Riverside Country Park covers 100 hectares alongside the Medway Estuary, including Motney Hill and Berengrave Local Nature Reserve. There are various habitats within the park, including mudflats and salt marsh, ponds and reed-beds, grassland and scrub, which provide a haven for wildlife.
The estuary has special protection as part of the Medway Marshes SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and is internationally important for wintering birds that thrive on the invertebrate-rich mudflats. The saltmarshes have a specialised ecology and act as high tide roost sites.
Riverside has several ponds at Sharps Green and Berengrave. These are cleared of vegetation to maintain open water.
The reedbeds at Motney Hill are one of only 92 such sites which exceed two hectares in the UK. Management involves cutting a small area each year, which promotes dense growth and halts the natural progression of the reeds.
Grassland at Eastcourt Meadows and Rainham Dock East is mown in early autumn to encourage wildflowers and insects. Although the scrub is controlled, it forms an important part of this habitat, providing cover for small animals, nesting sites for birds and complete ecosystems for insects.
Facilities at the park
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A map of the park.
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The big lottery Fund has provided funding to develop a naturalised play area. Work on this project will commence in November.
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