15.11 Moreton-in-Marsh to Portsmouth
0500 I wake up after a fitful night. The weather forecast all week has been for fog this morning. I’ve been hoping to get some interesting photos. But it’s clear this morning. Boo hoo!
0730 Breakfast.
0830 Time for the ritual repack. Today I’m moving on but I don’t have pre-booked tickets. That means I have more flexibility and less pressure. It’s nice. I dream of a time when I may be able to slow down the pace of travel to be more like this.
0852 Finished repacking. Only 22 minutes!
0910 Time to check-out.
0930 I get to the train station. It’s quite mild. Warm from walking, I’m just in t-shirt now. I buy my ticket but don’t properly read the train signage on the platform. I go over the overpass to platform 2 where the London trains would usually depart from. The station master calls out from across the tracks to confirm which train I want. She tells me it’s going to depart from platform 1. Back over the overpass! The sign on platform 1 still shows the 0929 train to Moreton-in-Marsh, so when a train arrives I take no notice. But the train sits at the platform for quite some time and the sign changes to my train. I check with the station master and this IS my train. That was all a bit confusing.
0950 Great Western Railway departs, calling at Kingham, Charlbury, Hanborough, Oxford and Reading. I bought a first class ticket but this train doesn’t have a first class carriage. The conductor says I can get a form to request a refund if none of the trains offer first class seating.
1105 We arrive at Reading.
1115 Great Western Railway departs. The weather is very overcast now. This train does have a first class section and it’s worth it.
1150 We arrive in Guildford.
1204 Great South Western departs, calling at Hazelmere, Petersfield, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour. This train also has a first class section, so I’m happy with my ticket choice after all.
1305 We arrive at Portsmouth Harbour.
1318 I check-in. The WiFi doesn‘t appear to be working in my room or at reception. I speak with the staff. I pop to the nearby pret-a-manger for a hot chocolate and to use their WiFi for updates. But I can‘t connect to that either. Oops, maybe it’s my phone? I restart my phone and everything is OK again.
1400 I’d like to visit the Spinnaker Tower, but when I check online I realise I will have to book for another day. I decide to explore the Mary Rose museum instead. I make my way there. The Mary Rose was King Henry VIII’s ship that sank in 1545. What’s left of it has been recovered and is preserved in a museum. Admittedly, there’s not much left but it was fascinating all the same.
1450 I finish at the Mary Rose museum after buying my big book for the trip: Britain’s Tudor Maps County by County.
My plan had been to visit the other maritime museums on Sunday but I realise it will be really busy then and it’s very quiet now. I decide to get a ticket (it will be valid for a year) and I visit HMS Victory and HMS Warrior in relative peace.
HMS Victory was Nelson’s ship at the Battle of Trafalgar. I remember it vividly from my childhood because a friend made a really great model of it. It’s really special to walk through the real thing.
HMS Warrior was an iron-clad warship from 1860. I’m not so familiar with it, but explore anyway.
It’s late in the day and birds are congregating on the top of one of the masts. They get disturbed when a guide shakes a rope and fly off in a flurry.
1645 I get back to the hotel. The last hotel was lovely but every floorboard in my room creaked. It’s nice to not make noises as I walk in this hotel. I organise laundry for tomorrow. I’ve done really well with packing this trip; just a few things need washing.
1830 I shower and head out to find some dinner. The hotel is located in a shopping/dining precinct, so there will be plenty of choices. Being a week night, it’s relatively quiet out. I settle for The Old Customs House and have a delicious chicken and leek pie with mash and greens.
2030 I watch a little TV and then sleep time. I’ve really noticed the Christmas ads on the TV here. All snow and tinsel; it just feels so much more authentic than Christmas in Australia.
