Recreation and Walks
MANY THINGS TO DO
Our surrounding countryside, parks, gardens and the leisure access it provides for dog walkers, runners, ramblers, cyclists, horse riders, sailors, anglers and bird watchers to name but a few are valued highly by our residents and are at the centre of our neighbourhood community. We are surrounded by a wonderful network of walks and public footpaths, including the Greensand Way, together with a wildlife reserve and reservoirs. This beautiful countryside, surrounding pubs and villages, partly used as the setting for the Darling Buds of May, affords magnificent views, peace, tranquillity and relaxation, all of which as we know are good for our physical and mental health but are constantly under threat.
Sevenoaks sits within the Metropolitan Green Belt. Ashgrove Road forming part of the town boundary to the south. This particular Green Belt area is also classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), forming part of the High Weald AONB.
Just beyond the town’s southern and western boundaries extensive ancient Woodland areas can be found containing, amongst other vegetation, numerous varieties of ancient trees affording magnificent bird nesting; many located south of Ashgrove Road itself extending just east of Ashgrove Farm via Charlies’ Lane to Oak Lane and beyond. Public Rights of Way criss-cross the AONB and beautiful walks abound through Dibden, Ide Hill woods, and Emmets Garden, Mill Bank, Green Lane, Mildridge, Great Brittains, Pitfield and Roundabout Woods.
Further Rights of Way pass to the North of the New Beacon School (alma mater to Wilfred Sassoon and more recently Zach Crawley and Ben Earl) and to the south of Dibden Lane and Brittains Lane Woods. Sevenoaks Common to the north-eastern end of Gracious Lane and two more triangles to the West of Weald Road comprise 39 acres of land purchased by the Urban District Council during 1949 and 1961, providing important recreational areas serving the local community.
Within our local common, woodlands, meadows, streams, and lakes an abundance of wildlife resides including badgers, foxes, mice, birds, fish, frogs, newts, etc. Our countryside and these habitats deserve and require our constant stewardship for the benefit of the wildlife they serve and for ours and future generations as those before us strove to protect them for us.
We are proud of our heritage of which much relates to recreation and sport. The Vine Cricket ground gifted to the town by the 3rd Duke of Dorset in 1773 nestled between Dartford Road and Holybush Lane is much coveted by locals being the home ground for Sevenoaks Cricket Club and the famous Seven Oak trees to the northern boundary. Indeed, our library contains one of the oldest cricket bats made in England.
Knole Park comprises 1000 acres and is situated in the heart of our community at the south end of the town also bordering the east, it includes woodland areas, grassland a cricket pitch and one of the top 100 18-hole golf courses in the UK, with the prestigious Wilderness Course also close by. In addition to the deer to be enjoyed in this parkland, other wildlife abounds with many bird species in constant attendance building their nests in the abundant trees. Knole House itself straddles over 4 acres being in the top 5 largest houses in England and includes a National Trust conservation studio and café. It is a must visit for all, an Architectural wonder. Thomas Cranmer, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, started building on the site of an earlier house, in 1456 and construction spanned several more centurys as it was constantly extended into a ‘365-day house’. The rich history of the house, parkland and Sackville family, including Vita Sackville-West, crave exploration.
Raleys field and adjacent embankment comprising 9 acres were purchased by the County Council for the town’s recreational purposes. It is used for football, our vibrant rugby club, with its massive junior section, tennis (both indoor and outdoor), for gymnastics and a youth club.
The three-acre recreational park at Kippington Meadow (adjoining Oak Hill Road) and continuing with a footpath across to South Park was originally part of the Kippington Estate.
Holly Bush Lane Recreation Ground, with coffee shop, used for informal recreation, bowls (both indoor and outdoor) & tennis has an all-weather floodlit hockey pitch, home to the prestigious Sevenoaks Hockey club, and children’s play area. The all-weather pitch can also be used for football, cricket, netball, lacrosse and general sports.
The centre of Sevenoaks town boasts a 25metre swimming pool, a gymnasium, multi-function sports hall, creche and café.
At the South end of our High Street is the Upper High Street garden originally a vegetable garden but now laid out as a flower garden managed by the Town Council. This is a small but beautiful, quiet haven in the heart of our town enjoyed by many.
Sevenoaks caters for many religious faiths having an abundance of venues serving Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim beliefs.
We are fortunate to have The Sevenoaks Society representing us all. The Society is involved in many areas to inform, safeguard and protect our town and its surrounding countryside, they have produced a series of books about local country walks of which there are now over 100.
Useful Links
The Sevenoaks Society
https://www.sevenoakssociety.co.uk
Kent County Council's website which includes a section regarding Public Rights of Way certainly worth a look at to identify the many footpaths, bridleways etc which crisscross our town and the surrounding countryside.
http://www.kent.gov.uk/prowfaults
Kent History and Library Centre
https://www.kentarchives.org.uk/
The London Green Belt Council
http://www.londongreenbeltcouncil.org.uk/lgbc%20website/index.html
Protect Kent
http://protectkent.org.uk
Protect and Safeguard
The AARA seeks to protect and safeguard these areas from inappropriate development which will adversely impact on the biodiversity and local ecosystems damaging the rural and equestrian character of this region.
