Portsmouth and Southsea

Old friends having invited us over to spend the day with them in Southsea, provided great company and a fun lunch together.

Before lunch, we strolled along the almost deserted beach in wonderful sunshine.

Their flat, to which we returned for lunch, is in an old military estate with the ground upon which the military marched, still occasionally used by the Royal Marines, preserved as an historic  site.

After lunch we went to the fairly close nearby, Portsmouth military museum which was also most enjoyable, not least because of its cafe which was open for refreshments.

For me, the most interesting part of the museum was an old WWII landing craft. Apparently the landing craft was sunk by the Germans off the Normandy coast when allied troops were landing on D-Day. 

Years later the landing craft was discovered by a Frenchman I think, and with the aid of a grant, salvaged, fully repaired and restored comparatively recently in 2022. 

There were pictures of the landing craft when salvaged, showing details of the rust and decay as well as the huge amount of mud and junk that had accumulated onboard whilst under the Channel

The huge landing craft is now a stand alone exhibit some distance away from the main museum. 

Although clamboring about the landing craft was difficult, especially coming down the ladder from the bridge, we all managed well enough without requiring assistance from the helpful attendants present.

 The view from the bridge was excellent.

Later, we retired to see the remainder of the museum and for some well deserved tea. 

Afterwards Lynette and David bade us farewell from the front entrance of their Southsea flat:

And we returned home safely via the A3, part of which is  short but decent motorway.