DAYSOUT
KENT’ S WONDERFUL Wildlife Walks cont.
Dungeness National Nature Reserve
Betteshanger Park
Samphire Hoe // Dover
Samphire Hoe, found between Dover and Folkestone in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is the ideal place for anyone to enjoy the wildlife that Kent has to offer. Whether you have only just started to appreciate Kent’ s amazing wildlife, or you’ ve been enjoying it for many a year, Samphire Hoe is a wonderful place to visit.
Created when the Eurotunnel was being constructed, Samphire Hoe is a 30-hectare area where you can walk and explore for hours at a time and where you can see 123 species of birds, 30 species of butterflies and over 2,000 species of plants including the rare early spider orchid.
www. samphirehoe. com
Betteshanger Park // Deal
Betteshanger is a 250-acre park that has miles and miles of walking routes, traffic-free cycling, and even mountain bike trails for a more adventurous and equally great day out. The fossil hunting and forest school activities are always entertaining, and the outdoor playpark will keep the kids occupied for hours.
As well as all of this, Betteshanger is a brilliant place to enjoy Kent’ s native wildlife; there is just so much of it calling Betteshanger Park home. As you’ re walking around you should be able to spot frogs, newts, dragonflies, butterflies, water voles, spiders, kestrels, owls, jays and waxwings.
www. betteshanger-park. co. uk
Dungeness National Nature Reserve // Romney Marsh
As barren as Dungeness National Nature Reserve might look at first glance, it is full of life and is a superb place to visit for peace and quiet, a gentle stroll, a picnic, or a full-on day of activity including plenty of wildlife spotting.
Moths are particularly prevalent at Dungeness, and it’ s the only place in Britain where the Sussex Emerald moth is found. Aside from moths, you can see dozens of different birds from the Dungeness Bird Observatory, and other wildlife as you take a wander around.
www. dungeness-nnr. co. uk
Blean Woods // Canterbury
The entire walk through Blean Woods( and beyond) stretches for 25 miles in a circular route and takes you through some impressive medieval woodland. As you go, you will come across 18 panels with plenty of information on them about the woods, the area around and of course the wildlife that can be found there. This wildlife includes the Heath Fritillary butterfly, which was close to extinction in the 1980s, but is now thriving in Blean Woods. You don’ t have to walk the entire 25 miles to get an idea of how fascinating this area is either; a shorter stroll will be just as idyllic.
www. theblean. co. uk
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