So here we are in Portsmouth, home to Britain's navy, the major staging point for D-day, the starting point for the first ships sent to Australia to establish a colony.

When we first hit Portsmouth we looked for somewhere to grab a bite to eat before we checked into our hotel . Tried at a pub first, but they were only serving bar snacks. So after sampling some of the local brew, we headed over the road to a Cafe which seemed to be well patronized. To call the establishment a "greasy spoon" would be an understatement. Just about every table is filled with people drinking mugs of steaming tea, eating plates of sausages, bacon, eggs and chips. We ordered a couple of burgers and chips and coffee and sat back to wait for our culinary delights. Well not quite. The burgers proved to be a slab of processed meat pattie slapped between a bun - no salad, no sauce. Quite disgusting. The coffee was OK though.

The lousy weather is still with us. But no matter, we've found a great little hotel to stay at, spotted a few bars to eat and drink at. Julie has plotted a course to some places for a bit of retail therapy.

There are a number of sights to visit in Portsmouth - museums, historic ships, naval dockyards, art galleries etc etc . If the weather had been kinder we would have visited them all. But we limited ourselves to the D-Day museum. It's quite an extensive display, including the Overlord Embroidery, a 34 panel embroidery depicting the events leading up to and including D-Day. A worthwhile place to visit.

Portsmouth has been a interesting place. Lots of history but with a contemporary feel. A pity the weather was so lousy. But we've enjoyed what little time we had here.

Tomorrow we start a race across Cornwall to reach the western coast. I say a race because it looks like the weather is taking a turn for the worse (if that's possible). We may have a 2 day window to get to where we want to before heading back to Dover ands cross back to France.