Willesborough Dykes

The Area

Willesborough is a suburb of Ashford, Kent, UK. The area has schools, post offices, shops and other local resources, it is mainly residential but as Ashford expands there is more and more commercial activity around Willesborough. The Willesborough Dykes form part of the Ashford Green Corridor

outh Willesborough Dykes

On the west bank of the East Stour river is an area of sheep fields drained by dykes, the area is designated as the South Willesborough Dykes Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI). The dykes continue on the east side of the East Stour river and amongst the residential areas, and a tributary stream (Aylesford Stream) runs between Newtown and South Willesborough and into the East Stour. The smallest ditches dry up completely in summer. [ [http://www.noodles99.freeserve.co.uk/rivers.htm The SWANEG site (South Willesborough and Newtown Environmental Group)] ] The 'South Willesborough Dykes' have limited access to the public but are none-the-less important in terms of the geology of the area, being in the river floodplain and in supporting neutral, wet grassland species. Grazing has influenced the composition of the grassland habitat and much of the area remains as grazing land today.

imilar Sites

There are few other places in East Kent with the same characteristics as the South Willesborough Dykes, other areas of grazing marsh are designated as the Sandwich Bay and Hacklinge marshes SSSI, Ash Level and South Richborough Pasture an SNCI, there are nature reserves at Gazen Salts recreation ground (Sandwich) and Monk's Wall nature reserve.

Plants

)". One type of moss found in the area is only present at one other site in Kent.

Birds

The area is also important for wintering and breeding birds such as Fieldfare, Linnet, Swallow, Lapwing (often found together with Golden Plover) and Snipe). [ [http://www.ashfordgreencorridor.org.uk/sites_s_w'boro_dykes.htm Ashford Green Corridor] ]

Ashford Borough Council have a project to create the Willesborough Dykes Country Park, [ [http://www.ashford.gov.uk/about_council/project_office.asp Ashford Borough Council - Project Office] ] they have a strategy, with key actions for improving Ashford's open spaces, 'particularly South Willesborough Dykes' by 2007. [ [http://www.ashford.gov.uk/_assets/documents/files/PropertyStrategy2005-06.pdf Ashford Borough Council - Property Strategy 2005-06 (page 7)] ]

Map

The Ashford Green Corridor web site has a very useful [http://www.ashfordgreencorridor.org.uk/map_main.htm map] showing 'South Willesborough Dykes' and other green areas within Ashford and the route of part of the Stour Valley Walk.

References

For further information about the surrounding area see the Ashford page.