Fordwich to Reed Pond walk

Fordwich was once a busy port serving Canterbury, when the River Stour was tidal. The stone used to build Canterbury Cathedral from Caen, in France, was unloaded here.

Today, it is said to be the smallest town in Britain and the town hall, which was first built in the reign of Henry VIII, is often open to the public.

The walk passes through land which is maintained and conserved by the Ministry of Defence. Nearby Chaucer Barracks is home to the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.

The highly attractive Reed Pond, with its wealth of wildlife, is the focal point of the walk. The pond once supplied the monks of Canterbury with water.

The path is well-compacted, but with stones of up to 40mm in the final approach to Reed Pond. It climbs gradually from the woodland up to the pond with occasional flat surfaces and there is a step of approx. 70mm up onto a footbridge. There are no seats. Due to the gravel surface and step onto the footbridge, this route is not suited to wheelchair users, and would be best suited to pushchairs with wider wheels.

Click on the “Start & end” button on the map below to find the location of the walk.