The Kent Downs is an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of rural area, countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for protected area, conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are desig ...
(AONB) in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it fac ...
, England. They are the eastern half of the
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills ...
and stretch from the
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
/
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
borders to the
White Cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, depo ...
, including a small section of the
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley () is the southeasternmost of the London boroughs that make up Greater London, bordering the ceremonial county of Kent, which most of Bromley was part of before 1965. The borough's population is an estimated 332,336 ...
. The AONB also includes the
Greensand Ridge
The Greensand Ridge, also known as the Wealden Greensand is an extensive, prominent, often wooded, mixed greensand/sandstone escarpment in south-east England. Forming part of the Weald, a former dense forest in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, it run ...
, a prominent sandstone escarpment which lies south of the chalk escarpment of the North Downs.
It was first designated as an AONB in July 1968 and covers 878 square km (326 square miles).
The AONB's highest point is
Toy's Hill, at 250m above sea level, and its boundaries include three main rivers: the
Darent,
Medway
Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to fo ...
and
Stour.
To the west,
Surrey Hills AONB adjoins the Kent Downs AONB, and includes a continuation of the
North Downs chalk ridge which runs through the Kent Downs, stretching from
Farnham
Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...
to the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...
and reappearing within the Parc Naturel Régional des Caps et Marais d’Opale in France.
High Weald AONB lies to the south east, separated by a distance of just over 2km at
Bough Beech Reservoir.
As part of the management of the AONB,
Village Design Statements have been adopted by 14 per cent of villages within its boundaries, going on to form part of
Supplementary Planning Guidance, recognising the character of the historic landscape and distinctiveness of settlements.
Areas
Among the named parts of the Downs are:
*
Alkham Valley
thumb
The Alkham Valley is in the Kent Downs (the eastern part of the North Downs), an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in South East Kent, England. The valley lies between Folkestone and Dover.
The Valley is a dry valley
A dry valley may d ...
a dry valley north-west of
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidsto ...
;
[walks/rides available in this Valley]
*
Betsom's Hill
Betsom's Hill is a hill on the North Downs, and the highest point in the county of Kent at . Situated between Westerham and Tatsfield, at the western edge of the county, it lies close to where the A233 crosses the Downs en route to Biggin Hill ...
highest point in Kent at ; near
Westerham
Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles east of Oxted and 6 miles west of Sevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with both Greater London and Surrey.
It is recorded as early as ...
*
Blue Bell Hill
Blue Bell Hill is a chalk hill between Maidstone and Rochester in the English county of Kent. It overlooks the River Medway and is part of the North Downs. Settlements on the hill include the Walderslade suburb of Chatham and the villages of ...
*
Burham Down
Burham Down is a nature reserve between Maidstone and Chatham in Kent. It is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Wouldham to Detling Escarpment Site of Special Scientific Interest and Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I ...
*
Castle Hill
*
Chartham Downs
*
Denge Wood
Denge Wood is a wood located 8 miles southwest of Canterbury in Kent, England. The wood is owned by the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust. Part of the wood is also privately owned. Much of Denge Wood is classified as ancient semi-natur ...
*
Detling Hill
Detling Hill is a hill forming part of the North Downs in Kent, north-east of Maidstone, and is situated in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The typical southern escarpment of the North Downs is found here, and produces dramat ...
*
Elham Valley
*
Hollingbourne Downs
*
Knole Park
*
Lullingstone Country Park
*
Ranscombe Farm
Ranscombe Farm, in Cuxton in North Kent, is a Plantlife Nature Reserve and working farm. Part of the site is included in the Cobham Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the whole farm is within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natu ...
*
Samphire Hoe
Samphire Hoe is a country park situated west of Dover in Kent in southeast England. The park was created by using 4.9 million cubic metres of chalk marl from the Channel Tunnel excavations and is found at the bottom of a section of the White Cl ...
*
Summerhouse Hill
*
Tolsford Hill
*
Torry Hill
*
Wye Downs
Walking
The
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Bea ...
runs through the full length of the AONB, the
Stour Valley Walk passes through the east of the AONB, and the
Greensand Way
The Greensand Way is a long-distance path of in southeast England, from Haslemere in Surrey to Hamstreet in Kent. It follows the Greensand Ridge along the Surrey Hills and Chart Hills. The route is mostly rural, passing through woods, and a ...
to the south of
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...
.
References
External links
Kent Downs photo group on ''Flickr''
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England
Hills of Kent
Protected areas of Kent
Chalk landforms
{{Kent-geo-stub