14th August 2004 :

On arriving at the castle we were not surprised to find that it was also closed for the day. However unlike Netley there are no fences surrounding the castle so though you can't go inside the grounds after its closed you can walk all the way around it. I have to say it was one of the first castles I had been that close to and I was amazed at the shear size of the walls. Looking up at the towering walls, which are still mainly intact, I was astounded by their height as they seem to claw at the skyline. As we unable to go inside we took comfort in all three of us peering through railing gates. It wasn't what I had expected. It is very open inside and the only structure I could see was the small church. We took several pictures on digital cameras but didn't pick up anything paranormal unfortunately. As it was a lovely day we decided to walk around the outside of the castle taking a few pictures for the records. Though our visit to Portchester Castle wasn't a vigil so to speak it was good to visit and to get a lay out of the area for future vigils, hopefully after dark.

With the day drawing to an close and with us at a loose end and also still a little disappointed the we hadn't seen or felt anything of the paranormal nature we made the decision to round the night off by a visit to King John's Castle in Odiham, which was to be Geoff and myself first time there.

By Samantha J. Stenning