Hamstreet: Woods, Walking Trails and Railway History

The Ham Street Woods National Nature Reserve connects Hamstreet with a long history of woodland and several walking trails. Railway architecture and the local church also offer points of interest when planning a stay. If you’re looking for a hotel in Hamstreet, you can start by considering whether nature and walking or railway history will shape your stay more.

Woodland History and Wildlife

After the last Ice Age, ancient woodland once covered the entire Weald; Ham Street Woods is a remnant of it. The area is part of the larger Orlestone Forest, a fragmented woodland and remnant of a continuous oak forest that once covered the Weald. As a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Ham Street Woods is of national importance: the area includes several broadleaf woodland stands with outstanding bird and invertebrate communities.

Rare moths in the area include the Triangle Moth and Silky Wave. White Admiral butterflies, nightingales and hawfinches also occur here, as do the protected great crested newt and hazel dormouse. Sightings of these animals depend on the season. Biodiversity is therefore a nature-focused aspect of trip planning, but not a fixed feature of every visit.

Walking Routes for Different Plans

The Saxon Shore Way passes through the Ham Street Woods National Nature Reserve. The Greensand Way runs from Haslemere in Surrey to Hamstreet in Kent; shorter sections are also available to walkers. The trails offer different ways to plan a visit: the Saxon Shore Way passes through the nature reserve, while the Greensand Way links the two places and can also be walked in sections.

There are also three waymarked nature trails in the nature reserve. One has an accessible surface. Check the route and accessibility information before your trip. There is a specific time restriction for cyclists and horse riders: a decision published on 2 December 2016 allowed this use at a location in the nature reserve marked on the map. The rights are not permanent, may be reviewed by Natural England, and current restrictions may apply. So check the conditions at the relevant location before planning a trip of this kind.

Getting Your Bearings at the Nature Reserve

The main entrance to the nature reserve is at the end of Bourne Lane in the village of Hamstreet. There is a small car park there; you can pay voluntary parking charges in advance or on the day of your visit using the RingGo app. It takes five to ten minutes to walk from Ham Street station to the nature reserve; the distance is less than 0.5 kilometres. The station has step-free Category A access to all platforms.

A free educational pack and an identification and observation guide are available to download for the nature reserve. As download availability may change, check before your visit. This will help you plan around the information available and the specific routes in the nature reserve.

Railway History and the Church

Hamstreet and Orlestone Railway Station opened in 1851 and was designed by William Trees for the Ashford to Tonbridge line. The rural Italianate station is unchanged on the outside; its veranda remains. The Church of the Good Shepherd was originally built as a Methodist chapel and is part of a local ecumenical partnership between the Methodist Church and the Church of England. Together with the history of the woods, these places give a stay a focus beyond the walking trails.

Discover more destinations: Ide Hill, Shepherdswell, Sandwich, West Kingsdown, Upchurch, Chestfield, Lower Halstow, Hoath

For the broader travel overview: Kent.