Chiswa one

Verified Slow Way

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I walked this on a lightly sunny Saturday morning, with no rain in the last few weeks, from Swanley to Chislehurst.

From Swanley you start with a section of residential streets (photo #1) to cross under the M25 (photo #2), before the route goes over open farmland (photo #4, #5, #6) towards Hockenden. These paths were easy going. It was much the same on the west side of Hockenden as well all the way (photo #7) to St Paul's Cray, were there was a little more walking along residential roads (photo #8), although the route does diverge from these as much as it can, which is great (photo #9, #10, #11, #12). The last section is mostly through woods to all the way to the finish at Chislehurst (photo #13).

Early spring is a lovely time for walking this route, spring birdsong, trees coloured by catkins, early blossom and swelling leaf buds. There are some long views from the higher land, especially because the trees are in leaf, although the drizzly weather didn't help that too much. A long part of the route follows along Chapman's Lane, and where it hadn't become an access road, it was a thin lane, slightly sunken into the land and bounded by raised banks of hazels and gnarly oaks, with celandines and bluebell leaves underfoot. It felt miles away from modern life, maybe it was a route for medieval slow travellers.

There are so many green spaces along this route, almost all adjacent to the next, St Paul's Cray Common is a few hundred metres from the start point, then Scadbury Park Nature Reserve, St Paul's Green, Hoblingwell Wood, Hoblingwell Wood Recreation Ground, an urban footpath called Brook Way which passes through St Pauls Cray Rec Ground (aka Watermeadows Open Space aka Crayford Settlement Riverside Park!?), another footpath between a large wooded churchyard and grazing pasture, Paul's Cray Hill (Country) Park, Chapman's Lane, farm tracks alongside wide open fields and finally a wooded path next to the rail line on the outskirts of Swanley. You get the picture, it's very green and mostly feels far away from housing or roads. The road sections are short probably about 1.5km total, including one longer bit through Swanley.

Royal Parade, the start point in Chislehurst, is quite swanky. Coffee (and service) at Walnuts was great and I'm intrigued by The Cockpit, a florist/micro-pub. Cotmandene Crescent in St Pauls Cray is less salubrious but Ozzie's Diner offers a Community Toilet (open to non customers). The MacDonalds on Sevenoaks Way is open until 11pm.

In a few places the GPS line doesn't match up with the actual paths, and the OS maps don't show many of the actual paths either, which is probably related.
1) The woodland and meadow paths around St Peter and St Pauls Primary School about 1km south of Chislehurst (across the invisible border of 3 separate green spaces). Coming from Chislehurst you could miss the turn fairly easily, especially if you inadvertently chose the wrong fork (those aren't on OS maps). I think it'd be ok coming the other way.
2) In Hoblingwell Rec, the diagonal Public Footpath off Leeson's Rd is not a made path like all the others, and then it disappears halfway along. Simple enough to avoid, just a bit odd.
3) About a mile before Hockenden Lane I missed a footpath turning that I didn't realise I should keep watch for. So I wandered off the right of way and had to negotiate a sometimes very wet and muddy tractor-churned track. It's just after a green-lane part of Chapman's Lane stops, with another (signposted) footpath going left and this coming out on the right to a track which continues ahead. The footpath should fork very slightly to the left very soon, probably after the kissing gate on the right, and maybe near or before the cow byre. You probably won't see on your map or app that the farm track and the footpath separate, and don't expect a sign either. I'd only just checked mine when I saw the left turn signpost. OSM maps (used by Ink Atlas and my nav app) doesn't show the split, neither does the OS Landranger map. I did find it later on the maximum zoom level of the local authority PRoW online map, although the overlay showing which branch is the PRoW only appears when you print it. It may as well have been on display at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet in the local planning office with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard. The path and track do rejoin at Hockenden Lane and I wasn't acosted by the farmer, but the mud was the worst on the route by far. Especially on the small hill. Worth avoiding if possible. The curious cows and view across the rolling field were a nice change though.

As you come into Swanley there is an underpass, which is unlit and had a small group of schoolkids hanging out and sheltering from the rain. They weren't rude but it could feel uncomfortable. To add to Nick's review of obstacles, there are a few steep sections, multiple very heavy-duty and narrow anti-dirt-bike restrictions. After rain, plenty of puddles and mud (mostly fine with stout shoes). At Swanley station there are about 10 steps down to get in, or pass through to the other side to join another route. You don't need a ticket though, just as well as it's a long walk around otherwise.

I looked up the details of that path closure sign, and as well as being out of date it's about a different path, the closest other pedestrian crossing point of the A20. If you are going that way maybe you could take the sign down, 9th July 2021 has long been and gone.
https://www.swanleytowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SD338-Extension-Notice-with-map.pdf.

Overall nice walk along a mixture of main roads, residential quiet roads, country lanes, couple of woods and an abandoned (or at least both times I have walked through it, quiet) quarry. Starting from Chislehurst, walk past a few shops/cafes, along St Pauls Cray Road - too early in the walk to visit the The Bulls Head? It's there if you fancy a quick beer to get you on your way. Take the path to just enter Park Wood, following through to cross St Pauls Wood Hill, down into Hoblingbell Wood and the recreational ground. The walk takes along some residential roads at this point, with various shops around Cotmendene Crescent, you also walk past a McDonalds at the bottom of Broomwood Road. Over the busy Sevenoaks Way, with two pelican type pedestrian crossings. Following the route to the top of Chalk Pit Avenue and the entrance to Pauls Cray Hill Park. There is a size restricted entrance here that some may find difficult to navigate, matched by similar restrictions on exit to Chapmans Lane. This lane borders a number of fields and can become uneven and rutted in places. The exit to Hockenden Lane has a couple of stile type structures to carefully clamber over. The path to the quiet/unused quarry has an out of date public notice, informing that there is no route through to the A20 - note the out of date part! After about half a mile on this path, it takes a sharp left, following a fence line, the path is partially blocked by large stones/boulders, but are as easy to climb through or over as much as any stile. There is another set of stones/boulders just as you reach the bridge going under the A20, again easily by passed on foot. The path then enters Swanley with easy route to the station.

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