Dargree one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Dargree here.

This is a mostly on road route, but also quite a lot of urban back lanes and alley footpaths. There is also a truly off road section betwen the two parts of Cotton Lane in Stone (see below). The river is often within sight and you won't be able to miss seeing the Dartford Bridge but also across to the ports and maybe some very large freighters.

Note about the off-road bit. It's easy to get through but navigation isn't as simple as it should be. First the path has recently moved so OS maps are wrong. But the new section is now closed for building works. There's no diverson or signage (coming from Greenhithe at least). And somehow neither the old OS line, the new official Kent CC record, or the path lines on OSM mapping actually match the positions of the paths on the ground. And then OSM mapping and the OS maps are out of sync by 20m or so and it's impossible to draw a route line which works properly on both. Ugh.

You should be ok following this route line but given all the above here's a verbal description from the entrance to (new) Stone Lodge School on London Rd and the quarry/landfill entrance on the northern part of Cotton Lane and vice versa.

Coming from Dartford. Go up the new access road to the school. Come off at the roundabout onto the scrubby field and follow the outside of the fence for a bit. An older path soon turns off to the right (pretty much the original RoW line). Follow this keeping the drop down into the valley nearby on your right. As you curve around the hill it will become parallel to the power lines and that signals an imminent junction turning down the hill. You'll get to a lane, turn right and follow it to a gate with a kissing gate at the side. The footpath contines parallel to this part of Cotton Lane up on the bank, turn right through the kissing gate but mind the cable strung across the path at head height. The OS map inexplicably suggests that instead of following the laned you should veer off through trees and scrub, across a thoroughly fenced off field/property line into the landfill site. And shortly recross (including through newly planted trees !) back onto the lane. Don't do that ;-)

Coming from Greenhithe. You'll have been walking along bank where they've recently put a footpath parallel to Cotton Lane. Just as it opens out down to the quarry/landfill area there's a cable strung across the path at head height (since Feb 2023 at least). Through the kissing gate next to one of the gates there and follow the lane until a path goes off to the right just after the third bend. (Do use the lane here - don't follow the impassable line the OS map sends you along.) The path climbs up the hill (a bit steep but quite short) then take the left hand path and keeping the edge of the hill on your left continue until you hit the fence of the building site. Turn left again until you get onto the roundabout outside the new school. If you inadvertently come up the hill some other way you'll probably hit the fence and there is a clear way along.

Although it's a pretty short route there is actually a pub, a couple of corner shops and a chicken place on the route. And bus stops. And the Stone Crossing station. There's even a 2-star hotel with rooms for £49 just down St Vincents Rd on the outskirts of Dartford. See map. There are couple of moderately steep slopes and a few places with steps, the steepest is up the bank to the new footpath on the bank beside (northern) Cotton Lane. I've attempted to show good pavements to use and safe crossing places but the OS and OSM being out of sync probably makes it unclear in places.

It's very possible that in a year or so the newly designated position of the footpath by Stone Lodge School will reopen and a redo or new route will be needed. Until then this is the usuable path. Even if it's not official Kent CC appear to be tacitly encouraging it's use by not providing signage about the path being closed

This is a mostly on road route, but also quite a lot of urban back lanes and alley footpaths. There is also a truly off road section betwen the two parts of Cotton Lane in Stone (see below). The river is often within sight and you won't be able to miss seeing the Dartford Bridge but also across to the ports and maybe some very large freighters.

Note about the off-road bit. It's easy to get through but navigation isn't as simple as it should be. First the path has recently moved so OS maps are wrong. But the new section is now closed for building works. There's no diverson or signage (coming from Greenhithe at least). And somehow neither the old OS line, the new official Kent CC record, or the path lines on OSM mapping actually match the positions of the paths on the ground. And then OSM mapping and the OS maps are out of sync by 20m or so and it's impossible to draw a route line which works properly on both. Ugh.

You should be ok following this route line but given all the above here's a verbal description from the entrance to (new) Stone Lodge School on London Rd and the quarry/landfill entrance on the northern part of Cotton Lane and vice versa.

Coming from Dartford. Go up the new access road to the school. Come off at the roundabout onto the scrubby field and follow the outside of the fence for a bit. An older path soon turns off to the right (pretty much the original RoW line). Follow this keeping the drop down into the valley nearby on your right. As you curve around the hill it will become parallel to the power lines and that signals an imminent junction turning down the hill. You'll get to a lane, turn right and follow it to a gate with a kissing gate at the side. The footpath contines parallel to this part of Cotton Lane up on the bank, turn right through the kissing gate but mind the cable strung across the path at head height. The OS map inexplicably suggests that instead of following the laned you should veer off through trees and scrub, across a thoroughly fenced off field/property line into the landfill site. And shortly recross (including through newly planted trees !) back onto the lane. Don't do that ;-)

Coming from Greenhithe. You'll have been walking along bank where they've recently put a footpath parallel to Cotton Lane. Just as it opens out down to the quarry/landfill area there's a cable strung across the path at head height (since Feb 2023 at least). Through the kissing gate next to one of the gates there and follow the lane until a path goes off to the right just after the third bend. (Do use the lane here - don't follow the impassable line the OS map sends you along.) The path climbs up the hill (a bit steep but quite short) then take the left hand path and keeping the edge of the hill on your left continue until you hit the fence of the building site. Turn left again until you get onto the roundabout outside the new school. If you inadvertently come up the hill some other way you'll probably hit the fence and there is a clear way along.

Although it's a pretty short route there is actually a pub, a couple of corner shops and a chicken place on the route. And bus stops. And the Stone Crossing station. There's even a 2-star hotel with rooms for £49 just down St Vincents Rd on the outskirts of Dartford. See map. There are couple of moderately steep slopes and a few places with steps, the steepest is up the bank to the new footpath on the bank beside (northern) Cotton Lane. I've attempted to show good pavements to use and safe crossing places but the OS and OSM being out of sync probably makes it unclear in places.

It's very possible that in a year or so the newly designated position of the footpath by Stone Lodge School will reopen and a redo or new route will be needed. Until then this is the usuable path. Even if it's not official Kent CC appear to be tacitly encouraging it's use by not providing signage about the path being closed