Hand held panorama showing a view along the Medway River and up the hill towards Tonbridge Castle. The picture was taken in February 2009 when crocuses were flowering below the trees.

River Medway by Tonbridge Castle - Tonbridge visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'River Medway by Tonbridge Castle' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Kent.

The River Medway starts just inside West Sussex and flows about 70 miles through Kent to the Thames Estuary. The area around Tonbridge has always been prone to flooding due to the large number of tributaries that enter the river near this point. The river has always played an important part in trade, though until 1746 it was impassable beyond Maidstone. Improvements to canals at this time permitted 40 long ton barges to navigate up to Tonbridge via 11 locks.

Tonbridge has often been flooded by the River Medway over the centuries, and part of the town built on higher ground is called 'Dryhill'. In 1981 a flood barrier was built upstream at Leigh and in times of high rainfall about 1 square mile of farmland around Leigh is allowed to flood to protect areas downriver.

Today, the river provides ample leisure activities, with boating and fishing common. The Medway Valley Walk is also popular, running alongside the river for most of the distance from Tonbridge to Rochester. At Tonbridge, the view from the river is dominated by Tonbridge Castle.

Train: Tonbridge Station.
Road: Tonbridge is about 40 miles from London on the A21. It is 43 miles from Canterbury (M2 then A249, M20, A228 and A26 roads).