NavList:

Bruce,

You wrote:
"In mid May,we will probably be taking the ferry from Calais to Dover and staying somewhere on south coast going toward Portsmouth. Never been in this coastal area. Hope to stay 3-4 days.
With all of the naval, exploration, and related history in this area, what museums are a "must see" for CN, old maps and charts, rescue, ship wrecks? I know that the Victory is supposed to be outstanding. How about shops that sell CN books or equipment? Is there some especially convenient, or inconvenient , place to stay/avoid because of all the tourists (like us). ..."

I'm surprised no one has offered any advice. First, the easy one: southeast England is compact, so if you're staying anywhere on the coast, it's only a short trip up to Greenwich to see the Royal Observatory and the National Maritime Museum. If you do go to Portsmouth, there is plenty to see, centered on HMS Victory. I'll mention one of my personal interests: the Royal Navy Submarine Museum just across the harbour in Gosport. There's a diesel sub (up on land) that you can tour, and they also have "Holland 1" one of the earliest submarines deserving of the name. It spent some time on the bottom of the English Channel, but they've done a nice job restoring it and opening it up for visitors.

Anybody else? Things to do in Portsmouth?? Places to stay near there that aren't swamped by tourism?

-FER

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