A sunny day, warmer than the weekend, though not as warm as the previous week.
Train to Guildford running several minutes late. Train to Portsmouth running late due to a previous late running stopping train.
Portsmouth Station a strange station, end of the line, and yet a small station with two lines. At least it was, now a parallel elevated line runs past the station onward to Portsmouth Harbour. Portsmouth being a major port, begs the question why the original line did not run to the harbour?
Stations are places where do not get great coffee, in general it will be undrinkable coffee from one of the corporate coffee chains. There are though exceptions, Small Batch kiosk outside Brighton Station, FCB kiosk on Guildford Station (though depends very much on who is serving), a kiosk around the side of King’s Cross Station.
At Portsmouth Station, Canvas Coffee. A quick look, nothing worth eating, I decided to pass and asked of Hideout Coffee, a few minutes walk away.
Not too difficult to find, past the Civic Offices, across a square polluted by a massive TV screen, like something out of Brave New World or Nineteen Eighty-Four, carry on, down the side of Starbucks. A strange battleship grey building only darker.
A sign Hideout and a locked door. On the door
this is not a coffee shop there is no coffee sold at this address
I banged the door. No response. Out of sheer cussedness, rang a doorbell for an office, no response.
Back to Canvas Coffee.
Canvas Coffee gives every impression of a pop up shop, dark and gloomy, unfinished business. When I arrived off the train it was empty, now busy.
A cookie and a cappuccino. A fiver for a sandwich got to be joking.
The coffee was at best mediocre. From The Roasting Party, as used by Coffee Lab in Winchester and a kiosk at foot of Hungerfood Bridge on the London South Bank, it should have been far better than mediocre.
On sale coffee from The Roasting party and from Sunday. Not heard of. Their own roast. They only roast on a Sunday. Having tried a coffee, I decided to give the Sunday coffee a miss.
It was then either Hunter Gatherer or Southsea Coffee, both in Southsea, a bus ride away.
I decided Hunter Gatherer then from there Southsea Coffee.
Google Maps told me 12 minutes and a bus was leaving in a few minutes from Bus Stop M.
Where M? I found K but no M. Nothing obvious like all the buses stop outside the station or a map.
I asked a bus that stopped at K. Driver directed me across the road further down the street.
I asked of the first bus that stopped, timetable said Southsea, driver had not a clue where to go, suggested try No 2. No 2 pulled up and left whilst seeking which bus to catch.
No live information displayed at the bus stop.
No 2, yes, correct bus. Albert Road Southsea, on the bus route.
The stop before, tracking on Google Maps, I saw I was halfway between Hunter Gatherer and Southsea Coffee, maybe possible to walk.
I alighted half way along Albert Road and walked to Hunter Gatherer. I looked in a wholefood shop, asked, was told a couple of doors away.
By now I am very hungry. Lunch, sorry, kitchen closed at three.
I was offered a vegan fake sausage roll. Generally anything vegan is disgusting, and I have never understood why create fake dishes. With reluctance I tried. It tasted just like a sausage roll. Odd. A dog sat patiently waiting.
Coffee was Craft House Coffee, which I have come across in Nottingham as a guest coffee, either Wired or The Speciality Coffee Shop.
Excellent cappuccino.
I then decided to try and find Southsea Coffee, even though long closed.
I hopped on a bus part way, then found myself walking past Home Coffee, I popped in. Coffee from Small Batch could do better. I asked for a cappuccino. Somewhat insipid.
On the corner, King’s Theatre, I turned down the road, hopefuly heading in the right direction, Southsea Coffee had vanished off my phone. I headed to the sea, further than I thought.
I found myself at Southsea Castle, stunning sunset.
Heading back, I tried what I thought was a shortcut, maybe find Southsea Coffee.
No longer sure where was, I asked at a couple of bus stops for Portsmouth Station.
Second stop lucky, I was told I wanted The Hard. No idea what The Hard was, maybe local name for Portsmouth Station. Bus due in a couple of minutes.
Checking on my phone, Southsea Coffee was back and nearby.
They told me the bus had arrived. It was not the train station, it was the ferry terminal at Portsmouth Harbour. But worth it for the stunning sunset, reminiscent of a Turner painting. And yes, also somewhere nearby train station.
Train in 15 minutes cancelled. Next train in half an hour slow stopping train. I asked. Not only slow stopping train it went a very long way around. But was advised to catch rather than wait for for the next fast train.
The train station at Portsmouth Harbour far larger than Portsmouth Station, strictly speaking Portsmouth and Southsea.
Train journey one hour and forty-six minuted on a cold train with no heating. I thought I would be lucky if arrived before ten.
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