Wildfowling - Location

The North Kent Marshes are an almost continuous coastal marshland fringe extending from Whitstable in the east to Gravesend on the Thames estuary in the west, including the Medway estuary and the Isle of Grain and the Isle of Sheppey. The marshes are typically two to five kilometers wide but they broaden on the Hoo peninsular and on the southern side of the Isle of Sheppey. Almost a third of the area is designated as National Nature Reserve or Sites of Special Scientific Interest (ESA).

The marsh is bounded by a belt of higher ‘upland’ which forms a pronounced landscape feature defining the southern boundary. Most of the marshes have been enclosed by sea walls (‘inned’) since medieval times to prevent flooding.

The North Kent marshes are a distinctive, exposed, flat landscape of pasture land, with mudflats and saltings beyond the sea wall. In combination, they provide a habitat of international significance for over-wintering and breeding birds.

KWCA have classified the various areas of marsh that they shoot over as:

THAMES ESTUARY

MEDWAY ESTUARY

THE SWALE

OTHERS*

* ('others' include inland marshes as well as marsh that do not fall naturally into one of the three areas above)

Within these areas there are shooting grounds and reserves.

See a map of the KWCA marsh

Note: KWCA can access much more detailed maps which also detail access points by clicking here