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

I think bowling could be a popular idea. I'd go for that... Anyone else?

Somone suggest a date.

Bear in mind that Mondays to Thursday evenings are generally chocablock with leagues, so getting lanes is very hard.

Getting lanes at the weekend during the evening is not too difficult, but booking in advance is advisable. Sometimes it's megabusy, other times it's empty.

The first saturday of every month is 'extreme bowling' night. They turn the lights off, and switch the UV's on, and the pins glow either green or purple depending on what lanes you're on. Lights flashing on and off in the gutters in time to the music, etc.
Definitely worth booking if you want the first saturday.

I'll have a word with Debbie Laker, the centre manager, and see what rate can be obtained then for group bookings. I suspect I won't be able to get much, if anything, knocked off the price, but it's worth a try.

Where's the nearest nice beach to Southsea area? I remember that near the hovercraft it's quite stony - is it better near by? Peregrin thinks it would be a good idea if we went somewhere in the afternoon - ie beach, and then bowl in the evening. Which I think is a good idea, gives me time to look at Southsea Castle in the morning.

Don't suppose you know the best way to get to Portchester Castle?

The sand starts miles down shore, the other side of South parade pier. When you get to Eastney, the beach is sandy.

As for Porchester castle. If you are going by bus, you can get a 1A or 5 from Fareham, Cosham, or Portsmouth City Centre to Porchester - Ask for the White Hart, and get off there (it's a big pub on the corner of castle street and White hart lane.

Walk south a few hundred yards and you're there.

For rail travellers, go to Portchester (stopping services from Eastleigh, Southampton, and Portsmouth), come out of the station, and head down the hill (south) and over the roundabout, and keep going until you find the white hard pub, and continue as before.

Need a map? Go to www.lycos.co.uk, click on UK Maps, type in Portchester, and you'll see the castle on the southeasterly tip of the lump of land near the middle of the map. Zoom in three times and you'll be down to local street level.

Thanks. Any other castle enthusiasts out there? Or will I go to them both alone? Considering that there are three Approved Entries specifically about Castles - Tudor Castles on the Isle of Wight, Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight and Southampton Town Wall And Castles - and I wrote all 3, I suspect that the answer is probably no...

I'm not a too much of a castle enthusiast, but have been known to enjoy them on occasion. There are also the fortifications (to keep Napoleon or people from Southampton out I think) on the top of the hill. I assume they are still open to the tourists, but the only time I remember going to one was with an Uncle to a radio ham station that was based in one of them. They gave me a tour of all the tunnels with a couple of ghost stories thrown in in the less well lit tunnels to keep me amused/scared (I was 7 or 8 years old). I remember a seemingly endless series of white walled tunnels, ramps, spiral and normal stair ways, empty rooms and little windows looking out to views over Portsmouth and to the North. It seemed to take an age to get around. It would have been great for a game of hide and seek (from the point of view of a child, my parents/Uncle would not have thought so as the place was dangerous).

However, I do not think there are any busses up to any of these forts so unless I, or someone else, brings a car*, we can most likely forget about these unless you don't suffer allergic reactions to steep hills!

*This is likely if the weekend co-incides with a visit to my parents in Portsmouth as they like to use me as a shopping taxi service - getting their revenge in for when I was a kid I expect.

I assume you mean Palmerston's fortifications of the 1860s on Portsdown Hill etc? Yes, they are fun, definately - Fort Nelson is the most visited one in the area. If you go on certain days, they fire some of the old artillery there - the mortars, the armstrong breach-loaders and the RMLs. Not with real shot/shell, of course, just black powder, but it is definately worth a look at. Nothing like black powder to make everywhere foggy.

Hi Guyz, I've only joined this site today, and it's impressed me, so I guess I'll I guess I'll get to know all.

I live in Gosport and have done for most of life, so I guess my first article is gonna have to be about that I guess. But I know Portsmouth and this area very well so if I can be of assistance to you all in anyway, let me know.

Anyway, to the point, I reckon Portsmouth would be a good place to have your meet. There's a rather nice pub called spice island right on the harbour entrance, and is a very good place to sit outside and have a beer. It's always quite easy to find, 10mins from the harbour station. It's one of the best pubs in Pompey in the summer. Crap in the winter though.

Hope this helps.

BTW - there is currently a vote going on on where the next meet-up shall be.
One suggestion is Southampton, which is quite local - so let's vote for it so we won't have to travel far!
http://www.h2g2.com/A444386

I know I am very late this thread but if any Portsmouth area people are still around drop me a message.

Would be good to see some of you at Pompey games

Alas, I won't be at Fratton Park this year; However, the betting franchise is up for grabs next season, and I beleive plans are afoot to grab it. This means that I will probably find myself working at the ground, instead of being stuck in a shop on Saturday.
The down side is that it can get zarking cold in the north stand on a wet thursday night in January during the cup competitions, and being stuck in a shed taking bets with little or no heating is a bit of a pain in the ****, (and probably other places)

Jim
The betting shop with a piece of wood instead of a door (see journal)
Cosham.

Well if you get the franchise I come and say hello as I'm likely to place the odd bet. My seat is in the NSL.

How come you work as Sysadmin during the week and betting shop person at the weekends ?

> How come you work as Sysadmin during the week and betting shop person at the weekends ?

Now that is a long story, which I won't repeat here. It's probably because a number of years ago I needed the money, and I've just got settled into a pattern. Also, when I'm earning money, I'm not spending it... (not that, given the state of my bank account, this helps)

> Well if you get the franchise I come and say hello as I'm likely to place the odd bet. My seat is in the NSL.

If you are still there, we did, so do drop by the shed and say Hi. We're in the middle of the lower section, under the stand. Just before kickoff is a really bad time, because the number of bets goes up inversely proportional to the time remaining before kickoff (i.e. it gets nuts!)