Burham Down

Burham Down is a 110-hectare nature reserve on the Kent Downs between Maidstone and Chatham. It sits on the Wouldham to Detling Escarpment, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Grade I Nature Conservation Review site. The reserve also belongs to the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the North Downs Woodlands Special Area of Conservation. It lies west of the A229 road, next to the KCC picnic site on Common Road near Blue Bell Hill. Public footpaths link the reserve to Blue Bell Hill village and Burham, with parking at the picnic site and near the Windmill Pub. The reserve is divided into two parts totalling 104 hectares. The south-eastern section is mainly woodland and scrub, with two areas managed by grazing Exmoor ponies from the Kent Wildlife Trust. The northern section includes Wouldham Common and is mostly woodland with some recently cleared areas now under grazing management. Access to the northern section is by arrangement only. The chalk soil supports a wide variety of trees and shrubs, creating habitats for dormice and breeding birds such as nightingale and hobby. Woodland glades and edges host lady and fly orchids. Open grassland areas feature chalk grassland flora including man and pyramidal orchid, dropwort and thyme. Butterflies such as chalkhill blue, brown argus and silver-spotted skipper can be seen, the latter reintroduced in 1998. The Down offers views over the Weald of Kent. Some paths are steep and uneven, with stiles along the way. Entry to the two chalk pits is by permit only, available from Kent Wildlife Trust.