Southsea seafront: castle, common and Canoe Lake

About Southsea seafront: castle, common and Canoe Lake

By the ULTIMATE Brighton Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Southsea’s seafront runs east from Clarence Pier past the common, Southsea Castle and Canoe Lake to Eastney. It is Portsmouth’s promenade: museums, tearooms, gardens and a long shingle beach looking out to the Isle of Wight.

On a clear day you can walk the whole of Southsea seafront in an hour and see the Isle of Wight all the way. Ships pass close inshore, the common is full of kites and picnics, and the tearooms are never far away.

Southsea Common

The common was kept clear in the early nineteenth century so that the harbour guns had a field of fire. Now it is a vast open lawn and the setting for events from the Southsea Show to the Victorious Festival.

Check opening times and trains on the official sites before you travel.

The castle and the D-Day Story

Southsea Castle stands on the shore with its black-and-white lighthouse. Beside it, the D-Day Story tells the story of the Normandy landings of June 1944.

Canoe Lake and Cumberland House

Canoe Lake has been a park since 1886; some of its evergreen oaks were planted in 1910. You can hire pedal boats on the lake, and the remaining walls of Lumps Fort beside it hold quiet gardens. Across the road, Portsmouth Natural History Museum in Cumberland House has displays on the wildlife of the area and a butterfly house.

Tea on the front

The Parade Tearooms occupy a renovated old sub-station on Western Parade, right on the common. Further east, The Tenth Hole sits beside a nine-hole golf course and is famous for its cakes; in cold weather it hands out blankets and hot water bottles.

Practical notes

Beach huts at Lumps Fort and Eastney can be hired by the week, all year round.

Our advice: walk east from the castle with the sea on your right, stop at Canoe Lake, and finish with tea and cake at The Tenth Hole.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Southsea seafront: castle, common and Canoe Lake before you go.