Portsmouth: Portsmouth of the Past Walking Tour

Portsmouth’s past is best understood through its people, and this walk puts sailors, dock workers, odd characters, murder stories, love stories, and local legends at the center. Guide Steve draws on more than 40 years of living in the city, using old pictures and maps to show how much Old Portsmouth has changed.

I like the personal local angle and the way the tour connects Roman-era Portus Adurni with the modern naval dockyard. I also like the generous mix of funny and serious stories, plus the fact that your $13 helps Cancer Research UK. The main consideration is that this is an outdoor walking tour, so comfortable shoes and a weather plan matter.

Key points

• Steve’s 40 years in Portsmouth bring local names, characters, and stories to life.
• Old photographs and maps help you picture streets and buildings altered by war, ships, and redevelopment.
• The story stretches from Roman Portsmouth to aircraft carriers, giving the city a useful historical shape.
• Odd facts and darker tales add humor, human drama, and a little bite to the walk.
• The tour begins close to major transport links, making it easy to fit into a day in Portsmouth.
• Wheelchair and scooter access, dogs, and children are all catered for.

A local view of Old Portsmouth

This 90-minute tour is less about entering famous attractions and more about learning how the city worked around them. You walk through Old Portsmouth while Steve explains how sailors lived, how the port developed, and how naval activity shaped daily life.

That distinction matters. If you already plan to spend several hours inside Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, this walk will not replace the ships and exhibitions. It gives you the wider setting first, helping you understand why the dockyard mattered and how the surrounding town grew beside it.

Steve’s style is clearly central to the experience. He remembers names, adapts stories to the group, and uses humor without turning the tour into a comedy routine. The balance suits visitors who want facts but do not want to follow a guide through a long list of dates.

Starting beside the Mudlarks Statue

The meeting point is the Mudlarks Statue, showing a small girl and a man. It is about 30 meters from the entrance to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, with a Portsmouth of the Past board and banner helping you identify the group.

The location is convenient. Portsmouth Harbour Station and The Hard Bus Interchange are around 75 meters away, while the Gosport Ferry is about 100 meters from the start. You can arrive by train, bus, or ferry without adding a long walk before the tour begins.

The walk returns to The Hard Interchange, so you finish close to where you started. That makes it easy to continue to the dockyard, catch a ferry, or move on to another part of the city.

From Portus Adurni to the naval city

The story begins with the Roman period and Portus Adurni, the fort now known as Portchester Castle. You do not visit the castle on this tour, but its place in the story helps explain the area’s early defensive and maritime role.

From there, the focus moves to the development of Old Portsmouth in the late 12th century. This gives the walk a useful sense of time. Portsmouth is not presented as a collection of isolated monuments. Instead, you see how a working port changed as trade, defense, ships, and people changed around it.

The tour then follows the city toward the modern naval era, including the aircraft carriers in the dockyard. That long reach is one of the strongest parts of the experience. In a short walk, you get a clear outline of Portsmouth’s development without needing a full day of study.

Sailors, local characters, and stranger stories

The tour concentrates on people rather than only buildings. You hear about sailors and the lively lives connected with the port, along with stories of love, murder, martyrs, and unusual local events.

This human focus keeps the walk moving. A street becomes more memorable when you know what happened to the people who lived or worked there. The quirky facts also help you notice details you might otherwise pass without a second look.

The humor is a big part of the appeal. Steve is described as friendly and funny, and his delivery gives the walk an easy, informal feel. If you prefer a serious lecture with dense historical detail, you may find some sections a little light. One participant did suggest that the tour could include more historical content, so expectations matter.

Still, the amount of information appears well judged for 90 minutes. You get enough dates and context to understand the city, while the stories stop the walk from feeling like a textbook read aloud.

Old photographs show a changing Portsmouth

Steve supports the walk with historic photographs, maps, and other visual material. This is especially useful in a city reshaped by new ships, changing seafaring needs, and wartime bombing.

Old images let you compare the Portsmouth of the past with the streets in front of you. Maps help explain why the town developed as it did and how the waterfront related to the old town and dockyard.

I consider this one of the tour’s best features. A spoken description of a demolished street can be hard to picture. An old photograph gives you something concrete to look at, and it also creates good photo opportunities of your own as you move through the city.

Bring a camera, but do not expect a sightseeing tour built around one famous viewpoint. The strongest pictures may come from the contrast between surviving buildings, waterfront views, naval vessels, statues, and the historic images Steve shares.

What the 90-minute route feels like

The pace is described as leisurely, with the route covering several parts of Old Portsmouth before returning to The Hard. It is long enough to give you an overview, but short enough to fit before or after a dockyard visit.

You should still wear comfortable shoes. One person found their feet tired later, despite feeling that the length and pace were well judged. The route is not presented as strenuous, but standing and walking for an hour and a half can catch up with you.

The walk is wheelchair and scooter accessible, which makes it a practical option for many visitors. Since this is an outdoor route, access can still depend on normal street conditions and weather, but the tour is specifically designed to accommodate wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

Dogs are welcome too. Children receive an age-appropriate activity book and pencils, giving younger walkers something to do while Steve tells the stories. That helps families, though the subject matter includes murder and other darker tales, so parents may want to judge the fit for their children.

A useful first look before the dockyard

At $13 per person, this is a strong value if you want context before paying for larger attractions. The price does not include entry to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, its ships, or the Spinnaker Tower, so you should treat the walk as a separate introduction rather than a ticket bundle.

That separation can work in your favor. You can use the tour to decide how much time you want to spend at the dockyard, and Steve’s explanations may make the exhibits easier to place in context. If you only have a short stay in Portsmouth, the walk gives you a broad first look without taking up half a day.

It is also a good choice for repeat visitors. Even if you have seen the main attractions, local stories and old images can show you a different side of the city. Several people who already lived in Portsmouth found the walk informative, which says something about the amount of local detail Steve brings.

The tour also supports Cancer Research UK. All funds raised and gratuities are split with the charity, with more than £1,200 raised in the previous year. That does not change the sightseeing content, but it adds a worthwhile reason to choose this small local operation over a purely commercial walk.

How Steve’s guiding style shapes the experience

Steve is the named guide in the supplied details, although one booking record uses Steven. He is a longtime Portsmouth resident with more than 40 years of experience living in the city.

His strength is local familiarity. He can move from broad naval events to small personal stories, remember people’s names, and adjust the explanation for a mixed group. That personal touch seems to make the walk feel more like a guided conversation than a formal presentation.

The tour has earned a 4.8 rating from 44 reviews, with praise focused on Steve’s friendliness, humor, clear communication, and ability to make the city easy to understand. The most repeated positive points are his local insight and the enjoyable blend of facts and stories.

The small amount of criticism is useful too. One person wanted more historical content. If your main goal is detailed military history, ship design, or a full academic account of Portsmouth, you may want to add the Historic Dockyard afterward. If you want a lively orientation with human stories, the balance should suit you well.

Weather, access, and planning tips

Wear comfortable shoes and bring a camera. The walk normally takes place outdoors, and very bad weather can change the plan.

If conditions are especially poor, contact the operator to check if the tour is running or if it will be delivered in a pub using photographs and stories. That is a practical backup, but you should not assume that every wet day means an indoor session.

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund, and the reserve-now, pay-later option keeps your plans flexible. Starting times vary, so check availability for your chosen date.

English is the tour language. The accessible route, dog-friendly policy, and child activity materials make it suitable for a broad range of groups, while the 90-minute length keeps the commitment manageable.

Who should book the Portsmouth walk

I would choose this tour if you want a quick, friendly introduction to Old Portsmouth before exploring the dockyard. It is especially suitable for first-time visitors, families with older children, history fans who enjoy local anecdotes, and anyone who prefers people and stories to a list of monuments.

It also fits well into a transport-based day. The starting point is close to the station, bus interchange, and Gosport Ferry, so you do not need a complicated plan to reach it.

You may want to skip it if you only want to enter the ships, climb the Spinnaker Tower, or spend your limited time inside paid attractions. The walk does not include admission to those sites. You may also prefer a longer specialist history tour if you want dense detail throughout.

Should you book it?

Book the Portsmouth of the Past Walking Tour if you want local color, naval context, old images, and a good dose of odd stories for $13. Steve’s long connection with the city gives the walk a personal feel, and the route provides a sensible overview in 90 minutes.

The best plan is to take the tour early in your Portsmouth visit, then decide how much time to give the Historic Dockyard and other sights. Bring good shoes, allow for outdoor weather, and expect an entertaining introduction rather than a detailed study of every naval event.

FAQ

Where does the Portsmouth of the Past Walking Tour start?

It starts at the Mudlarks Statue, showing a small girl and a man. The statue is about 30 meters from the entrance to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

How long does the tour last?

The walking tour lasts 90 minutes, or one and a half hours.

Where does the tour finish?

The walk returns to The Hard Interchange, close to the starting point.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The tour is wheelchair and scooter accessible.

Are dogs and children allowed?

Dogs are welcome. Children receive an age-appropriate activity book and pencils.

Does the tour include Portsmouth Historic Dockyard or the Spinnaker Tower?

No. Admission to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, its ship attractions, and the Spinnaker Tower is not included.