Tyland Barn Visitor Centre and Nature Park

CLOSED: Due to the current situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19), Tyland Barn Visitor Centre will remain closed to the public until further notice. Please note whilst the visitor centre is closed, the nature reserve remains open.

Tyland Barn is the headquarters of the Kent Wildlife Trust and a base for many of our educational activities. The restored 17th-century barn offers a flexible indoor space and is available for hire. The nature park is a wildlife haven and at various times of year home to bees, tadpoles and in recent years breeding kestrels.

Location

Chatham Road
Sandling

Maidstone

Kent

ME14 3BD

OS Map Reference

TQ 754593

Know before you go

Parking information

Parking available on site

Bicycle parking

Bicycle parking available on site

Grazing animals

Walking trails

Disabled access to the barn and nature park (with its short nature trail) is very good.

Access

Wheelchair accessible. All surface path around wildlife garden. Pond with an accessible platform.

Read our accessibility information

Dogs

Guide dogs only

Facilities

Visitor centre

Bird hides

Toilets

Picnic area

Disabled toilet

Baby changing facilities

Outdoor play area

Wifi

When to visit

Opening times

Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 9am to 5:30pm

Nature Park & Visitor Centre:
CLOSED: Due to the current situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19), Tyland Barn Visitor Centre will remain closed to the public until further notice. Please note whilst the visitor centre is closed, the nature reserve remains open.

*Please note that we are currently unable to offer refreshments. We are working on a solution to this.

Weekends:
Events & Group Bookings only

Best time to visit

April to October

About the reserve

We have some fantastic events at Tyland Barn this year. From workshops and discovery days, to family fun.

See Events at Tyland Barn

The Nature Park at Tyland Barn is a fantastic and easy way to experience the wonders of our Kentish countryside. The park was created to be a little Kent and now has woodlands, colourful wildflower meadows and a large pond full of life. Wander along the wheelchair and buggy accessible paths and you might spot spectacular orchids, stag beetles in the log piles or dragonfly flitting over the reeds.

The planting in the Tyland Barn area has recently been redesigned and becomes a contemporary, colourful and inspirational example of how we can all help wildlife in our gardens.

As the seasons change, there is always something new to discover in the park. There are lifting logs and warm compost heaps to look through for bugs even in the darkest of months and come the summer, the bug hotels buzz with solitary bees. The Nature Park at Tyland Barn is a lovely place to visit with the family or to learn more about the huge variety of Kent’s wildlife.

Discover more about the Tyland Barn Nature Park and Gardens on a free tour with our Wildlife Habitats Officer.

More About Tyland Barn Tours