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Spinnaker Tower

Portsmouth

Self-guided walks for the Curious...

Explore Portsmouth city centre with two self-guided heritage walks with a treasure hunt theme. Discover Portsmouth's "hidden treasures" whilst having a fun day out with family and friends!
Portsmouth is arguably Britain's most historic naval city, and is still a major base for the Royal Navy. It is also a thriving commercial ferry port for freight and passenger traffic, and home to the world's oldest dry dock still in use, with ships to be found there such as HMS Warrior, The Mary Rose and HMS Victory – constructed from around 6,000 trees. Soaring 170 metres above the harbour is Spinnaker Tower, which flexes 6 inches in high winds. Portsmouth is the UK’s only island city, located mainly on Portsea Island.

EXPLOREDISCOVERENJOY

Code Curious20 at checkout for 20% discount on purchases over £12

The Booklet

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Curious About... Portsmouth

  • An exploration of Portsmouth's city centre with two self-guided heritage walks with an optional treasure hunt. Completing the treasure hunt keeps everyone actively engaged, and urges you to look up, down and every which-way - so you won't miss out on any of the city's treasures.
    Explore, Discover, and Enjoy!
  • Most clues are chosen for their historical value, so you'll learn about the diverse culture, significant people and extraordinary events which have influenced Portsmouth in becoming what it is today.
  • This is an outdoor, unsupervised activity - so you can go at a pace which suits you, whilst keeping you healthy!
  • A Curious About walk is a fun and social activity for all the family and friends. Different people can take on different roles - follow the map, identify picture clues, read directions, etc - it's ideal for children from the age of 6, and if you can walk/wheelchair it, you're young enough!
  • The two walks have been designed so that the second one follows on from where the first one ends. Do both, or have a breather and do the second one another day! They both start and finish in the heart of the city - so buses, trains and car parks are easily available to get you there and back.

1. Historic Dockyard to Sea View - 1.5 miles / 2.4 kms
From the splendour of Portsmouth’s historic dockyard with its many fascinating attractions, this walk wends its way past the Harbour station to Gunwharf Quays, home to multiple shops, bars, restaurants and the iconic and spectacular Spinnaker Tower. Quickly onward through the Old Town, with its characterful cathedral, finishing eventually at the Point, with its breathtaking views across the glory of Portsmouth’s harbour.
1.5 hoursOK

2. Sea View to Southsea - 1 mile / 1.6 kms
Tearing yourself away from the superb sea views this walk winds through a narrow street, past a round tower, then a square tower, back up to a seashore footpath – restoring your views of the hustle and bustle of seafaring traffic. Just before reaching Clarence Pier, you now head inland, via a tunnel, to finish eventually at Southsea Common – a vast open area extending from Clarence Pier to Southsea Castle.
1 hourOK

Each booklet has a page dedicated to the history of the city and 2 pages summarising each walk with suggestions on what to visit along the way. Walk 1 has 21 clues & walk 2 has 14 - both with detailed directions to follow. There are interesting stories about important people, places & events along the way; detailed instructions on how to find a clue if you're stuck; and a comprehensive map with the routes marked on.
Buy a booklet by clicking on the Add to Basket button, then either checkout, or continue shopping. Checkout takes you through payments via a quick & secure process managed by a third-party company called SendOwl. At the end of the payment process SendOwl will email you a confirmation email (inc download link if relevant).

Downloads
You have 14 days to complete your download, and up to 3 attempts are permitted. If you buy the print-at-home version you will need to print it on normal A4 paper and the email you receive, with the download link, explains how best to fold the pages to make it into an A5 booklet. If you buy the download to mobile version you will need pdf reading software on your phone or tablet, eg using the Adobe Acrobat App (free).

Printed Copy
The booklet has a flexible cover, which has been professionally printed. The inside pages are printed to order, to ensure that they are as up-to-date as possible. We post booklets out 1st class Royal Mail, usually the same, or next working day. A small postage & packing charge is added.

"My wife and I did the first walk last weekend. It was a nice sunny day, and the walk was brilliant! So much to see, so colourful, with great places to stop to eat or have a drink. Thanks so much for putting this together, we can't wait to go back and do the 2nd walk now!"


Latest Revision : July 2023


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Portsmouth

Places you'll pass along the way - tap an image for more detail