Advantages: Great history, excellent guided tours
Disadvantages: none

...Portsmouth has long been associated with the Royal Navy being one of the Home Ports. The naval dockyard occupies a prominent part in the cities story both past and present and as such offers some very interesting visitor attractions. The most famous is of course HMS Victory, the famous flagship of Lord Nelson and the ship upon which he died on the verge of the historic victory over the French at Trafalgar. The ex service personnel who act as guides to the Victory offer a great, fact filled tour lasting about 40 minutes. As well as the Victory there is the more modern HMS Warrior - one of the first Iron Clad warships, which does not require a guided tour to visit. Then there is the flagship of Henery VIII the MAry Rose. Lifted from its resting place a few years ago, what remains of the ships hull is displayed in an enclosed spray chamber... Read review

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Advantages: variety of things to do
Disadvantages: always digging up the raods

...I grew up in portsmouth - I lived there for 17 years as a child - its my favourite place to be, whether its shopping in one of the shopping malls or taking in some historic sites, Portsmouth truely is a family favourite. My ideal day in Portsmouth would start at one of the many bistro cafes in Albert Road for breakfast, I'd then do a little site seeing, proble visit HMS Victory, the Mary Rose and HMS Warrior (I may even have the cahnce to see some new warships like the new trimarn destroyer or mayber an aircraft carrier). After catching some nostaglia I'd get some lunch at The Still & West which over looks the harbour. After indulging in some great food I'd go and walk it all of, shopping at the Cascades centre. A fairly run of the mill shopping centre, plenty of shops and amenties. Then it would be off to L-esargo for an evening dinner... Read review

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Advantages: Bright illustrations with lots going on in them. Lots of information. Brilliant book for children and adults!
Disadvantages: To really benefit from this book you need the TIME to do it justice ...

...Every so often, you come across a book that makes you wonder how you could ever have got through life without it. Looking back on my schooldays, which I loved, I wish Stephen Biesty's books had been around them. I have always loved history and nautical stuff, old ships on display now as museums, swashbuckling pirate movies and tales of smugglers in Devon and Cornwall. Well, this book is marvellous - provides you with plenty to spark an interest in things nautical. One of the Stephen Biesty "Cross Sections" series published by Dorling Kindersley, "Man-Of-War" is a brilliant book giving all manner of information about an 18th Century warship. Written by Richard Platt, the book used HMS Victory as the basis for all the cross-sections. When I was a child this great vessel used to be moored on the Thames, in London, but has now been... Read review

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Advantages: Gives an insight into war at sea
Disadvantages: None

...Battleships will not be everybody’s choice of viewing but as a naval history lesson it is unparalleled and a must for anyone with more than a pinch of salt in his or her veins. As an island nation we have relied on our naval forces, to stay independent and unconquered for centuries and done so with a great deal of success as the French, Spanish and Germans will testify to. So it is only fitting that a documentary on Channel 4 on Saturdays at 7.00 pm chronicled the history of the Battleship in a four part series. Starting at the end of the 17th century the story of war at sea unfolded with the wooden and heavily armed men ‘o war of the day which hadn’t changed much since Nelson’s time and HMS Victory. But technology threw a spanner in the nautical works when steam ships appeared and more importantly the ironclad... Read review

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Advantages: Very intresting, stair -lift for disabled people
Disadvantages: Low celinged, windy corners

...HMS Warrior pride of Queen Victoria is one of the last surviving iron clad ships made by Isembard kingdom Brunel. If you don't know who he is, he was the designer of the Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol. She joined the fleet in 1860 as part of Britain's answer to a troubled peace with France - & worries over French naval plans. Warrior could be driven by both steam & sail, her crew were about 700 men, they were: 42 officers 3 warrant officers 455 seaman and boys 3 Royal Marine officers 6 Royal Marine NCOs 118 Royal Marine artillerymen 2 chief engineers 10 engineers 66 stokers and trimmers Open from 10am - 5pm. When you arrive at Warrior there's a long ramp which goes up to the deck, wheelchairs can access this but it can be a steep push up. Once on board there's a chairlift operated by a member of staff, something I think... Read review

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Advantages: Suitable for all the family. Very interesting.
Disadvantages: Can be pricey and can't be done all in one day.

...centre. This is where you get your tickets. Remember if you do get a passport ticket not to lose it, as you will need it to get into each attraction! History of the dockyard The dockyards were constructed in 1194 at the order of King Richard I. 18 years later his brother, King John, ordered for them to be enclosed. In 1495 Henry VII ordered the construction of the worlds first dry dock. It then became a fleet construction centre under Henry VIII. Charles II formed the Royal Navy in 1670. The docks then became the Royal Dockyard. The Great Ship Basin and 6 dry docks were built. This is where HMS Victory and the Mary Rose now sit. By 1800 the navy had 684 ships. The dockyard was now the worlds largest industrial complex. In 1802 the Blackmills were built. These were ship pulley blocks, which made the building of ships easier and quicker... Read review

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Advantages: Best flavour, strong, made in a traditonal method.
Disadvantages: Quite expensive but worth it.

...All other dark rums pale in comparison to the original navy rum! Despite the claims made my every other dark rum on the planet that they are what sailors drank they are all just trying to get a slice of the spotlight that this rum has. Pusser's Rum is what they were drinking at the time Lord Nelson was shot on the deck of HMS Victory and is what they still drink now in the Forces Mess' around the country. In fact when Nelson was shot he was placed in barrel of rum to pickle his body for a funeral back on shore, the rum was so tasty that on the return to shore they found that the sailors had still been drinking the rum. This led to the top of the range product from Pusser's being named Nelson's Blood. The rum is 54.5%25 volume and fantastically tasty! Made in the British Virgin Islands it carries the vintage of years of production... Read review

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Advantages: exciting
Disadvantages: ticket price is a bit steep

...wandering around these ships knowing their deadly purpose. IFOS is staged in the historic dockyard and it is rare to get a chance to wander around the massive base. I spent most the last festival just wandering around some of the Georgian buildings and drinking in the history. Included in the IFOS ticket are tours of permanent attractions HMS Victory, still in commission and an astonishing timewarp, and Henry VIII's flagship Mary Rose, which capsized while the lusty old goat watched in dismay from shore. There is also Action Stations and HMS Warrior, the first ironclad, on display outside the naval base walls. The bad news? An adult day ticket costs a wallet-punching £18 and it\'s £10 for a child. There is a park and ride scheme at entrances to the city (off the M27) but you will be charged £2 for the honour of using it. Still, it's a top... Read review

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Advantages: A very entertaining read.
Disadvantages: Won't appeal to everybody

...an East India Company armed merchant ship purchased by the Royal Navy. At one time she was commanded by one William Bligh. (Yes that one) After the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, Captain Bligh was personally praised by Nelson for his contribution to the victory. HMS Glatton was armed exclusively with carronades, twenty-eight 64-pounder and twenty-eight 32-pounder carronades. These carronades were shorter and lighter than the traditional long guns but were short ranged. HMS Glatton could fire a heavier weight broadside than HMS Victory. In ordinary combat, HMS Glatton would have to get into point blank range in order to deal any blow while enduring the pounding of any opponent. That is assuming the opponent allowed her to close the range at all. At a close range she could be very effective. 32lb cannon weight 56cwt, Length 9-12ft Range... Read review

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Advantages: Plenty to look at and do
Disadvantages: Extortionately priced.

...couldn’t ask any questions. Most of the people wandering round ended up going round in little groups. We found ourselves walking round with an American couple and another English family and we discussed things as we walked round. You do need about an hour to take in everything on this ship. We were able to go right down below the waterline to the engine room and we could here the water slopping against the side. Before you get confused about the engines, the Warrior had sails and steam power, which helped it have a vast advantage over sailing ships in battle. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX HMS VICTORY XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX This wasn’t the next item in line, but a guide said that there was a long queue so we decided to get in now. The reason for this is that I went to the dockyard specifically... Read review

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