FORT WIDLEY, PORTSMOUTH August 2021
Firstly a big thank you to our lovely Marshals’, Trevor and Sheila, who kindly ensured we all found our way safely into Fort Widley. Sheila opened the big heavy gates for us on arrival and then we had to negotiate the very narrow walled entrance up to the top of the fort, all of this was achieved in a howling wind! Apparently, on a previous rally at the fort, some scraping of MoHo paint had happened, so we should be pleased we arrived at our pitch unscathed. I must say, on first impression, the fort looked like a set from Steptoe & Son’s (i.e. a scrap metal yard or maybe a place for retired old and lost vehicles)! That said we were soon lined up by Trevor and had a great view of Portsmouth in the distance to enjoy. Throughout the rest of the afternoon our fellow Moho companions all duly arrived, safely and undamaged, although it was quite entertaining watching the manoeuvrings around the assault course. Later that afternoon and despite the wind and the rain, we had a meet and greet hosted by Trevor and Sheila. Warmed by our hot drinks and multiple layers of clothes we caught up with what we had each been doing and where we had been holidaying in our motorhomes. We also discussed where we might go visiting in the Portsmouth area. With lots of places of interest in the area there was plenty to explore.
As we were staying at Fort Widley we had arranged to go round the myriad of tunnels underneath us on a guided tour. The fort was built in 1861 to defend Portsmouth from sea and land attack and were known as “Palmerston’s Follys”. It is one of six forts built and probably its best claim to fame was that in the 2nd world war its underground rooms were used as planning rooms and as a Bomb disposal unit by the Royal Engineer’s. From 1952 to 1992 it was earmarked for use in the event of a nuclear attack, a scary experience that luckily never came to reality. It was an interesting two-hour tour providing us all with an opportunity to ask questions and imagine what would have happened if the fort had been attacked.
The couple of visits we made to the Historic Dockyard reminded us of our country’s rich naval heritage, with Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory resting only a few 100 feet away from The Mary Rose (flagship of Henry VIII), HMS Warrior (an Ironclad cruiser) and the brand new Aircraft Carrier, HMS Prince of Wales.
We also took the opportunity to browse (I was only allowed to browse!) around the very fashionable and expensive shops in the redeveloped site of Gunwharf Quays, which was once the Royal Naval Diving School, HMS Vernon. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed their explorations around Portsmouth and beyond, including Hayling Island, the Witterings and even abroad to the IOW!
Firstly a big thank you to our lovely Marshals’, Trevor and Sheila, who kindly ensured we all found our way safely into Fort Widley. Sheila opened the big heavy gates for us on arrival and then we had to negotiate the very narrow walled entrance up to the top of the fort, all of this was achieved in a howling wind! Apparently, on a previous rally at the fort, some scraping of MoHo paint had happened, so we should be pleased we arrived at our pitch unscathed. I must say, on first impression, the fort looked like a set from Steptoe & Son’s (i.e. a scrap metal yard or maybe a place for retired old and lost vehicles)! That said we were soon lined up by Trevor and had a great view of Portsmouth in the distance to enjoy. Throughout the rest of the afternoon our fellow Moho companions all duly arrived, safely and undamaged, although it was quite entertaining watching the manoeuvrings around the assault course. Later that afternoon and despite the wind and the rain, we had a meet and greet hosted by Trevor and Sheila. Warmed by our hot drinks and multiple layers of clothes we caught up with what we had each been doing and where we had been holidaying in our motorhomes. We also discussed where we might go visiting in the Portsmouth area. With lots of places of interest in the area there was plenty to explore.
As we were staying at Fort Widley we had arranged to go round the myriad of tunnels underneath us on a guided tour. The fort was built in 1861 to defend Portsmouth from sea and land attack and were known as “Palmerston’s Follys”. It is one of six forts built and probably its best claim to fame was that in the 2nd world war its underground rooms were used as planning rooms and as a Bomb disposal unit by the Royal Engineer’s. From 1952 to 1992 it was earmarked for use in the event of a nuclear attack, a scary experience that luckily never came to reality. It was an interesting two-hour tour providing us all with an opportunity to ask questions and imagine what would have happened if the fort had been attacked.
The couple of visits we made to the Historic Dockyard reminded us of our country’s rich naval heritage, with Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory resting only a few 100 feet away from The Mary Rose (flagship of Henry VIII), HMS Warrior (an Ironclad cruiser) and the brand new Aircraft Carrier, HMS Prince of Wales.
We also took the opportunity to browse (I was only allowed to browse!) around the very fashionable and expensive shops in the redeveloped site of Gunwharf Quays, which was once the Royal Naval Diving School, HMS Vernon. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed their explorations around Portsmouth and beyond, including Hayling Island, the Witterings and even abroad to the IOW!