h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What, doesn't HMS Warrior deserve a mention? Or the all-important Ferry to the Isle of Wight???

Speaking as a member of the 90% of the population of Portsmouth who aren't students (but still feeling partially qualified to speak for the remaining 10% having been a student at the then Polytechnic 10 years ago, even though it's quite obvious that we now speak completely different languages)...

Why just the isle of wight ferry (which one? do you mean the car ferry, fastcat or the hovercraft?).

Not to mention the Gosport Ferry, and the motion proposed by the Docker 657 party some years back that there be duty free shopping permitted on it. (A strange bunch, but I agree with that idea, as I use that ferry once a fortnight or so)

My favourite boat by far is the fast ferry to Cherbourg. I can do a booze run to the hypermarkets at 6:15am, and be back home in time for Babylon 5, what with the ferry port about 15 minutes walk away.

As for the football team, I used to go to every home game, but only because they paid me. Ladbrokes lost (gave up) the betting consession at the ground, and another company moved in. (Mind you, on match days, the poor staff in the Milton shop still get seriously hammered with business, glad I don't work in their group any more..)

Question. If a hovercraft pilot puts the engines in reverse, does the craft suck itself into the water?

Having just read the "review" of POMPEY, and as we are on a bit of a history vibe, nothing was mentioned about the D-Day museum, the links the city has with not just the Navy, but also THE ROYAL MARINES..... whose barracks have now been sub-divided into some of the most sort after residences in that area.
What about mentioning that we are known as "The Hampshire Cockney's", with my accent I have often been accused of being from London (this usually happens after I've had a few drinks!!), having been Pompey born n bred, (a claim I can make having been born in St. Mary's). We do sound very different from those who live in the land of the Scummers, don't ya think??
(last comment said in fun honestly!)

I've got a strong Isle of Wight accent, yet whenever I'm in Yorkshire people are convinced I'm from Yorkshire - but people from London can obviously tell I'm not.

As for ferries, it is a good point. Although the hovercraft goes from Southsea, there are ferries from Portsmouth to the Island and Gosport, and as Portsmouth is, primarily, a port, they needed to be mentioned.

I'm sure the football club should get more of a mention than it did!! This season could at last see them finishing in the top half of the table. Notice the non-committal approach about the play-off chances!!!

New ground is to be built on the Fratton Goods yards aswell, bringing more jobs and money (and traffic) into the area!!!

Hi all, a special big Hi to all those natives. I agree with all your points about things to include in the guide, but having lived Turktown for most of my life, it didn't even have a guide entry.

However, I have now found something to write my first guide artiicle about, so if anybody wants to help me out on ideas and stuff, it'd most welcome. The harbour ferry definately will get a mention, the harbour mouth being one of the most expensive stretches of water to cross in the world, up there with the stretch across the Isle of Wight. At least that's what I'm told.

On lighter note, I remember old Docker Hughes, good job he never got elected otherwise you would have been queing for weeks to get on the ferry. And we wouldn't have had too many cross-channel passengers anymore, they'd be in the queue too.

And as regards the 'pompey' accent, a friend of mine who unwisely moved to scumhampton (i did spell that right yeah?), tells that say PFC stands for 'pretend f**king cockneys'. Bit of a cheek cos they all sound farmers up there to me.

Looking forward to talking to you all in the future.

Hi Guys, me again. I've just went back and checked the pompey guide out again, this time I read it all and I can see why you guyz are upset. I don't live in the city, but I've got that old Pompey pride too, it's quite to be proud of Pompey when you live in Gosport.

Anyway if I was asked to write a guide to the place, there are a lot of quality places I would put in, but the Tricorn????? As far as I remember the only time a non Portsmouth person had anything about is when old prince Charley slated it rotten. Anyway haven't they knocked it down yet? I've never been to Baffins Pond, so cant comment on that.

But where was the HMS Warrior?, D-Day Musem, Marines Museum, Royal Naval Museum, Old Portsmouth, Sea Life Centre, The old Blue Boat Trips. What about a certain Mr Dickens who was there. Arthur Conan Doyle.

I've just heard the other day the festival of the sea is coming next year, that was brilliant last time, so that deserves a mention.

Anyway I said my piece, I'm off to think of something interesting to say about Gosport, other it's next to Portsmouth.

I've written a history of HMS Warrior at an article here:
http://www.h2g2.com/A405064
(It concentrates on its heyday, but it does mention that it's at Portsmouth)
and there is an article on the Isle of Wight Ferry here:
http://www.h2g2.com/A306992

But the article definately needs improvement.

Hi Bluebottle, cool entries.

I'm gonna write my first entry about Gosport, so I'll link to them if I can.