Sladden Wood

Enter Sladden Wood for a peaceful escape and fantastic walk through the wood and hills of the Alkham Valley.

Location

Surrounded and accessed via Sladden Farm, near the village of Alkham

Alkham

Kent

CT15 7DS

OS Map Reference

TR 257 428

Know before you go

Size

7 hectares

Parking information

Please park in Alkham Village.

Walking trails

Public footpath through the reserve and across the farmland to the village. Rugged, steep earth tracks through the wood.

Access

Not Wheelchair accessible. There are slopes, Kissing gates, stiles and access is via a footpath. The path is unsurfaced chalk/grassy and muddy when wet. It is also step in some places.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

April to July

About the reserve

Outside of Dover, you can enjoy the rural backdrop of the Alkham Valley, different from the hub-bub of Dover. Nestled within the valley, you will find Sladden Wood, a small piece of woodland surrounded by sweeping farmfields. The locals call this woodland Horizontal Wood. This belies a tragic history where all the trees were completely felled in 1978, leaving behind stumps. However, protection was put in place and the woodland regenerated. Looking at it now, you would not know that the woodland experienced that sort of mass wipe-out. Now it is once again a haven for wildlife, from the intricate yellow archangels to the mix of classic trees of hazel, ash and field maple.