Portchester Castle — Attraction in Fareham

I like visiting Portchester Castle - nice big space inside for kids to run around, and it's cool to be inside a real castle, and imagine what life might have been like back when people actually used to live there. Our recent visit, however, was somewhat spoiled by a very officious lady from the keep part - the bit you have to pay to get into - who had a go at my friend for flying a very small drone on the field (despite the fact that we were lliterally the ONLY people in the whole place, it was absolutely deserted!) Apparently they require you to have a drone license (despite the Castle being in an area where it is legal to fly a drone recreationally without one, according to the CAA, who regulate drone use) and also to apply for a permit, which involves a ridiculously complex process including, amongst other things, a 'full written risk assessment' and written justification of why you want to fly there ('to take some pictures of the nice building??'). Now I'm all in favour of rules and regs governing safe drone flying, but as a keen amateur photographer I'm appalled by these draconian rules put in place to prevent local enthusiasts taking aerial photos of the landmarks that are everyone's heritage, not just a stuffy few killjoys who think they own everything! Had we been flying a drone above a crowd of people, then I could understand this woman's behaviour - to a point, anyway: when the drone didn't immediately 'drop from the sky' the second she issued her command to stop she came back and said, in the tone of a sarcastic school teacher to two misbehaving boys, "Er, excuse me, it's going UP not DOWN!" And flatly refused to believe my explanation that when you activate 'return to home' the drone ascends to a safe height to avoid potential obstacles before it moves to its home point and descends (despite the fact that that's what it then did). Now obviously we just went off and flew the drone from outside the castle, where 'Ms Killjoy' couldn't exert her 'power' over us, but it's a shame, because photos taken by drones can really help to advertise what a place looks like, as can be seen from the attached images (taken on a previous visit, before you get your knickers in a twist about 'not being obeyed' Mrs Killjoy!) I realise there are plenty of people out there who misuse drones, but there are also plenty of people who misuse cars, and what we do with them is take action against the bad ones, NOT ban everyone from driving cars (or insist on a set of rules that amounts to the same thing - the licence alone costs upwards of £1,000, and that's even before all the 'permit' nonsense which is clearly just there to prevent anyone from flying near this awesome landmark!) I and my friends follow the rules on drone flying as set out in the Civil Aviation Authority's guidance on drone use, we respect people's privacy, and we make sure we fly safely - what is it about some people that they have this innate hatred of drones? Contrary to what some idiots think, the recreational ones CAN'T be used to spy on people, so they're no use to perverts (look at my pictures - can you make out any individuals in them??) No, the perverts will be the ones recording people up close, on their mobile phones, and literally EVERYONE is taking photos and videos on their phones, everywhere they go. So please people, stop worrying about the harmless photography/gadget enthusiast who's out in public, enjoying a fun and rewarding hobby, and start worrying about that dodgy looking bloke who's been filming you for the last 5 minutes with iPhone, the one with all the odd, sticky marks on it... I realise I've drifted off topic slightly from taking about the Castle, so to sum up: Castle good. People who run it/work there, not friendly to drone enthusiasts. I'll wind my...

I should probably preface this review with a little personal background, I grew up in the area and visited Portchester Castle every weekend. My grandfather would walk the dog here, and my brother and I would play here. To us, the castle was not a tourist attraction but part of our community, a playground, and a central part of village life. Sometimes, there would be cricket or a wedding or funeral at the church; funeral services for my grandparents were held in St. Mary's Church. We visited the castle during a trip for our oldest son's first birthday, so we came back with him and his two brothers. A trip down memory lane and an opportunity for new memories. The area around the castle has changed a little over the years, but the castle is pretty much the same. The work of the National Heritage is ongoing and important to the preservation of our history and historical sites. We were greeted warmly, and the staff was knowledgeable about the castle and its history. We met Bob in the keep, where he shared his wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for history with us. He is a treasure, and our visit was greatly enhanced by our experience with him. Several displays have been added since our last visit 20 years ago that help improve the quality of our time in the castle. We went to the roof of the keep, which provides an excellent view of the castle and surrounding area. The Romans built the original castle to take advantage of the natural harbour, and there was a thriving community that lived in and around the castle. After the Romans left, the castle fell into disrepair, but with the arrival of the Normans, work began on rebuilding and improving the castle. They added the keep and the parish church. Over the years, various monarchs have seen the importance of the location of Portchester Castle and added to it. With the expansion of Portsmouth, Portchester was sadly forgotten and once again fell into ruin. The castle is a shadow of its former self, but the history of the region is tied to it. It is well worth a visit; to spend some time learning about the history of the castle and the people who built it is...

I enjoyed attending this place. It was nice to see so many other people enjoying themselves and it was lovely to walk along the beach.

When we arrived, we were greeted very nicely by one of the volunteers. She made a concerted effort to be friendly and explain things. It was, however, slightly frustrating because people had to wait for ages to gain entrance to the Castle. I concede that everyone was doing his or her best, but it could have been better organised. Once people purchased tickets in the gift shop (which took a long time), they then had to wait again at the gate. Everyone was really nice, but it took a long time to enter.

I recommend going up the stairs to see a wonderful view of the castle and of Portsmouth. It is also nice to walk along the beach.

I also recommend the tea room at St. Mary's Church:

*When I first entered this beautiful tea room, I did not expect that it was going to be so lovely.

I also did not think that the menu was going to be so plentiful and include so many wonderful choices. It took me quite some time to select something because everything seemed so delicious.

The sandwiches were extremely filling and the man (Ron?) who made them did a great job.

What really stood out was the way people were treated. From the moment we walked in, we were made to feel exceptionally welcome and the woman who was taking people's orders had a wonderful sense of humour, was enthusiastic and was just extremely kind. In fact, I went back to thank her afterwards because the experience had been so wonderful. I revealed to her that it was my birthday and that she just made my day a lot better. I do not tell many people when it is my birthday (it has been that way for years now) but just the way she treated people made me want to tell her that she had made my day feel extremely special. It was a great Birthday Lunch,...