I walked from Dartford to Swanley in bright sunshine on a day forecast to rain....

Strider

Urban roads, then flat estuary, both flytiped and littered....

Strider

I started at Dartford Station (toilets) and shopped for lunch in Crayford Sainsbury's (in Roman Way with cafes and toilets)....

JohnMyerson

I put in a photo of the uphill copper beech avenue in Hall Place park, which Daisy mentions in her route description. The A223 at Bourne Road by Hall Place took a lot of patience and a little assertiveness to cross safely....

Jane Taylor

Lot's of road walking and then when you hit the countryside there is a temporary footpath diversion in place. You can get through but it requires a bit of thinking! The footpath is quite narrow and could be muddy....

Slow Ways Darren

Near Erith you have to walk along the main road for a way and then you head into the Marshes and it's more enjoyable....

Slow Ways Darren

The second section is mostly along residential streets (photo #8), although there are a few busy (but safe) crossing points (photo #7, #9, #11). A pedestrian bridge (photo #12) allows you to cross the railway and through a new development (photo #13) to get you to the shopping streets (closed on a Sunday) near the station....

Derick Rethans

Once you cross the railway, you'll end up at a church (photo #3), from where some quiet residential roads (photo #4) get you to a path full of nettles and stingy plants (photo #5, #6). A path that goes fairly upwards (photo #7) gets you to great views of the Dartford Crossing (photo #8), and downwards to a new housing development....

Derick Rethans

Fly tipping (photo 4, as described by Daisy in her review) impeded but didn’t prevent access to the raised path at Crayford Creek, (photo 5), which is where you may encounter the rowdy dirt bikes....

Jane Taylor

Accurate and decent route. Not as scenic as Darhar 1...

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route...

Stephen Graham

It was quick to get off-road onto a shared cycle way, with a hundred metres or so on a cul-de-sac then a stretch on a back lane /alley next to the rail tracks, all very peaceful given the proximity of the busy A206. I didn't retest the residential roads between Cotton Lane (near London Rd) to Dartford station....

Daisy C

After a little path through woods again (photo #4), you have to do some lane walking along Canada Farm Road and Rabbits Road (photo #5). The field between Rabbits Road and Wilson Lane was recently ploughed (photo #6), and it was hard to see were the path was (I basically had to compass it myself). On the other side was a little more lane walking along Wilson Lane and Gills Road (photo #7), but these were not busy either....

Derick Rethans

The first section of footpaths was great (photo #7, #, #9), but where the route goes towards "Clement Street" (the village, not the road), there were horses and farmers in the field. Not far south, the route directed me through a field full of medium tall grass (photo #10), with no discernable path. From Swanley the route goes over farmland, and then follows the railway for a bit along farm tracks (photo #12). After using the level crossing to get around the Chatham Main Line, the route went through a field of wheat (photo #13)....

Derick Rethans

This is a nice route, following field paths up and along a broad ridge from Swanley Village to Hawley and then close beside the River Darent (no H!) along the Darenth (with an H!) Valley Way. The two pubs in Swanley Village have promising writeups for a meal, although it is barely mid-route. I walked from Hawley to Swanley yesterday, looking out for the points raised in the earlier review. Elsewhere on the route are several more stiles, a few flights of steps, gates and a bit on the DVW where the path edge = riverbank was crumbling away. No cleared path, grass waist then chest height, looked like only one or two people had walked through it. If the grass is short then it's probably better but follow John's map, don't waste time on the short cut E-W path SD75A onto Goss Hill, from the road end there's no way up the steep bank or through the thick hedge. No trace of the farmer marking either path across the crop....

Daisy C

Coming out of West View Road, Swanley the route goes across a field to cross the railway. The next field is ploughed and it's only just possible to see the path across to Gildenhill Road (although following the clearer path left to Lower Road is possible and avoids the next problem - see map)....

JohnMyerson

This is the best combination with a good balance of green, (fairly) direct, easy to navigate, quiet roads and the reed beds along the River Cray creek and the riverside walk from where it joins the River Darent all the way into Dartford. As long as the dirtbikes aren't out this is a great walk in an upromising area, still good with them, particularly the peaceful approach into Dartford town centre along the river....

Daisy C

The Darenth Valley Path was lovely to walk along, and pretty good signage too....

Daisy C

It starts with an detour north, which lets you have a(n inexplicably) short walk beside the River Thames (no photos sorry). At about 2km into the walk, between Betsham Rd and Slade Green Rd, new housing has moved the public footpath away from the train tracks. I noticed long shallow steps at Slade Green footbridge and the footpath down to Priory Rd, Dartford, plus steeper ones up to Dartford Station (latter avoidable if you go a bit further down the road)...

Daisy C

Beside busy roads, v awkward to follow the route, these roads are designed for traffic. Didn't do final footpath section given the route had already failed, in favour of certainty of the road alternative to catch the hourly Sunday train. I'dsubmit an alternative route, as it has 4 or 5 star potential, but think testing before uploading is prudent for the S Darenth section....

Daisy C

In early November it was muddy in places, particularly between Hall Place and Crayford and then on the footpath through the wetland (Thames Rd / Maiden Lane)....

Daisy C

Now there is a verified route for this Slow Way (SwaDar 2) I will flag this route - for accuracy - 200m out of sync is too much I'm considering testing a new route loosely based on this because a short part of road on SwaDar 2 isn't ideal - also worth noting that SwaHar 3 and HarDar 1 join at South Darenth and this would be a good, if long, route between Swanley and Dartford....

Daisy C

There's a 20p toilet half-way on Crayford Waterside, as well as a micropub....

Richey1977