I have loved my time living in the city and there will certainly be many things about it that I will look back upon fondly - and others less so. Having grown up in rural Devon and Cornwall, moving to Portsmouth for the first time was an exciting change of pace.
NOW READ: My first year in Portsmouth
While it has much in common with Plymouth – the nearest city to me during my childhood on Dartmoor – such as its prominent connection to the Royal Navy, there is nowhere else quite like Portsmouth. I moved to the UK’s Island City from Manchester almost two years ago when I started working at The News. From learning the local lingo to finding out some surprising and sometimes, frankly, bizarre facts about its history, there was plenty of novelty for me to enjoy when I moved here – having only had one brief visit to the city before making it my home.
Here are 9 things that I will miss about Portsmouth - and 2 that I won’t:
9. I will miss...Portsmouth's passion for football
Admittedly I am not a football fan, but Portsmouth FC's rallying cry was completely unfamiliar to me before I moved to Portsmouth. The city's passion for "the beautiful game" is contagious.Pictured: Portsmouth FC are crowned as Champions at Southsea common after winning Sky Bet League Two in 2017. Photo: Joe Pepler
10. I will miss...Spinnaker Tower
Portsmouth’s iconic landmark, one of the South Coast’s leading tourist attractions and has fantastic views across the Solent - just don't look down when you walk over the glass floor if you don't like heights! Photo: Marcin Jedrysiak
11. I won't miss...polluted seawater
It is a great shame that many of the bathing waters in the Portsmouth area are polluted - and not sensible to swim in.The Environment Agency has changed the classification of Southsea East and Eastney bathing sites from “sufficient” and “excellent”, to “poor” and “good” respectively for the 2024 bathing season. Possible causes of declining water quality include Southern Water’s sewage outfalls, contaminated groundwater, the council’s coastal defence work or possible leaks from the South Parade Pier. Signs in the area warn against swimming. (Photo courtesy of andrei310 - stock.adobe.com) Photo: andrei310 - stock.adobe.com
12. I will not miss...Portsmouth traffic
Since moving here, I have lost count of the number of times that traffic has ground to a halt due to the closure of Eastern Road, the major route on and off Portsea Island, maddening motorists across the city. Photo: -