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Introduction
Darland Banks is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust this 43 hectares of chalk grassland, scrub and woodland makes a great walk any time of the year. The south facing slopes show off the panoramic views across Medway and are home to wide range of wildlife species and occassionally cows are left to graze.
The paths that traverse the slopes are mainly single track an can be uneven and steep whilst he main path along the top of the slopes and the woodland are fairly flat and managable for most people.
Darland banks has numerous access points if visiting by foot otherwise there are two entrances that have parking available and details are available below.
Walk Location
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Hoath Cl, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 0SH
Parking Location (what3words)
Walk Details
If you are parking or entering from Hoath Close you can access the Banks directly where you park. If you fancy some woodland you can walk back up towards the roundabout and access Ambley Wood via the kissing gate.
The route mapped out above takes in both sections of the Darland Banks and is shown to give you an idea of how far you can go on your walk but with numerous footpaths and tracks all over the Darland Banks you can take a different path every time you go and enjoy exploring . The reserve is mainly fenced if you have gone through a metal kissing gate but watchout for grazing cattle and the roads near Hoath Close can be quite busy. Star Lane that runs along the bottom of Darland Banks is only used for access so you can also make this lane part of your walk as long as you watch out for the occasional car.
Our Walk Route
How to use the AllTrails map
Click the walk title in the top right of the above window to open the route on the AllTrails website or the mobile app. You can then create a free account which will then allow you to follow the route as you walk on your mobile. If you would rather not sign up to AllTrails free account and would like to use another mapping app (such as OS Maps, Outdooractive or Komoot etc) on your phone then you can download the GPX file below and import this into your desired app inorder to follow the trail.
Route GPX File Download
OWTD Walk Verdict
A great walk around the large woodland and across the chalk slopes. Mainly single track chalk footpaths traverse the slopes which can become slippy in wet weather but the views across to Hempstead, Luton and Chatham are worth the walk. Lots to explore especially on a sunny day.
Walk Information
- Moderate - A walk with some hilly sections and some uneven pathways
- Various, Depends on chosen walk / route but you can easily do a 4Km walk as you can see from the map below.
- Various, Depends on chosen walk / route. Typically around an hour to cover the whole area.
- Mixture of woodland and grassland set on the side of the valley. Footpaths are unmade and can be steep in places but most are fairly flat and traverse the valley.
- Unfortunatley this location doesn’t have any hard surfaced pathways suitable for push chairs or wheel chairs.
- No Stiles but some kissing gates.
- Dogs allowed off lead. Just beware that cattle and horses do occasionally graze in some places.
- Dog bins available
- Two parking locations available: Hoath Close @ ///wager.indoor.harvest and Darland Avenue @ ///passions.insurance.having
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