Oare Marshes Walk: Wetlands And Wildlife

Explore this tranquil nature reserve managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust on this North Kent circular walk. It is an area of over 200 acres, with freshwater dykes, open water ‘scrapes’, sea-wall and saltmarshes. It is part of the Swale Site of Special Scientific Interest and is an internationally important wetland because of the migratory, overwintering and breeding wetland birds it supports.

Begin this short walk in the quaint village of Oare, where boatbuilding and fishing have been a way of life for centuries. As you follow the creek as it twists and turns towards the coast you will pass by small shipwrecks and mudflats.

Continue further to enter the wildlife reserve and discover the true wildness of the marshes. Reach the conveniently placed Sea Wall Hide on the corner of the marshes. Take some time to rest, be still and peer out of the hide out onto the sea to spot migrating sea birds.

Carry on walking with water on one side and the marshes on the other. Pass by the artesian well, one of several drilled for the explosives factories. The water, naturally filtered through chalk, is cool, delicious and highly refreshing for the weary walker.

The next part of this walk takes you inland and through green fields and little country lanes. Arrive at Luddenham Church, A 12th Century church now disused. Make your way across farming fields to finally come full circle and arrive back in Oare. Why not quench your walker’s thirst with a well deserved stop in one of the freehouses – The Three Mariners or The Castle Inn.