Howard Blackie
A hidden piece of ancient woodland filled with wildlife.
Location
mile (0.8 km) northeast of Elmstead Village
Elmstead
Kent
TN25 5JT
OS Map Reference
TR 122 455
Know before you go
Size
18 hectares
Parking information
Limited car parking is available outside the village church. No parking prior to Sunday services please. Car park on the grass. 800m road before 300m rough track. Long walk from parking area to reserve.Bicycle parking
No - bikes are not allowed in the reserveWalking trails
Waymarked paths provide an ideal route around the reserve.
Access
Not Wheelchair accessible. The surface leading from car park slopes, and the access is via rough track. Muddy when wet.
Dogs
Dogs permitted
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
April to July, September to NovemberAbout the reserve
This piece of ancient woodland is tucked away within the typical farmland landscape, only accessible by foot. This creates a fantastic peaceful walk in the woodland, often without seeing a soul on site. Come spring, the woodland transforms into the much-loved British woodland scene, covered in bluebells accompanied with the sounds of greater-spotted woodpeckers drumming on the trees and the haunting cries of a buzzard circling overhead. If you go at the crack of dawn, you may even catch glimpses of roe deer wondering through the trees.
Habitat
Contact us
Environmental designation
Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB)
Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI)
Local Wildlife Site (LWS)
Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI)