Much-needed improvements are being made to improve access to one of the National Park’s most scenic viewpoints.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has begun work to replace the visitor steps at St Catherine’s Hill Nature Reserve, in Winchester, ensuring safe and sustainable access to the top of the Iron Age hillfort and wildlife haven.

The current steps, installed nearly 30 years ago, have deteriorated significantly and now require frequent safety checks and repairs.

Their condition has not only made access more difficult but has also led some visitors to stray from the path, creating ‘off-piste’ routes that damage the site’s fragile chalk grassland and has put the historic monument at further risk of erosion.

Funding was provided from the South Downs Natural Park Authority’s Community Infrastructure Levy, along with a gift in the will of someone keen to help others enjoy wildlife and wild spaces.

Jayne Chapman, Senior Nature Recovery Manager at the wildlife trust, said: “The reserve’s many chalk grassland plants and butterflies are less likely to be disturbed when visitors remain on the steps rather than creating new, unsanctioned paths.

“St Catherine’s Hill is one of Winchester’s most treasured wild places. It is home to a wide range of butterflies including the chalkhill blue, Adonis blue and silver-spotted skipper, as well as frog orchids, bastard toadflax, along with a variety of chalk grassland invertebrates.

“We believe that annual visitor numbers may now far exceed the 60,000–100,000 recorded in 2014, reflecting the city’s growth and its popularity as a green space.”

The new steps will provide a safe, slip-resistant route for visitors, with timber treated with a built-in anti-slip coating.

The works are expected to finish by November 2025. During this period, sections of the existing steps and bridleway will be temporarily closed.