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Access to fresh air, a space to breathe and nature filled green spaces make us feel happier and healthier. Our local parks offer us all this and more for free.

Exploring the outdoors hasn’t always been easy for everyone but more parks, woodlands and open spaces are being made accessible with wider paths and removal of gates and stiles. Here are Explore Kent’s top picks for Gravesham.

Shorne Woods Country Park

Facilities: toilets and disabled toilets, parking and disabled parking, public transport accessible, surfaced paths, waymarked walking routes, visitor centre, café.

Shorne Woods has all you could ask for from a country park, including a eco-friendly visitor centre and café, a sensory garden, orienteering, fishing lakes and picnic and play areas. And that’s not even mentioning the 288 acres of rolling woodlands, wetlands and meadows that can be explored via a variety of waymarked trails. Ideal for wheelchair users and pushchairs, Trampers (all-terrain mobility scooters) are also available to hire.

Jeskyns Community Woodland

Facilities: toilets, disabled toilets, parking and disabled parking, toilets and disabled toilets, surfaced paths, waymarked walking routes,café, picnic area.

Jeskyns, another Green Flag awarded park for 2021/22, is home to 360 acres of newly planted woodlands, meadows and orchards. With an excellent network of fully accessible hard trails and grass paths across the site for use by walkers, wheelchair users, families with buggies, cyclists as well as a 6km grass trail for horse riders.

Riverside Leisure Area

Facilities: toilets, disabled toilet, parking and disabled parking, childrens play area, surfaced paths, café, rest points, toilets, and disabled toilets.

Located right on the Thames Estuary and in the heart of Gravesend is the Riverside Leisure Area, considered to be Gravesham’s best green space thanks to its 19th century fort, play area, flower gardens and a waterfront promenade. The promenade area which faces the River Thames has a café and a newly built toilet block. The park hosts events throughout the year and National Cycle Route 1 passes through this park.

If this has inspired you to get outdoors then visit www.explorekent.org for more parks, woodlands and walking routes in Kent.