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Cliffe Explosives Works

114 ha

📷 Stefan Czapski · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

BirdsWildlifeInsects
Free entryDogs welcome114 ha

Getting here

51.48135, 0.47877

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Visiting this summer

Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now

  • 🌞Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings
  • ✦Historic character is a year-round quality here — summer brings its own atmosphere to the setting
  • 🐕Dogs welcome — bring water in summer; the site has enough space to find shade on hot days

Good to know

  • £Free to visit — no entry charge
  • 🐕Dogs welcome

Best for

5 activities

Bird watching

Reedbeds — bitterns, marsh harriers, bearded tits and reed warblers; Birds — Lapwing, Shelduck, Black-headed Gull +86 more · last seen 2026

Free

Wildlife

Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles

Free

Insect spotting

Reedbeds — emperor dragonfly and rare fen invertebrates; Insects — Field Grasshopper, Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, Speckled Bush-cricket +13 more · last seen 2026

Free

Heritage

Historic site

Free

Waterside walks

Grazing marsh and ditches — waterside walking

Varies

Trails nearby

Within roughly 5 km
🚶

Walking

6 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby
Chattenden Woods WalkWalking route
Named route
Saxon Shore WayWalking route262 km
Named routeLength 262 kmRegional walking route
Hoo Peninsula PathWalking route
Named route
Thames Estuary PathWalking route46.6 km
Named routeLength 46.6 kmNational walking route
King Charles III England Coast Path: Grain to WoolwichWalking route76 km
Named routeRef ECPLength 76 kmNational walking route
🚴

Cycling

38 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby
Heron TrailCycling route
Named routeRef 179National Cycle Network
NCN National Route 13Cycling route
Named routeRef 13National Cycle Network
NCN National Route 13Cycling route
Named routeRef 13National Cycle Network
NCN National Route 1Cycling route
Named routeRef 1National Cycle Network
Main RouteCycling route558 m
Named routeRef 179Length 558 mNational Cycle NetworkOn-roadSurface asphalt
Main RouteCycling route1.5 km
Named routeRef 179Length 1.5 kmNational Cycle NetworkOn-roadSurface asphalt
🐴

Horse riding

1 public path nearby

Public paths

No named routes yet. Public paths are shown on the map.

Wildlife to spot

Photos

Ruins of the explosives works, Cliffe marshes

📷 Stefan Czapski · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Ruins of the explosives works, Cliffe marshes

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Nearby places

Useful places within 5 km

🌱Coalhouse Fort ParkUrban park3.7 km→✦Coalhouse Fort battery and artillery defencesHistoric site3.8 km→🌱Church GreenUrban park3.7 km→✦Coalhouse FortHistoric site3.7 km→⛪St Catherine's ChurchReligious grounds3.7 km→🌱Gobions ParkUrban park4.5 km→

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