Shopping

We had a free day with nothing to constrain our time. We decided to head for Gunwharf Quay in Portsmouth and spend the day looking in the shops and grabbing a bite to eat while we were there. The traffic getting into Portsmouth was dreadful. Some roadworks near the Cathedral were causing a tailback onto the M275. We were in no hurry, so we sat patiently and eventually pulled into the underground car park.

We did a complete circuit of the shopping centre to get an idea of what shops were available. (So often, nowadays, you find town centres and malls with loads of empty units where businesses have moved out or gone bust). We were pleasantly surprised. It was awash with outlets for plenty of brands and had a real buzz. Having scouted the stores we returned to the start point and worked our way around again, this time going into relevant stores to see if we could find a smart autumn jacket for Diane. It was not easy. If you wanted puffer jackets or anoraks of some kind the choice was huge. If you wanted a smart, dressy jacket then you really had to search. W~e were up to the challenge and finally found the ideal jacket in Ted Baker.

With the jacket clutched in our hands, we made our way to get some lunch. The restaurants on the front by the Spinnaker Tower were heaving. We did an about turn and headed across to the quieter part of Gunwharf and settled down at "Loch Fyne". We had a lovely lunch and then strolled back to car and headed home. It had been a nice outing.