Browndown

At the extreme western end of the bay is an area of coastline that has for many years been used for military training. It started life as a camping ground and is used as a rifle and small arms firing range. Its large shingle mounds (butts) can be seen at the ends of each of the firing ranges and among the shingle you may also find remains of the old targets and the railway that served them. The area is designated as Site of Special Scientific Interest by  Natural England. You may walk from Stokes Bay to Lee-on-the-Solent when there are no red flags flying at the entrances.

Access is restricted with public access dates posted under Notices.

The range is an unusual shingle habitat. A series of low parallel shingle ridges, created by storms, carries a patchy cover of silty peat with ling and gorse and occasional stunted oaks. Pebbles and bare peat carry a rich assortment of ground-living Cladonia lichens. There is an unusual flora too, with Burnet Rose, Slender-flowered Thistle and a plentiful population of Nottingham Catchfly with its delicate drooping white flowers. The red threads of Lesser Dodder can also be found, parasitic on the ling and producing tiny pink flowers in summer.