Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the only city in England that had to be reached by bridge, and it has the personality that comes with that: crowded, salty, permanently braced for something. The terraces run right down to the water because nobody in 1890 thought a sea view was worth extra, and the whole place still refuses to charge you properly for one. Everyone here has an opinion about Southampton, none of them printable, most of them held with the fervour of a man defending a beach he cannot afford to leave. It is a working city that never got round to pretending otherwise, which is either the appeal or the deal-breaker, and you will know which within a weekend.