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Directions
Signposted from the M20 at junction 11. Head towards Hythe, half
a mile south of Sandling station is the joint entrance to the park
with Brockhill School.
A popular family-orientated park,
with a fantastic café (link opens in a new window),
Brockhill has lots to offer.
Brockhill Country Park was previously part of a large estate
that dates back to Norman times. The old manor house is now part of
Brockhill School, and is located next to the park.
The park is a lovely place to walk in the winter or summer, with
its open grazed valley fringed with large specimen trees. With a
stream running through the centre of the valley, the park is rich
in wildlife, including marbled white butterflies, green
woodpeckers, carpets of snowdrops and even bamboo left over from
its days as a Victorian pleasure garden.
It is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest and has three
distinctive areas for visitors to explore:
- 'The Deer Paddock' is an attractive grassy area with trees such
as walnut and variegated sycamore
- 'The Lake' is a shady oasis for wildlife, fringed with
trees
- 'The Valley' is the largest area of the park and has alder
trees along its centre, marking the course of the Brockhill
stream.
A large, man-made lake forms the centre of the site. Two small
islands sit within the lake and the larger is the final resting
place of William Tournay, the last lord of Brockhill Manor who died
in 1903.
The rabbit-grazed turf is ideal for low-growing herbs, and the rich
mosaic of plants provides shelter for many beautiful
butterflies.
There are fabulous walks within the park, and two fantastic
circular walks that use the site as a base to explore the local
area using the Public Rights of Way network. Guides for the
Saltwood Saunter and
Tolsford Trek routes are available to download.
- The nearest train station is Sandling (1.5
miles).
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