Highlights of the day: Views from the highest parts of the B255 (photo 1), Beacon Woods Country Park where I didn't see signs of hazel dormice but did find reindeer lichens (photos 2-4), early spring blossom and lambs, the views coming down toward Betsham (photos 5, 6), a sine-wave brick wall in Betsham (photo 7), human faces on oast windvanes in Southfleet (local celebrities?), cowslips, wood anemones, butchers broom and bluebells hidden in a boundary woodland strip, skylarks and long views from The Gallops above Longfield (photo 14) although it wasn't clear enough to see the towers of Central London this time....

Daisy C

This route has some 5 stars parts, others that only just rate 3 for functional but not pleasant. The three blocked parts (see attached map) look plausible in theory but the maps are out of date and/or misleading. 1) A lane/permissive cycleway near the B255 Bluewater turn off has been closed since 2020 according to a dilapidated sign. OS and OSM both out of date). There's a less pleasant but easy alternative alongside the B255. 2) Just as you come into Southfleet the route goes into a large industrialised farm yard not far from St Nicholas Church. OSM is misleading and is missing several public footpaths). I didn't actually try walking through as locals showed me a better way along a public footpath but the exit onto Hook Green Road is on Google Street View and obviously private. 3) Just as you leave Southfleet the route deviates from Hook Green Rd for a while, going through another commercial farmyard, Hook Green Farm. The route is walkable otherwise, but could be better. In Southfleet I didn't test the part of the route east of Hook Green Road where it wiggles around....

Daisy C

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route. Not the shortest nor most scenic option....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

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

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route. Not the shortest option....

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route...

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route...

Stephen Graham

Accurate and decent route...

Stephen Graham

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 route out of Gravesend is along quiet residential streets (photo #1), skirting the insides of a few parks (photo #2) as well, before a public footpath that comes out on more residential roads (photo #3). The other direction along a high bank was much nicer (photo #13), and after coming off the hill along a muddy path (photo #14), you end up in Longfield, where it is then a short stretch to the station....

Derick Rethans

Starting off along the Darenth Valley Path (mostly) to Otford (pretty village with tea rooms and the like) then up the North Downs escarpment (wooded path so limited views) and then cutting across a series of small steep sided valleys through pastures and small woodlands. The road through Hartley can't be avoided though, it's a long grind but has good pavements and is fairly direct....

Daisy C

On my final visit I talked to two locals around Southfleet who both said this route would be the best way between Southfleet and the A2 because the farmer is more reliable about restoring paths after ploughing etc....

Daisy C

Noisy roads through Gravesend, a long stretch of badly kept footpaths mid route and a scary road crossing at New Barn Road. I walked from Gravesend to Longfield on a late summer evening. The roads within Gravesend were busy and noisy, frustratingly the route avoids even some very simple parallel roads away from the traffic. The worst part was the crossing of New Barn Road. It was a steep jump off the bank and then I was in the road, no space on the road itself to stand or look both ways. From Southfleet onwards the route overlapped with the Slow Ways from Northfleet and Swanscombe which I've walked before....

Daisy C

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. Sadly there's a blocked footpath nearby so the Rabbits Road road-walking problem isn't quite as resolved as I'd hoped. The footpath off Fawkham Rd SD161 wasn't terribly obvious, the signpost is almost completely hidden. 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....

Daisy C

The route from Gravesend Station to the A2 was entirely along the busy A227. There's a short bit of footpath down into the valley and up again to Park Hill which I haven't tested. Marc tested the same bit on HarSol 2, his review says "My wayfinding app had difficulty plotting the route from Nurstead Court towards Park Hill lane. On the other side of Wrotham Road the suggested footpath across the field has been ploughed over by the farmer and the footpath signs damaged -- I ended up following the edge of the field to reconnect to the route.". But New Barn Road is very busy and a bit faster than the 30mph it should be (see also HarGra 1), you have to cross somewhere between Fairlight Cross and Fawkham Avenue but the sightlines are spoilt by the curve of the hill and a bend....

Daisy C

I haven't walked the road section through New Barn but it appears very straightforward on Google Maps....

Daisy C

Marc's review mentions traffic on Newstead Lane by New Barn. I tried out two alternative sections to see if I could resolve some things from Marc's review, so I missed part of this route. First was Park Hill and the footpaths towards Nurstead Ct (start TQ 6309 6841) and second from about 100m after that, where a public footpath runs parallel to the bridleway (which might be particularly muddy)....

Daisy C

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

Daisy C

I walked the Longfield - Northfleet part in high summer, which was lovely....

Daisy C

There is no crossing or island even though the east side has a good pavement and Calfstock Lane is the main way to the Farningham Wood nature reserve. More road walking further east that is (mostly) shared with SwaHar 2 and 3. Farningham Wood was lovely though, I'd like to go back and explore. The first and last third of the route do overlap with SwaHar 3 (and 2) which is a bit safer but swaps Farningham Wood for a fruit farm filled with polytunnels....

Daisy C

This is a mostly off road walk from the village of Sole Street through Nurstead Court, then New Barn that ends in Longfield (rather than Hartley as the name suggests). This way includes a much improved suggestion to walk out across the fields between New Barn and Longfield thus avoiding a section of busy road on the Harsol One route and offering some good views out across the Kent countryside....

marc

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

Use SwaHar 3 instead, it resolves some of the road related problems but is broadly the same. SwaHar 1 is a bit different as it swaps out the polytunnels for Farningham Wood (very nice) but it has a bad road crossing of the A225 and yet more problematic road walking. There is also a shorter no-pavement road walking part on Fawkham Rd outside Longfield (Hartley is not actually the end point)....

Daisy C

I walked the reverse route from Northfleet to "Hartley" (aka Longfield) on a lovely early June day and the walk was rather lovely too....

Daisy C

This is a nice route but after reviewing it and checking some alternatives I decided that HarNor Three would be a better Slow Way becauseit is more direct and easier to navigate. Via the short High Street is less trouble to navigate so I don't think the alleys actually save time....

Daisy C

Not the easiest route to follow as there are a number of different junctions to navigate and sometimes the path splits in different directions....

TomWhitelaw

The road walking generally involves roads that have a pavement or are quiet. A lengthy bit of busy road walking at the Hartley end, but there is a pavement throughout....

ponponjo