Viviparous Lizards at Polhill Bank, photo by Gareth Christian
Peacock butterfly, photo by Gareth Christian
Grant Hazelhurst
Location
OS Map Reference
TQ508604
Know before you go
Entry fee
NoneParking information
Limited parking in the lay-by on the A224.Bicycle parking
NoneGrazing animals
Sheep and cowsWalking trails
From the lay-by, or The London Road Furniture Company (TN14 7AA), the reserve can be reached by walking over the footbridge and following the footpath to the right. Walking from Sepham Farm (TN14 5JT), turn right up Filston Lane and turn left on to the footpath across fields to the reserve. As the reserve is on a hillside, some paths are steep and uneven in places. There are kissing gates at the entrances.
Access
Not Wheelchair accessible. As the reserve is on a hillside, some paths are steep and uneven in places. There are kissing gates at the entrances.
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
April to AugustAbout the reserve
The 'Bank' is almost four hectares of chalk grassland on a southeast-facing hillside with commanding views of the Darenth Valley. Many common chalk grassland flowers can be found on this reserve. It is a good place to see a wide variety of insects, including many species of butterfly. The rufous grasshopper is also found here. The scrub provides a valuable habitat for many birds, including blackcap and willow warbler. 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