Charity profile
The perfect place to get BACK TO NATURE
Serene, green and packed with wildlife, Kent’s nature reserves are great for getting a spring in your step.
The nights are getting lighter, which means spring is here. So after you’ve spent the winter hunkered down indoors, it’s time to recharge, retune and reconnect with the great outdoors. It’s a great time to get outside, stretch your legs and enjoy a family day out in the fresh air.
Kent is the perfect place
to get back to nature — the county boasts 11 of the 37 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in south east England, which are places recognised as having the finest habitats, geology and wildlife.
On the Isle of Sheppey, the mudflats, salt marshes and beaches of the Swale reserve support rare plants, waterfowl, short- eared owls, avocets and brilliantly-coloured butterflies.
Gardening Volunteers and all are worth a visit.
A good place to start is the trust’s headquarters at Tyland Barn, Sandling, which is reached by a slip road off the A229 Blue Bell Hill, near Maidstone.
Housed in a beautifully
restored 17th century barn, the visitor centre has a large exhibition of wildlife and conservation. There is a gift shop with animal homes, bird seed and feeders, maps and nature books and a café serving drinks, sandwiches and hot snacks.
Outside, you can explore
stunning views of the Medway valley.
The trust has four other
visitor centres in the county – Reculver, near Herne Bay; Romney Marsh; Sevenoaks and Bough Beech (Ide Hill).
At Sevenoaks, the trust manages a pioneering nature reserve with roughly equal proportions of water and land. It includes five lakes and a mixed habitat of ponds, seasonal flooded pools, reedbed and woodlands all providing homes for a mix of species.
Bough Beech At neighbouring Elmey,
marshes swarm with bird life, while nearby Oare, near Faversham, is another haven for birdwatchers. The wide horizons of
Romney Marsh are home to the Dungeness reserve, where beach, shingle, wetlands and grazing marsh provide shelter many species including gulls, terns and swans.
The Kent Wildlife Trust
looks after an impressive 65 nature reserves dotted throughout the county
a microcosm of Kent’s diverse habitats. A stroll here takes in pond, meadow, chalk bank, hedge, scrub and even a shingle beach. There are numerous mini-beast homes, a bird-watching hide, composting displays and a “green” picnic shelter. Close to Tyland Barn, but on the opposite side of Blue Bell Hill, the trust manages a nature reserve which includes part of the North Downs Way long distance route and
Bough Beech image courtesy of Ray Lewis
These include lapwing, moorhen, coot, greylag and Canada goose. There is a cafe, gift shop and picnic facilities. However, there is deep water in places so under 16s must be with an adult, and no dogs (except guide dogs) or cycles are allowed.
Five miles away is Bough
Beech visitor centre at Winkhurst Green, Ide Hill, in a reserve and wildlife haven at the north end of Bough Beech reservoir. This is a great place for a family day out where you can enjoy birdwatching, butterflies, ancient trees and wild flowers.
If you would like to support the important work of Kent Wildlife Trust, there are many ways, including donations and volunteering. Visit
www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk
Mid Kent Living 41 Tyland Barn
Can you help? Each of the trust’s five visitor centres has different garden- based activities. Green fingers are not essential, just a willingness to help with the wide variety of activities which include mowing, digging and weeding.
Volunteers also help to serve in the shops and cafes and give visitors information about the trust and its reserves. Different opportunities arise from time to time at the various locations.
If you would like to help, contact Sue Morris on 01622 662012.
Kent Wildlife Trust Covering Kent and some parts of London, Kent Wildlife Trust is one of the largest of the 47 Wildlife Trust organisations in the UK and has more than 31,000 members. Founded in 1958 the Kent trust manages nature reserves covering more than 8,000 acres of land for wildlife, including 50-odd miles of roadside nature reserve.
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