O.S Map 188 TQ520565: Nr Sevenoaks

Within easy reach of London and just a stones throw from the M25 and M26 motorways, you will be surprised by the peace and tranquility that the lakes and woodland walks at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve have to offer. As you step away from the Jeffery Harrison Visitor Centre  it is incredibly easy to leave the hustle and bustle of everyday life behind you.

The reserve covers some 55 hectares, and is comprised of roughly equal proportions of water and land. It includes five lakes and a mixed habitat of ponds, seasonally flooded pools, reedbed, and woodland. A spectacular array of birds reside within this special sanctuary and the different habitats support diverse communites of plants, fungi and animals. To date well over two thousand species of flora and fauna have been identified here and more are regularly added to the list - wildlife enthusiasts of all levels will find something to delight on each visit.

Don't be fooled by appearances though, the character of the site is almost entirely man-made - all the lakes were deliberately dug and most of the trees were planted by hand to create this natural looking landscape. Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve was the first example in Britain of an commercial gravel-pit being developed, post operation, for the benefit of wildlife and nature conservation.

O.S Map 188 TQ 510605 : Nr Sevenoaks

Almost four hectares of chalk grassland on the south-east facing slopes of the Darenth Valley. Many common chalk grassland flowers can be found on the reserve, and also man, bee and pyramidal orchids on the more open areas, with fly orchid and white helleborine in the shaded woodland edges. One of the more unusual plants here is common dodder which can be found in great abundance in some years, growing as a parasite on rock-rose.