{"id":"69c53a04948ce0defd0a44b5","title":"Secrets Of The Old Park","path":"publications/annual-reviews/2025/secrets-of-the-old-park","contentMarkdown":"# Secrets of the Old Park\n\n![](https://kent.ngx-ramblers.org.uk/api/aws/s3/site-content/2c0a412b-a613-4f00-a783-906a7b31e534.jpeg)\n\nCanterbury Ramblers are delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of a walking guide to the Old Park, an area of open countryside near the city which is up for sale by the MOD and under threat of unsuitable development.\n\nThe Old Park is Kent's greatest hidden secret. Located just a mile outside the city walls it is a place apart and little known even to the people of the city. Those who have discovered it are astonished at the wide variety of its landscape ranging from dense woodland to glorious open heath. It is a haven for nature and a home to nightingales, turtle doves and a host of insects, butterflies and moths.\n\nWhat is less well known is that it is part of a wider landscape with a unique history which extends back for the best part of a million years and ranges through the Old Stone Age, Iron Age, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Tudor periods. It was the location of the conversion of the English to Christianity in 597 AD. It was a training ground for the British Army for 230 years and played a crucial role in the preparations for the defence of the country in WW2.\n\n> It is no exaggeration to suggest that it could be one of the most important historic landscapes in the country.\n\nThere is only one way to fully experience the natural and historical wonders of the Old Park and that is on foot. This booklet includes 16 walking routes which will take you through a marvellous landscape full of beauty and history. The booklet will be published and launched in the New Year and will be available to Ramblers' members and the general public at a cost of £10.","contentHtml":"

Secrets of the Old Park

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Canterbury Ramblers are delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of a walking guide to the Old Park, an area of open countryside near the city which is up for sale by the MOD and under threat of unsuitable development.

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The Old Park is Kent's greatest hidden secret. Located just a mile outside the city walls it is a place apart and little known even to the people of the city. Those who have discovered it are astonished at the wide variety of its landscape ranging from dense woodland to glorious open heath. It is a haven for nature and a home to nightingales, turtle doves and a host of insects, butterflies and moths.

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What is less well known is that it is part of a wider landscape with a unique history which extends back for the best part of a million years and ranges through the Old Stone Age, Iron Age, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Tudor periods. It was the location of the conversion of the English to Christianity in 597 AD. It was a training ground for the British Army for 230 years and played a crucial role in the preparations for the defence of the country in WW2.

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It is no exaggeration to suggest that it could be one of the most important historic landscapes in the country.

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There is only one way to fully experience the natural and historical wonders of the Old Park and that is on foot. This booklet includes 16 walking routes which will take you through a marvellous landscape full of beauty and history. The booklet will be published and launched in the New Year and will be available to Ramblers' members and the general public at a cost of £10.

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