Riverside Leisure Area — Attraction in Gravesham

Riverside Leisure Area (Gravesend Promenade) is a great place to visit if you have the time. There is plenty of grass and benches that runs along the River Thames for around a third of a mile or so. A good place to take the children, they can run around and play.

You have great views of the Thames and across it to Tilbury (where Queen Elizabeth I gave her most famous speech). You can see all manner of sailing vessels passing by from cruise ships, cargo vessels and private boats. If you are into watching all manner of ships go by, then this is a good place to camp out! There are plenty of places to sit including on the grass – if you wish. You can get close to the water as there are areas of pebbles, also lots of mud when the tide goes out, so be careful!

There is a café (The Promenade Café). You can get ice creams, cold drinks and some hot items too, they do a nice bowl of chips. Inside and outside seating is catered for. I have always found the staff to be polite and helpful, though service can be slow at times. There are public toilets next to the café including one for the disabled which needs a Radar Key.

Close to the café is New Tavern Fort and gardens. It was built during the American War of Independence to guard the River Thames against French and Spanish raiders. It was redesigned and rebuilt in the mid-19th century. It was also manned during World War 2. The public can enter and have a look around. Inside there is lots of grass and trees with plenty of benches and other seating areas available to sit and relax. There is various weaponry on display, including a couple of 6 inch guns overlooking the river. You can get to the top of the fort which provides great views of the river and park. A great place to take the children, they can get up close to all the guns on display!

The gardens to one side of the fort are beautiful and tranquil. A place to sit and drink in the beauty of the trees and other plants. Do not miss this area.

Behind the café is the small park. There is a lake with a fountain at each end and plenty of seating available but on a dry day you can sit on the grass and watch the swans and ducks paddle around. There are pathways throughout the park leading to various exit/entrances, a place to go even on a damp day. There is also a statue on a column of General Gordon, yes, him of Khartoum! There are lots of different trees, some quite tall; plenty of shade available for those who like to get out of the sun. I do believe fishing is allowed, (probably with a permit).

There is plenty of room for the children to run about and play. Plenty of people walk their dogs here too.

In front of the fort, by the river is a sort of gym area. A couple of basketball rings as well as various gym equipment for the public to use. There are also two area with play equipment for children, one next to the café for young children and another one near the lake for older children.

A ferry operates just a little further on. You can use it to get to Tilbury on the other side of the Thames. I do not think it is operating at this time.

There is car parking at the rear of the fort. You have too pay, though there are a few disabled parking...

Riverside Leisure Area is considered to be Gravesham Council’s premier open space – featuring a 19th century fort, play area, flower gardens and a waterfront promenade, it was also recently made the home of a new fitness zone in time for the London 2012 Olympics. The park is made up of five separate and distinct elements – Fort Gardens, which was previously the New Tavern Fort, guarded the entrance to the Thames from 1870 and was converted into a garden in the 1930s. The promenade area which has frontage onto the River Thames hosts a café and a newly built toilet block. There is also a play area, fitness zone and numerous benches that offer good views over the river. The Dell area has links to Gravesend’s military history as a defence ditch, while Gordon Memorial Gardens, dating from the 1890s, has formally laid out gardens with a statue of the celebrated General Gordon. Finally, Gordon Pleasure Gardens has a lake which is available for fishing, a further play area, and paved walkways throughout. The site hosts regular events throughout the year, including Regattas, the Council run Big Day Out and a firework display. A commercially run fairground also visits several times a year. National Cycle Route 1 also passes through this area (along Gordon Promenade and past the Canal Basin), and then follows the route of the Thames and Medway Canal...

The seductive magic of the Thames, self-assured, allows us to join the breath of nature ... you can come here so that we can leave all the worries of the day in the past ... Or we can give them to the river, which will dissolve our negative emotions and take them away to ocean ...))) Have a good mood! This mood can be acquired by coming to the embankment of the city Gravesend in the morning. Here is a really cozy and quiet atmosphere away from the flow of cars. The embankment is well landscaped: benches, a sports ground with exercise equipment, basketball rings. There is a toilet. Nearby you can walk along the former military fort with real guns of the last century. In the corners of the park you can find unusual specimens of trees that are not typical of the local flora. Here you can sit on the shore of the pond, admiring the lotus flowers and funny birds that run around the wide leaves of aquatic plants. You can observe their touching concern for each other with interest, because waterfowl usually live in pairs. Walking along the very edge of the river bank, one can see how the water comes and goes. Tired of walking, we, sitting on a bench, can simply watch the many ships, large and small, sailing along the river .... But the sunset over the Thames will not leave anyone indifferent. Yes, this place gives us pleasure at any...