Winter Walks in Kent 1 - Nurstead and Camer Park

On New Years Day, the weather was fine and crisp with a dusting of snow on the ground.

Although it was bitterly cold outside, we decided it was too nice a day to stay cooped up indoors, wrapped up warm and went for a drive out into the North Kent countryside.

Just off the A227 road between Gravesend and the village of Meopham is a turn off for Nurstead and an historic church called St Mildred's which was built around 1340.

We had been past this turn off many times before but had never actually got around to visiting the church. Unfortunately the church was locked and there was no-one around so we had to make do with taking a few pictures of the outside.

Sadly gone are the days when a church's door is always open!

All going well, we will be able to make a return visit later this year and have the opportunity to look inside.

After having a quick whizz around the churchyard, we decided to go on for a walk at nearby Camer Park.

The park takes it's name from Camer House which was built in 1716 and was the home of local landowners the Smith-Masters family. When the last member of the Smith-Masters family passed away in the late 1960's, the park which formed part of the estate, was sold to the local authority.

In 1971 Camer Park was opened to the public as a country park. There is a small free public car park, toilets, which were spotlessly clean the day we visited, a children's play area and snack bar.

The park is very popular with dog walkers - and moles!! Despite his best efforts, little man did not succeed in enticing any of our subterranean friends to the surface....

There are some very spectacular mature trees in the park which, I imagine, would have been planted back when the Camer estate was in it's heyday.

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