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 With its literary connections - Charles Dickens
wrote Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities here - rich
maritime heritage and wide variety of bird life, there is
something for everyone on a visit to the Heron Trail on the
Hoo Peninsula.
The circular route is 18 miles in total but can be broken up
into shorter sections. Starting points can be anywhere along the
route but Higham Station is a convenient location from which to
start your ride.
The Heron Trail takes its name from the
RSPB Northward Hill Reserve (link opens in a
new window). As well as nightingales and turtledoves, the wood has
the largest heronry in the UK, with more than 150 pairs of grey
heron nesting in the treetops and almost 50 pairs of little egrets,
a recent colonist.
Further highlights of the trail are the many forts and castles
that line the route. Take a look at Cliffe Fort, which was built in
1800 as part of the defence system guarding the Thames. Now it is a
home for roosting birds and a variety of plants.
 Another option is Cooling Castle, which
privately owned. It was built in 1381 and once stood close to
the sea. Draining of the marshes has left it some distance
inland.
Upnor Castle (link opens in a new window),
built in 1559, is set on the banks of the River Medway and was
constructed as a gun fort on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I
to defend her warships at anchor.
If you feel like straying from the trail, the
Riverside Country Park offers fantastic traffic-free cycling
for the whole family plus a stunning panorama over coastal marsh,
fresh water habitats and grasslands alongside the Medway
estuary.
View a map and guide for
The Heron Trail. |