Visiting Portsdown Hill
The part of the hill discussed in this website is open to public access, and you are encouraged to come. Notes to accompany a site visit to the hill in both web and printable (pdf) format are available in the "Information section" of this website.
There are no amenities on the Hill itself, although ice-cream vans and burger-vans are nearby. The site of the hill is kept as natural as possible, with a few stiles and gates to allow access even when livestock are present. Cows and occasionally horses are grazed during winter and spring, during which time we ask that you keep your dogs on a lead
You are encouraged to walk, sit, admire the views and wildlife, and picnic (but not camp!) on the site, but please leave no evidence of your visit. The occasional apple tree you may see often bare welcome fruit for the volunteers, and bear witness to past use of the site as a picnic site. Bramble also bear blackberries, and while we request that you do not pick the flowers, the (reachable) fruit is a free bounty
Education and guided walks
Being close to the city of Portsmouth, the site is local for many people.
Sadly, many seem totally unaware of the rich ecological heritage overlooking the harbour.
To increase awareness and education, guided walks are often led over the area and school trips occasionally organised.
Additionally, displays are mounted at many local events to 'spread the word'.
Flowery Fortnight
Since 2004, a fortnight every summer is nominated as "Flowery Fortnight". Plants and flowers in bloom around a chosen route below and between the Churchillian pub and Fort Widley are labelled in some way, and on one day during that period, a guided walk is given concentrating on those flowers.
And please...
When walking around the site, please respect the normal rules of public access land: Don't drop litter, don't pick flowers, and don't damage the site in any way, such as having fires. And *please* don't sling your bags of doggie-poo into the bushes!
- Litter is not only ugly and detracts from the enjoyment of others, but can cause injury and even death to wildlife and and damage to the site. Card and paper covers valuable grassland which suppresses its associated species, while bottles and cans collect water in which insects can drown. Broken glass, metal and even ring-pulls can cause injury to wildlife, while if they eat plastics and other alien materials, they can get poisoned or choked.
- Picking Flowers: Some of our flowers are rare and we are doing our best to encourage them to spread and re-establish themselves. Picking flowers before they have seeded will limit this.
- Fire sites and barbecues damage the grassland and regrowth is of the coarser, hardier species that we are discouraging. Fires are especially damaging if plastic and metal litter has been thrown into it; but fire alone is extremely harmful.
- The poo of herbivores such as deer, rabbits and grazing livestock is tolerable as it is relatively low in nutrients (and is often gathered up anyway). However, that of carnivores (dogs) and omnivores (especially human!) is loaded with pathogens to which the fauna and flora of the hill is intolerant, as well as carrying a lot of unwanted nutrients. And if the poo is bags thrown onto the site and into bushes, trying to get those bags out without splitting them is a far more unpleasant task than carrying your bags of fresh poo off the site and to the bins provides elsewhere. Furthermore, we have foxes on site, whose poo spreading lung disease to dogs in some areas, so it is advisable to keeps dogs away for their own sake.
- Dogs and livestock. When we have cattle on the hill, please keep your dogs on leads. You may be sure your dog may not hurt the cattle, but the cows get spooked, so may become distressed and less manageable. When pregnant, such a scare may also cause mis-carriages or early births.