Brownsea Island Brownsea Island Brownsea Island (also archaically known as "Branksea") is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust. Much of the island is open to the public and includes areas of woodland and heath with a wide variety of wildlife, together with cliff top views across Poole Harbour and the Isle of Purbeck. The island was the location of an experimental camp in 1907 that led to the formation of the Scout movement the following year. Access is by public ferry or private boat; in 2017
Geography of Dorset South Haven Point, is narrow, less than 0.25 miles across. Its shoreline is irregular and heavily indented with numerous small inlets and channels, between which many small peninsulas extend out into the body of the harbour. The harbour also houses several small islands, the largest of which is Brownsea Island. Chesil Beach is a barrier beach on the southwest coast of the county. It is long and stretches between West Bay and the Isle of Portland, although the name Chesil Beach is often only applied to the stretch south-east of Abbotsbury, where it is separated from the land behind it