Quefav four

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Quefav here.

TLDR: Things to see: grazing marsh and freshwater pools, orchards for spring blossom, saltwater creeks with small boats and birds, Conyer village (attractive moorings, good pub), urban green spaces, quiet country lanes, interesting old houses and churches. An unavoidably long Slow Way but with lots of pitstop and public transport options.

This route goes through the Swale RAMSAR site, a nationally important natural area, and has some beautiful views over (and within) freshwater grazing marsh, and some views over mudflats and patches of saltmarsh from the bridges over the River Swale and Milton Creek. There are important bird populations and other less visible but equally special plant and animal species. Otherwise the majority is through agricultural areas, and within the residential areas mostly uses greenspaces, including Milton Creek Country Park. There is a very high density of tree-fruit orchards along the way so this is a good route for spring-blossom, particularly east of Conyer where there are also some charming old houses and cottages. Conyer is particularly pretty, with timbered buildings along a winding creek with small boat moorings. You might even get to see the Kingsferry Bridge spans lift for river traffic. This route uses the best bits of the other 3 routes rethink the rest of the route based on the best bits of the other 3 routes, my recent test-walks and some desktop research.

A new route is necessary even though none of the original (three!) routes have been tested yet. SitQue one, which overlaps them, has been tested though and there’s a big wet problem. You can’t use it unless you’re sure it’s been dry (including tides) and is warm enough to paddle. The Neatscourt Marshes footpath (Isle of Sheppey) uses a ford not a bridge (TQ 9156 7024) and can range from shoes-off to needing wellies through surrounding fields let alone the ford itself. The SitQue 2 route has more details plus why the apparent alternatives can’t be used.

This is one of the 3 longest Slow Ways in Kent, which are coincidentally in a chain, Queenborough-Faversham-Ashford-Hythe. As the crow flies QueFav is already 15km long, but a single crossing point on the River Swale, and again over Milton Creek forces a much longer route, the shortest possible is 22km, using many busy with no pavement or decent verge. At the other extreme a 36km lovely, if rather remote route could be along the Coastal Path on Sheppey (when it's finished) then through Iwade, rejoining the Coastal Path after Milton Creek then all the way round to Faversham.

A long route should have rest, feed and transport options, so the longest gap is 6km rather than 10 or 15! Here's a list.
* Queenborough: head back to quayside, 6 pub/tea room/cafes, a shop and kebabs or fish & chips. * Swale, just after bridge: train station. * Iwade: pub, chippy, cafe, mini-mart and buses. Or change your mind and swap to a shorter Slow Way to Sittingbourne. * Kemsley: mini-mart and train station. * Sittingbourne Golf Course, Tonge: bar/restaurant open to everyone. * Conyer: a pub, I can recommend it. You could branch off here to end early either at Teynham Station (footpath from The Moorings, 1.8km), another mini-mart there, or carry onto Teynham X3 bus stop near Lynstead Lane (a further 1km on Station Rd). * Davington (Faversham outskirts): another chipshop and mini-mart, near Roebuck Rd. * Faversham: an abundance of places to eat and shop, starting from Preston St immediately next to the station, no route deviation required.

You could apply the Sheppey dry diversion to QueFav 1 or 2 or 3. But using the Slow Ways criteria QueFav 4 is the best ;-> and here’s why...
Keeps your feet dry on the Isle of Sheppey. Doesn’t use the fabulous, but lonely and long Coastal Path.
At Kingsferry Bridge avoids unnecessary scramble down overgrown and steep bank TQ 902 683.
Just before Iwade the OS marked public footpath is impenetrable, this follows an actual path in next-door field (same farm) used by locals TQ 902 683. Within Iwade and to the A249 footbridge: simpler to navigate, non-pavement road walking is quieter and slower traffic. Goes through the centre of an orchard for spring blossom TQ 894 664. Kemsley to Milton Creek: uses an off-road route through Milton Creek Country Park, starting at TQ 9067 6579. These paths are not shown on OS maps. Murston to Tonge: avoids extensive flytipping near caravan site TQ 926 649 and the extremely wet (in wet weather) lane through marsh north of Little Murston TQ 934 660. Takes straightest and simplest foot route through Murston from Central Park TQ 922 644 out to Lomas Rd. Tonge Mill to Conyer: uses access-only unclassified roads selected for National Cycle Network Route 1, and passes the golf course. Avoids Lower Rd (tertiary) through Teynham which is straighter, wide enough for two cars to pass, and has more traffic plus a 1.9 and a 1.2 km no-pavement sections. Conyer to Faversham outskirts: uses Swale Heritage Trail (no longer promoted) on small quiet roads (also NCN 1) and footpaths - orchard views and very old churches. Again avoids busy Lower Rd and long Coastal Path. Does intersect Coastal Path so you could join for a section (see QueFav 3). From near Luddenham to Faversham Station: a shorter off-road route to Faversham town edge, then a direct route to station

TLDR: Things to see: grazing marsh and freshwater pools, orchards for spring blossom, saltwater creeks with small boats and birds, Conyer village (attractive moorings, good pub), urban green spaces, quiet country lanes, interesting old houses and churches. An unavoidably long Slow Way but with lots of pitstop and public transport options.

This route goes through the Swale RAMSAR site, a nationally important natural area, and has some beautiful views over (and within) freshwater grazing marsh, and some views over mudflats and patches of saltmarsh from the bridges over the River Swale and Milton Creek. There are important bird populations and other less visible but equally special plant and animal species. Otherwise the majority is through agricultural areas, and within the residential areas mostly uses greenspaces, including Milton Creek Country Park. There is a very high density of tree-fruit orchards along the way so this is a good route for spring-blossom, particularly east of Conyer where there are also some charming old houses and cottages. Conyer is particularly pretty, with timbered buildings along a winding creek with small boat moorings. You might even get to see the Kingsferry Bridge spans lift for river traffic. This route uses the best bits of the other 3 routes rethink the rest of the route based on the best bits of the other 3 routes, my recent test-walks and some desktop research.

A new route is necessary even though none of the original (three!) routes have been tested yet. SitQue one, which overlaps them, has been tested though and there’s a big wet problem. You can’t use it unless you’re sure it’s been dry (including tides) and is warm enough to paddle. The Neatscourt Marshes footpath (Isle of Sheppey) uses a ford not a bridge (TQ 9156 7024) and can range from shoes-off to needing wellies through surrounding fields let alone the ford itself. The SitQue 2 route has more details plus why the apparent alternatives can’t be used.

This is one of the 3 longest Slow Ways in Kent, which are coincidentally in a chain, Queenborough-Faversham-Ashford-Hythe. As the crow flies QueFav is already 15km long, but a single crossing point on the River Swale, and again over Milton Creek forces a much longer route, the shortest possible is 22km, using many busy with no pavement or decent verge. At the other extreme a 36km lovely, if rather remote route could be along the Coastal Path on Sheppey (when it's finished) then through Iwade, rejoining the Coastal Path after Milton Creek then all the way round to Faversham.

A long route should have rest, feed and transport options, so the longest gap is 6km rather than 10 or 15! Here's a list.
* Queenborough: head back to quayside, 6 pub/tea room/cafes, a shop and kebabs or fish & chips. * Swale, just after bridge: train station. * Iwade: pub, chippy, cafe, mini-mart and buses. Or change your mind and swap to a shorter Slow Way to Sittingbourne. * Kemsley: mini-mart and train station. * Sittingbourne Golf Course, Tonge: bar/restaurant open to everyone. * Conyer: a pub, I can recommend it. You could branch off here to end early either at Teynham Station (footpath from The Moorings, 1.8km), another mini-mart there, or carry onto Teynham X3 bus stop near Lynstead Lane (a further 1km on Station Rd). * Davington (Faversham outskirts): another chipshop and mini-mart, near Roebuck Rd. * Faversham: an abundance of places to eat and shop, starting from Preston St immediately next to the station, no route deviation required.

You could apply the Sheppey dry diversion to QueFav 1 or 2 or 3. But using the Slow Ways criteria QueFav 4 is the best ;-> and here’s why...
Keeps your feet dry on the Isle of Sheppey. Doesn’t use the fabulous, but lonely and long Coastal Path.
At Kingsferry Bridge avoids unnecessary scramble down overgrown and steep bank TQ 902 683.
Just before Iwade the OS marked public footpath is impenetrable, this follows an actual path in next-door field (same farm) used by locals TQ 902 683. Within Iwade and to the A249 footbridge: simpler to navigate, non-pavement road walking is quieter and slower traffic. Goes through the centre of an orchard for spring blossom TQ 894 664. Kemsley to Milton Creek: uses an off-road route through Milton Creek Country Park, starting at TQ 9067 6579. These paths are not shown on OS maps. Murston to Tonge: avoids extensive flytipping near caravan site TQ 926 649 and the extremely wet (in wet weather) lane through marsh north of Little Murston TQ 934 660. Takes straightest and simplest foot route through Murston from Central Park TQ 922 644 out to Lomas Rd. Tonge Mill to Conyer: uses access-only unclassified roads selected for National Cycle Network Route 1, and passes the golf course. Avoids Lower Rd (tertiary) through Teynham which is straighter, wide enough for two cars to pass, and has more traffic plus a 1.9 and a 1.2 km no-pavement sections. Conyer to Faversham outskirts: uses Swale Heritage Trail (no longer promoted) on small quiet roads (also NCN 1) and footpaths - orchard views and very old churches. Again avoids busy Lower Rd and long Coastal Path. Does intersect Coastal Path so you could join for a section (see QueFav 3). From near Luddenham to Faversham Station: a shorter off-road route to Faversham town edge, then a direct route to station