Kent County Council has won European backing for a project designed to open the county’s countryside for everyone.

A two-year initiative to attract more visitors for walking, cycling and horse riding on both sides of the Channel has been given the green light with an EU Interreg grant of more than £1m.

The project will create a new multi-user trail from Tonbridge Castle to Haysden Country Park, starting this summer and specially designed for people with disabilities to coincide with the European Year of Disabled People.

Elsewhere, field surveyors will be employed to survey the condition of the county’s public rights of way network with a view to providing essential information for a new on-line guide.

The project will also team up with the charity, Sensory Trust, to produce a guide to best practise in the design and development of country parks, picnic sites and promoted walks.

A number of new publications – in both English and French – are planned, to encourage people to explore the countryside.

Kent County Council’s partners in the scheme are its counterpart region in the Nord area of France and the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. Details: www.kent.gov.uk