Fort Cumberland open space

Take a stroll along Eastney Beach, or walk down the Eastney Lake coastal path to find this open space, which has developed on a large, stable, shingle bank. At 44,800 square metres (4.48 hectares), it is Portsmouth’s largest natural coastal heathland open space.

The open space was used by the military as a rifle range for many years before being bought by Portsmouth City Council in 1979. It has now been designated a Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC) because of its importance to the abundance of wildlife here.

You might see:

• plants – over one hundred species of plant have been recorded on the heathland site, including Autumn Lady’s Tresses Orchid, Viper’s Bugloss and Oxeye Daisy.
• reptiles – Common lizards and slow worms can be seen on warm sunny days in summer
• birds – Nationally rare birds such as the Dartford Warbler and Stonechat.

A full species list is in the documents section below.

As part of the beach, this site is open at all times. There is a large carpark on Fort Cumberland Road. For more information about this open space, you can download the interpretation board below.