Six things you must do in...Portsmouth

By Gareth Huw Davies for The Mail on Sunday
Updated: 19:55 EDT, 31 January 2016

Is Portsmouth the most exciting city in the South? Gareth Huw Davies makes the case. His list of things you shouldn't miss includes famous old ships, Dickens's House, Nelson's Trail, epic embroidery, an in-your-face castle and a very high view.

Winning holiday: The HMS Victory is must-see attraction in the city

1. TOP TOWER

The city's big, bold Millennium project, the Spinnaker Tower - Britain's tallest tower outside London - opened in 2005 and is a landmark to be proud of: a glorious sweep of steel and glass in the shape of a sail. The views from the observation deck, 328ft up, are sensational.

We saw great ships, ancient and modern, in the dockyard below and hovercraft buzzing over the Solent to the Isle of Wight. To the west was mighty Portchester Castle, Henry V's base before he sailed for France and the Battle of Agincourt. To the east are the wide lawns of Southsea. Stepping on to the glass floor gave me an instant tingle. It's a long way down (www.spinnakertower.co.uk).

2. THE WRITE STUFF

There's a touching tale of Charles Dickens who, at the height of his fame, wandered Portsmouth's smoky streets looking in vain for the house where he was born. (He'd been back twice before, to research locations for Nicholas Nickleby and give readings.)

No such problems today. Signs point to the modest house in Old Commercial Road. It has been redecorated in a style Dickens would recognise (www.charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk).

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, lived in Portsmouth too. The excellent exhibition, A Study In Sherlock, is in the City Museum.

High hopes: The Spinnaker Tower is Britain's tallest outside London and has stunning views

3. WALK LIKE A HERO 

Even if you never take guided walks, take the Nelson Trail.

It's a short stroll through the streets of old Portsmouth along which, in 1805, the Admiral walked to reach the beach at Southsea before leaving England for the last time.

He was rowed out to the Victory, which was at anchor in the Solent, and sailed on to his triumph and death at the battle of Trafalgar.

Many buildings of the age, including venerable old pubs, survive, spared the Second World War bombing (02392 826722, www.visitportsmouth.co.uk).

In the same spirit of heroic departures, we found embroidery depicting epic events.

The Overlord Embroidery at the D-Day Museum on Southsea waterfront recounts the greatest naval invasion in history, on the Normandy beaches in 1944.

4. A GLIMPSE OF VICTORY 

A few hundred yards from Portsmouth Harbour Station (this city is an easy day trip, or a worthwhile stop before boarding the ferry to the Channel Isles or France) are the timbers of Mary Rose, Henry VIII's flagship. It overturned in the Solent in 1545 and was raised in 1982.

Yet no wooden ship anywhere compares to the Victory, Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar.

We walked the cramped decks, via the vast state room, to the spot where Nelson died. Victory's original topsail, pock-marked with 90 shot and cannonball holes, is displayed in a darkened room.

5. A RETREAT YOU CAN'T BEAT 

Until recently a hefty, four-square Victorian mansion in the middle of Southsea would have become offices, or an old-fashioned B&B with lots of small rooms.

The new owners, Mark and Sian, cabin crew for British Airways, had higher hopes for this former home of the mayor of Southsea and upgraded it to boutique hotel standards.

It opened in 2007 as the Retreat Guest House and has just four rooms, furnished way above conventional B&B standards, from around £70-£105 a night. Sian served us a breakfast fit for BA first-class (www.theretreatguesthouse.co.uk, 02392 353701).

6. QUAYS TO SUCCESS 

Too many retail centres are out in the suburbs, bland and forgettable. Gunwharf Quays - 95 designer outlets and a 14-screen cinema - draws shoppers into the heart of old Portsmouth.

We ate at the Loch Fyne fish restaurant, where they endorse the message of sustainable seafood.

Gunwharf sits easily alongside old Portsmouth Harbour. Next day we tried the waterside restaurant Abarbistro.

It has fresh, light New England decor, good service and unfussy cooking. From our table we watched the ever-changing light show on the Spinnaker Tower (www.abarbistro.co.uk).