will be a 4 hour round trip. I had an image in my head and would be disappointed not to see it in it's full glory.
Does anyone per chance know when the sails/mast go back up?
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff