Swanley — Hartley (Sevenoaks)
Swahar three
Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Swahar here.
Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Swahar here.
By Daisy C on 11 Jun 2023
Description
This is an off road route between Swanley and the Hartley end point of Longfield Station. It is broadly similar to SwaHar 1 and very similar to SwaHar 2 but avoids some troublesome road sections.
On testing I found that the footpath between Wilson Rd and Rabbits Rd is blocked at Rabbits Rd which is disappointing. I would also recommend staying on Gill Rd instead the footpaths via St Margarets Farm as it is very quiet. The entrance to the footpath on the west side of Fawkham Rd may be very well hidden but it is there under the branches.
Although this route is safer than SwaHar 1 and SwaHar 2 there is still some non-pavemented road: the eastern end of Rabbits Rd, and Fawkham Rd. The east-west links between the River Darent and Longfield/Hartley are very limited.
Mid route are the twin villages of Sutton-at-Hone and South Darenth. The Ship pub in Sutton-at-Hone is just north of the route, there are two other pubs in South Darenth, plus Turners Cafe and an air-conditioned Co-op tucked down Esparto Rd. There's a limited bus service too plus Farningham Road Station: trains are sometimes to Victoria and sometimes London Bridge
This is an off road route between Swanley and the Hartley end point of Longfield Station. It is broadly similar to SwaHar 1 and very similar to SwaHar 2 but avoids some troublesome road sections.
On testing I found that the footpath between Wilson Rd and Rabbits Rd is blocked at Rabbits Rd which is disappointing. I would also recommend staying on Gill Rd instead the footpaths via St Margarets Farm as it is very quiet. The entrance to the footpath on the west side of Fawkham Rd may be very well hidden but it is there under the branches.
Although this route is safer than SwaHar 1 and SwaHar 2 there is still some non-pavemented road: the eastern end of Rabbits Rd, and Fawkham Rd. The east-west links between the River Darent and Longfield/Hartley are very limited.
Mid route are the twin villages of Sutton-at-Hone and South Darenth. The Ship pub in Sutton-at-Hone is just north of the route, there are two other pubs in South Darenth, plus Turners Cafe and an air-conditioned Co-op tucked down Esparto Rd. There's a limited bus service too plus Farningham Road Station: trains are sometimes to Victoria and sometimes London Bridge
Status
This route has been reviewed by 2 people.
This route has been flagged (1 times) for reasons relating to access.
Photos for Swahar three
Photos of this route will appear when they are added to a review. You can review this route here.
Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 2
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (1) No (1)
Problems reported - Access (1)
Downloads - 3
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Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Swanley
Grid Ref
TQ5099368237
Lat / Lon
51.39309° / 0.16891°
Easting / Northing
550,993E / 168,237N
What3Words
boats.making.loudly
Hartley (Sevenoaks)
Grid Ref
TQ6012168869
Lat / Lon
51.39627° / 0.30029°
Easting / Northing
560,121E / 168,870N
What3Words
tile.sugars.plots
| Swanley | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ5099368237 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.39309° / 0.16891° |
| Easting / Northing | 550,993E / 168,237N |
| What3Words | boats.making.loudly |
| Hartley (Sevenoaks) | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ6012168869 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.39627° / 0.30029° |
| Easting / Northing | 560,121E / 168,870N |
| What3Words | tile.sugars.plots |
Sorry Land Cover data is not currently available for this route. Please check back later.
reviews
Derick Rethans
05 May 2024This is a mostly good route. I also encountered some tricky to find entry points through hedges as in Daisy's review, but I think somebody *did* put some effort in as they were now signposted (photo #1). The main problem was the dense field of potato flowers (photo #3) between Beechenlea Lane and Downsview Community Primay School near (the finish) Christchurch. I am therefore failing this route, and uploading SwaHar4, which also fixes Daisy's suggestions to avoid the footpaths in St Margarets Farm. It does keep the footpath between Rabbits road and Wilson Lane, as this was entirely possible to walk (albeit, across a newly planned field, photo #2).
Daisy C
11 Jun 2023Nice walk, small rolling hills, wheat fields, and wooded paths for some shade and variety. The polytunnel section is6 a bit tedious, but there is extra signage to educate (!) and guide you through. This is a gentle part of the North Downs and there are some long views. To the towers of central London or north to Tilbury Docks and the Dartford Crossing, maybe the river too. I've docked the star because I didn't like the road walking on Rabbits Rd and Fawkham Rd although I think both are unavoidable.
In retrospect I should have tested the whole route before uploading. Using the footpaths near St Margaret's Farm was superfluous, Gills Rd was very quiet so I'd stay on it another time. Sadly there's a blocked footpath nearby so the Rabbits Road road-walking problem isn't quite as resolved as I'd hoped. It's footpath SD153 between R Rd and Wilsons Lane. A hedge blocks the R. Rd end, couldn't find a signpost or break in the bank either. This route felt much safer, in several places, than SwaHar 1 or 2.
The footpath off Fawkham Rd SD161 wasn't terribly obvious, the signpost is almost completely hidden. Fawkham Rd is pretty busy and fast to walk on but it's short at least. One time there was a well-used informal path up the side of a field which avoided the road, but next time it was under crop.
The mid-route stop is Sutton-at-Hone and South Darenth (with an H) are either side of the River Darent (without an H) but more-or-less one village. The Ship in Sutton-at-Hone was very friendly during a short wait for the last bus (414 to Dartford, 5pm ish) on a winter visit. The two pubs in S Darenth weren't doing lunch on a summer Saturday, the third is permanently closed. But there is a newsagents and a Co-op (tucked down Esparto Rd) plus Turners, a friendly fry-up type cafe. Farningham Rd Station is on the same line as Swanley and Longfield so this is a good day route by train, maybe even go further on to Sole Street.
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