Spinnaker Tower
written by katykate
on April 27th, 2008
(1 vote)
I went to Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago and was told to visit Spinnaker Tower. My first thought was: Oh, what a touristy rip-off, do I have to go there? But when I got to Portsmouth the first thing I saw was that enormous, futuristic-looking tower and I was immediately fascinated.
The Spinnaker Tower is located at the historic harbor of Portsmouth. It was opened in October 2005 and is with a height of 170 meters the highest building in the United Kingdom open to the public. There are two ways to go up the tower: a high speed internal lift and a panoramic lift (which was unfortunately closed when I went there, the other one was alright, though). You step out of the lift on View Deck 1. The view is outstanding; on a clear day you can see for 23 miles! Also, you get the chance to Walk on Air (meaning there is a glass platform you can walk over, if you dare!). It is said to be the largest glass floor in Europe. I don’t know about that, but it’s definitely far from the ground.
Besides, there are two more View Decks: One gives you some historic background about Portsmouth, the other has an open roof and is therefore also called Crow’s Nest – feel the wind messing up your hair! After your visit there’s still so much to see: there’s Portsmouth harbor with its beautiful historic ships and also next to the tower there is Gunwharf Quays – every girl’s dream. Gunwharf Quays is a very nicely designed outlet mall with lots of different shops and cafés to visit. You see, Portsmouth harbor is definitely worth a trip!
Opening hours of Spinnaker Tower differ depending on the season. Prices are around 6 Pounds.
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