This guide helps you choose between three green spaces around Sittingbourne: a country park by Milton Creek, a young community woodland with a replica henge, and a Kent Wildlife Trust chalk grassland reserve at Hartlip. InKent lists Milton Creek Country Park under Milton Regis and Queendown Warren under Hartlip, both grouped with Sittingbourne. The cards below link to each place’s InKent page.
Milton Creek Country Park
Milton Creek Country Park is Swale Borough Council’s country park on a former landfill site beside Milton Creek. It covers 128 acres of meadows, scrub and ponds, with a network of paths, a natural play area, a fishing lake, public toilets and the Space community hub. A Saturday morning parkrun uses the park. The free car park is off Saffron Way.
- Cost: the car park is listed as free, and no entry charge is listed.
- Opening: the car park is open from 7am to 4pm between 1 October and 31 March, and from 7am to 7pm in summer. Pedestrian entrances are open at other times. The car park has a 6ft 6in height barrier.
- Access: the entrances have A-frame gates. Wheelchair and mobility aid users need a RADAR key, and there are RADAR gates at the Green Porch Close and Gas Road entrances.
- Suits: families and walkers, with a natural play area, a fishing lake and a parkrun on site.
The Meads Community Woodland and Henge
The Meads is a young community woodland off Gayhurst Drive, with hedgerows and wildlife. Its replica Neolithic wood henge was built by volunteers in 2017. The replica is arranged like a late Neolithic henge that was excavated nearby in 2008, according to Visit Swale. One way in is along Woollett Road and through the railway arch.
- Cost: Visit Swale lists free entry.
- Opening: no opening hours are listed, so treat it as a daylight visit.
- Access: there is at least one accessible route, but the woodland is otherwise considered less suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.
- Suits: walkers who want a woodland visit with a Neolithic link.
Queendown Warren, Hartlip
Queendown Warren is a Kent Wildlife Trust reserve on Warren Lane, Hartlip, made up of chalk grassland and woodland and known for its orchids. Kent Downs says ten orchid species are regularly seen there, including early-spider, burnt, man, fly and bee orchids, and describes it as a former medieval rabbit warren. Cattle, sheep and ponies graze it all year. The reserve is open at all times and parking is charged at £2 a day, according to the Trust.
- Ground: the paths are grassy with some steep slopes, and they are slippery on exposed chalk when wet. There are kissing gates, fence gaps and rambler gates.
- Dogs: allowed, on a lead when livestock are present.
- What is in flower: check the Trust’s page before you go.
- Suits: confident walkers who are comfortable on slopes and uneven ground.
Choosing between them
- Meadows, ponds and a free car park: Milton Creek Country Park.
- A replica henge and young woodland: The Meads.
- Chalk grassland and orchids: Queendown Warren.
- Wheelchair or pushchair: read each place’s access notes first. Milton Creek lists RADAR gates and The Meads lists one accessible route. Queendown lists slopes, kissing gates and slippery chalk when wet.
Planning the day
Milton Creek Country Park and The Meads are both in Sittingbourne, and neither lists an entry charge, so the only cost of visiting both is parking, and the Milton Creek car park is listed as free. Queendown Warren is a separate trip to Hartlip, which InKent lists as its own place, and parking there is £2 a day. If you only have time for one, match the place to the ground: Milton Creek for paths and play, The Meads for the henge, Queendown for chalk grassland and slopes.
Wear footwear with grip at Queendown, because the Trust says exposed chalk is slippery when wet. At Milton Creek, note the winter closing time before you leave the car, because the car park shuts at 4pm between 1 October and 31 March.
Getting there
Sittingbourne station is managed by Southeastern, which runs trains to London Victoria. Use Southeastern’s journey planner for current times and fares. Milton Creek has its own car park. Queendown Warren charges for parking. The Meads lists no car park. Its address is Gayhurst Drive, and one way in is along Woollett Road and through the railway arch.
Frequently asked questions
Is Milton Creek Country Park free?
Swale lists its car park as free, and no entry charge is listed. The car park closes at 4pm between 1 October and 31 March, so pedestrian entrances are the way in after that.
Can I take a dog to these places?
Queendown Warren welcomes dogs, on a lead when livestock are present. Visit Swale lists pets as welcome at Milton Creek and The Meads, but we have no lead rules for either, so look for signs on site.
Which of these is open at all times?
Queendown Warren is listed as open at all times. Milton Creek’s pedestrian entrances are open outside car park hours. The Meads lists no hours.
Is The Meads henge an original?
No. It is a replica built by volunteers in 2017, arranged like a late Neolithic henge that was excavated nearby in 2008.