A Little Outing including sea!

I haven’t been on a proper outing for over a year, if you don’t count going to visit my daughter’s family last September which was very local once I got there.

So of course when they offered to pick me up to accompany them to The Hovercraft Museum in Lee-on-Solent I jumped at the idea.

We parked on the seafront and there was much excitement at seeing the sea after so long.

I took my camera as it seemed just the thing to make an interesting post.

Of course they had a one-way system in operation and this is where we started.

I don’t want to bore you with too many photographs so I will try and pick out the highlights.

Shades of Yellow Submarine?

though of course hovercraft skim over the water not under it!

Now two hovercraft built out of scrap for a programme I never remember seeing.

If you want to know more – This will enlarge if you click on it.

I thought this was rather jolly – a hovercraft that could be shipped in a 1m cube box and when assembled be carried by the 2 or 4 people that it would carry.

If you want to know more – This will enlarge if you click on it.

This is a huge military hovercraft that you can not fit in one photograph.

The largest hovercraft all was the Princess Anne that had been a car ferry across The Channel and it was a special year.

A view from behind

and to the side.

We thought that this part was probably first class.

They had a small galley

and even a ‘you know what’.

And on the car deck.(Writing enlarged and superimposed.)

You notice those were the days before smoking was generally restricted. In what we thought were second class seating there were little ashtrays in the arms of the seats.

For the technically minded, the Princess Anne had four engine similar to this one.

This information sheet will enlarge if you click on it to make it easier to read.

I was very struck by this little rescue hovercraft.

This information sheet will enlarge if you click on it to make it easier to read.

They had a large James Bond – “Die Another Day” display with two hovercraft.

This

and this

And to finish: here are a few hover lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners.

We had one of these

and I was quite a come down (literally!) when it needed to be replaced and I had to go back to my vacuum having wheels.

And then when we had gone all the way round it was time for lunch.

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We went to “On The Water” and I know some people like to see the food.

So this was what I had.

FISH GOUJON SANDWICH – Homemade Tartare Sauce, Gem Lettuce & Cucumber Served on a Sourdough Bun With Apple Slaw & Vegetable Crisps

Then we spent some time on the beach.

Some of us went paddling and returned at a run.

Across the water we could see the Isle of Wight.

Hope you enjoyed this little look at the Hovercraft museum and my day out.