Portsmouth

We did it and oved it, but it’s been a few years. When we went, we talked to the docents who seemed to enjoy sharing their experiences and knowledge of Portsmouth’s position in D-Day as well as the damage done to Portsmouth by the Germans. The museum has an unusual tapestry depicting various important moments in the campaign, which we found fascinating. We had done several tours out of Bayeux exploring D-Day in France, but the museum rounded out the whole invasion. Only you can decide whether it’s worth a day of your trip. It won’t take more then a couple of hours to view the museum, so you’ll have to visit other places.

I didn't go to the D day museum, but the historic dockyards are well worth the trip on their own. I imagine that if you combine them it would be an amazing day.

https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/index.php

Yes, it's a very detailed museum and has recently undergone a revamp that I have yet to see. They've also placed a refurbished landing craft used in the invasion outside the museum which is quite impressive.

It will only take up a couple of hours of your time so have something else planned, the Historic Dockyard is probably the highlight of a visit to Portsmouth. If you're into D-Day history (and have a car) then you might be interested in a visit to the nearby village of Southwick which is where Montgomery and Eisenhower planned the invasion. Tours of Southwick House can be arranged in advance and you can also have something to eat and drink in the Golden Lion pub where the two men spent many evenings mulling over their plans.

https://goldenlionsouthwick.co.uk/history/

Very close to Southwick is Fort Nelson which is now home to a Royal Armouries museum featuring a vast collection of artillery, canons etc some of which date back centuries. This may be worth a visit to anyone who is interested in everything military, the fort itself is also of great interest. Admission is free however booking is required.

https://royalarmouries.org/venue/fort-nelson/

As good as the museums are, and as much history fans your family are, Portsmouth is enough out of the way of the rest of what your trip appears from your other posts, I wonder if you will want to go so far...

Where did you hope to insert Portsmouth between?

I've asked in another of your posts, will you have a car, or will you go to Portsmouth by train?

Thank you!

We will have a car. The plan would be to go from Windsor, to Portsmouth, to Oxford.

JC,

Thank you for the information! I will look into those places.