Portsmouth Harbour

Portsmouth Harbour lies between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire, a wide natural inlet where the Solent meets the mainland. The harbour covers about twelve and a half square kilometres and is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. At its northern edge stands Portchester Castle, begun by the Romans to guard the harbour mouth. The harbour itself is a drowned valley, once the bed of a stream flowing from Portsdown Hill down to the Solent. Its narrow entrance and surrounding forts made it almost impossible to attack from the sea. The harbour has been England’s naval heart since the Middle Ages, home to the Royal Navy’s base at HMNB Portsmouth. In 1338 the French burned the town of Portsmouth, but the harbour’s defences prevented further raids. During the Civil War parliamentary forces slipped into the harbour at night and seized six-gun ships anchored inside. Today the harbour handles ferries to Bilbao, Santander, Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo, Le Havre, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight. Cruise ships call regularly and the water is busy with leisure sailing. Inside the harbour lie several small islands. Whale Island houses the naval training base HMS Excellent, while Horsea Island is now joined to the mainland. Burrow Island, also called Rat Island, sits near the Gosport shore. At the oldest part of the harbour, Camber Dock, fishing boats still land their catch and a new yacht-racing headquarters has been built. The mudflats and salt marshes around the harbour attract many birds, feeding on the rich life in the sediments.