Set on a south-east facing hillside overlooking the Darenth Valley, Polhill Bank covers around four hectares of chalk grassland, and is full of grassland flowers and a variety of insects, making it a great habitat for birds. A small Kent Wildlife Trust site, Polhill Bank is unusual in that it is has three types of habitat; woodland, scrub and open chalk grassland. Visitors should note that some paths are uneven and steep in places, and there are kissing gates at the entrances to the site.
Birds such as the blackcap and willow warbler can often be found feeding here. Whilst of the many different species of butterfly that can be found here, the grizzled and dingy skippers are particularly unusual, and the rufous grasshopper can also be spotted.
Polhill Bank is set some distance from the nearest lane, and the best place to park is near the Polhill Arms pub (TN14 7BG) on the A224. From the pub, 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 footpath across fields to the reserve.
Easy access information
This park and open space contains uneven trails, un-surfaced or narrow pathways. Also, there are width restricting features, such as stiles and narrow gaps making it difficult for visitors with pushchairs and/or wheelchairs to access some parts of the site.
