Hafen
Portsmouth (GB)

A short transfer from the port brings you to Southsea terminal, home to the world’s longest operating hovercraft service where you can experience the noise, the thrill, and the waves of the sea on this unique private Hovercraft experience.

The hovercraft will ‘fly’ across the sea enabling you to admire the stunning views of the Solant and coastline of Portsmouth. Enjoy commentary throughout your journey as you pass close to the position where the Mary Rose sank in 1545 and near to one of the Palmerston Forts built in 1859 to defend the dockyard against the threat of French invasion.

Your pilot will also demonstrate the unique manoeuvrability of the craft.  With a 360 degree turn on the sea and deflating the skirt to make the craft float like a boat

The historic town of Arundel, in West Sussex lies at the foot of the South Downs on the River Arun, in some of England’s most beautiful countryside. The town is majestically overlooked by Arundel Castle, the country’s second biggest castle.

Arundel castle was established at the time of the Norman Conquest. It has been home to the Dukes of Norfolk since the 1500s. The castle is extremely well maintained and has been restored through the ages. To this day, the castle is still loved in by the descendants of the Duke, The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and their children, for this reason not all parts are open to the public. Despite the restrictions to protect the family’s privacy, large areas of the castle are open to the public. The interiors are presented with great grandeur and perfectly preserved with its exquisite furniture, tapestries and rare collection of paintings by renowned artists including Van Dyck and Gainsborough amongst others.

After your guided tour spend some time exploring the castle grounds. Climb to the top of the Keep and be rewarded with stunning views over the South Downs, River Arun and out to sea. Wander through the tranquil castle grounds where you will find a glorious flower garden and chapel. Just a short walk down the hill is Arundel town, a quaint English town with narrow streets lined with many specialty stores.

Re-board your coach and journey back to your ship that is waiting for you in Portsmouth.

For the ultimate Gin enthusiast, this is your chance to become a distiller for the afternoon at the award-winning Ashling Farm Estate.  Upon arrival to this beautiful and tranquil Sussex Estate, receive a welcoming Gin and Tonic to get your taste buds flowing.

Your gin making professor will guide you through the history of gin and the chemistry involved in the distillery process whilst you are using the specialised copper stills at the gin school.  Using the finest mix of 24 botanicals, create your own special blend of Gin. Build complexity & depth into your own Gin.  Will you select the citrus tones, floral or a traditional classic dry English?

Once you have created your own favourite tipple, you then need to decide what to call it before labelling your own bottle to take home with you. Complete the afternoon with a relaxing drink alfresco sharing a locally produced cheese board at the airstream bar before your short journey back to the port.

Depart Portsmouth today on a leisurely tour to Exbury Gardens to enjoy the largest privately-owned Gardens in the country, home to the world-famous Rothschild Collection of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camelias as well as rare trees and shrubs.  You will also visit the bustling and historic village of Lyndhurst, regarded as the capital of the New Forest.

Exbury Gardens were created by Lionel de Rothschild in the 1920’s and are the stunning realization of his ambition to showcase these 200 acres of natural beauty and there is a huge horticultural variety on display here.  Today you will be welcomed by a member of the team who will introduce the Gardens to you before you embark on an enjoyable narrow-gauge steam train ride that will take you on a delightful journey around the north-east corner of the Gardens and through the Summer Lane Gardens planted with bulbs, herbaceous perennials and grasses.

Exbury Gardens has had a long and very special relationship with various members of the Royal Family including Her Majesty the Queen.  Exbury marked the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee Year with a new area called Jubilee Hill.  There will be time for you to enjoy the Gardens in all their glory as well as stopping for lunch before re-joining your guide and coach for the drive to Lyndhurst, ‘capital’ of the New Forest.

Historical records first mention Lyndhurst in 980 A.D. and then again in the Doomsday Survey of 1086; it takes its name from the Old English name meaning ‘wooded hill growing with lime trees’.  In 1099 William the Conqueror designated a large area as his ‘nova forestra’, or new hunting ground, and this included Lyndhurst. The area was far larger than today’s New Forest National Park and stretched from the River Avon in the west, to Southampton Water in the east, from the Wiltshire downs in the north to The Solent in the south.

Lyndhurst began its life as a royal hunting lodge and Kings and Queens regularly came to visit and stay at the royal manor on the site of the Queen’s House, which is now the headquarters of the Forestry Commission. The Verderers’ Court adjacent to the Queen’s House is also a remnant of Norman times and takes its name from the French word ‘vert’ meaning green, thus the Verderers were the official keepers of the green. The Court was set up to deal with issues concerning the Forest communing system and is still in operation today.

After some free time, re-board your coach once more and drive back to Portsmouth to re-join your ship.

Delight in an out of hours, exclusive behind the scenes, visit to Henry VIII’s mighty vessel, the Mary Rose with VIP access to the Weston Ship Hall. Located in the heart of Portsmouth’s historic dockyard. This impressive multi-award-winning museum follows the journey of the Mary Rose from her commissioning to the excavation in 1982 to present day.

With your specialist guide venture into the world’s largest environmentally controlled exhibition show case; smell its timbers, experiencing an up-close view of the remains and walk on the VIP Balcony providing a rare insight into the ship not seen from within the museum.

After this exclusive behind the scenes visit, continue with a guided tour of the museum to view the unique collection of artefacts, immerse yourself in Tudor life and the stories of the men who served on board.  There will also be the opportunity to visit the award winning 4D multi-sensory cinema to watch how the team brought the Mary Rose up from Portsmouth’s seabed, and time to visit the gift shop before returning to the pier.

Depart your ship and drive through the city of Portsmouth.  Portsmouth is rightly famed for its naval heritage and Harbour, but besides this there is so much more for you to discover.  Learn about the events and people that have shaped the city across the centuries, including Charles Dickens, who was born in Portsmouth and Arthur Conan Doyle who started writing his Sherlock Holmes stories whilst practicing as a doctor here.  Today, enjoy a panoramic tour of Old Portsmouth, where Portsmouth first started, and discover the City’s many historic buildings. In 1704 royal permission was given for people to build houses near to the dockyard and so a new suburb called Portsmouth Common grew, this changed its name to Portsea in 1792. This new suburb soon outgrew the original town which became known as Old Portsmouth, also known as Spice Island which is where all the spices used to enter the city.

Stop at Portsmouth Cathedral for an inside visit, for centuries this building, the Cathedral of the Sea, has watched, listened and helped the people of Portsmouth navigate the passage of time. It has witnessed war and peace, famous marriages, been bombed and rebuilt and remains a building of greatness and simple enduring beauty. More than this it is a vibrant and lively community set at the heart of the city and diocese of Portsmouth. Embark on a guided tour of the Cathedral whilst you marvel at the history of this pretty building.

Continue to Spinnaker Tower, where you can relax and enjoy your afternoon tea with a glass of prosecco.  Soaring 170 meters above Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent, the Tower is taller than the London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Big Ben. The Tower stands proud over one of the most fascinating seascapes in the world.  Situated on the waterfront at Gunwharf Quays; it offers amazing 350° panoramic views of Portsmouth Harbour, the sandy beaches of the Witterings,and Selsey Bill in the East to the picturesque Isle of Wight in the South and the rolling hills of Hampshire’s South Downs in the North.  With views stretching out for up to 23 miles, they are a stunning sight to behold.

After your Afternoon Tea, re-board your coach for the return journey back to the ship.

Depart your ship and begin your journey by leaving the city and heading up to Portsdown Hill, from where you will have, weather permitting, one of the best views in Britain, overlooking the whole of Portsmouth.  On a clear day you will be able to see as far as Southampton, Chichester and the Isle of Wight.

With the phrase “OK let’s go! General Dwight D Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, made his historic and momentous decision committing three million men and 2,727 ships to the operation which turned the tide of World War II.  The little Hampshire settlement of Southwick became, quite literally, the centre of Operation Overlord. It is still a delightful estate village with its thatched roofs and half-timbered cottages and remains largely unchanged since June 1944.  After driving through the village you head into the city of Portsmouth and drive along the seafront road of Southsea then on to Old Portsmouth.

Portsmouth is rightly famed for its naval heritage and harbour, but there is so much more to discover.  Learn about the events and people that have shaped the city across the centuries, including Charles Dickens, who was born in Portsmouth and Arthur Conan Doyle who started writing his Sherlock Holmes stories whilst practising as a doctor in Southsea.  You will drive through the 19th century seaside resort of Southsea with its naval memorials and glimpse Southsea Castle built by King Henry 8th in the 16th century.  The panoramic tour continues to Old Portsmouth, including Spice Island where Portsmouth first started, and you will discover some of the city's historic buildings and defences as well as the HQ of the British America's cup team.  Finally, before returning to your ship, you drive through Portsea, an 18th century suburb, famed for its Historic Dockyard and Ships as well as the 170m high Spinnaker Tower opened in 2005.

This full day tour includes a walking tour of the ancient city of Salisbury with free time and a visit to one of Europe’s most famous sites - Stonehenge.  

The purpose of the world's most famous stone circle still remains a mystery.  Its origins go as far back as the Pyramids.  What today's visitor sees are the mighty remains of a sequence of monuments erected between 3000 & 1000 BC.  Most well-known are the trilithons, large doorframe-shaped stone arrangements, made up of 2 standing stones, topped by a lintel stone fixed together by mortice and tenon joints.  The stones are aligned so that on the midsummer and midwinter solstices the sun shines straight through the circle onto the central Heel Stone. Stop at Stonehenge to visit this mystical attraction before re-boarding your coach for a drive through to Salisbury.  Enjoy a two course lunch at an atmospheric venue before walking to the famous Salisbury Cathedral.

Superbly situated in southern England's rural heartland, few destinations can match the quintessential. English city of Salisbury with its centerpiece, Salisbury Cathedral. The awesome sight of the Salisbury Cathedral spire never fails to impress; soaring a breathtaking 123 meters (404 feet) into the sky, it is visible from every direction, dominating the landscape for many miles around. Salisbury is unique amongst medieval English cathedrals, built within one century with no substantial later additions. It is arguably the finest example of the Early English Gothic style of architecture in Britain.

There is much to see and do in and around the Cathedral as you will see on your guided tour. The spacious and tranquil Close with its schools, historic houses and museums makes a fine setting for the Cathedral. In the Cathedral itself you'll find not only the best preserved of only four original Magna Carta (AD1215) - the famous agreement made between King John and his barons at Runnymede, the basic principles of which have been incorporated into the constitution of the USA but also Europe's oldest working clock (AD1386).

Following your visit to the Cathedral, take some time to explore Salisbury at your leisure before re-joining your coach for the return journey to Portsmouth.