I enjoyed this route, particularly Foots Cray Meadows, the profusion of buttercups in many fields beside Parsonage Lane including where they framed the view up the valley from the very muddiest, the huge wood-ant nests in Joyden's Wood and the surprise oast house apparently in the middle of the golf course....

Daisy C

Edited to add: The blocked footpath at the golf course on SidSwa 3 has apparently been cleared by the council/owners so you could avoid Hockenden Lane, although you'd still hit a muddy bit of farm track. That Hockenden Lane bit I haven't actually tested because I was trying out the way through the golf course which was extremely overgrown...

Daisy C

From Swanley you start with a section of residential streets (photo #1) to cross under the M25 (photo #2), before the route goes over open farmland (photo #4, #5, #6) towards Hockenden....

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

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

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

A long part of the route follows along Chapman's Lane, and where it hadn't become an access road, it was a thin lane, slightly sunken into the land and bounded by raised banks of hazels and gnarly oaks, with celandines and bluebell leaves underfoot. There are so many green spaces along this route, almost all adjacent to the next, St Paul's Cray Common is a few hundred metres from the start point, then Scadbury Park Nature Reserve, St Paul's Green, Hoblingwell Wood, Hoblingwell Wood Recreation Ground, an urban footpath called Brook Way which passes through St Pauls Cray Rec Ground (aka Watermeadows Open Space aka Crayford Settlement Riverside Park!?), another footpath between a large wooded churchyard and grazing pasture, Paul's Cray Hill (Country) Park, Chapman's Lane, farm tracks alongside wide open fields and finally a wooded path next to the rail line on the outskirts of Swanley. 3) About a mile before Hockenden Lane I missed a footpath turning that I didn't realise I should keep watch for. It's just after a green-lane part of Chapman's Lane stops, with another (signposted) footpath going left and this coming out on the right to a track which continues ahead. The footpath should fork very slightly to the left very soon, probably after the kissing gate on the right, and maybe near or before the cow byre. You probably won't see on your map or app that the farm track and the footpath separate, and don't expect a sign either. The path and track do rejoin at Hockenden Lane and I wasn't acosted by the farmer, but the mud was the worst on the route by far....

Daisy C

There are many wonderful things about the route, it's a beautiful riverside path (mostly) that runs along a wide rural valley between attractive steep hills (N Downs). The clear majority of the route is on the Darent Valley Path, which is v well signposted and thought out. If the route followed Lambarde Rd, instead of through Bradbourne Lakes (a park), people wouldn't need to brave the fast and busy traffic. It would be easy for the route to use the D Valley Path instead (from just below M26 to the end nr Otford). When you get to Otford, don't use the first crossing island as you'll just need to cross back again for the bridge (no crossing there). If you are going to walk it before mid April 2023 you'll need to divert via Crockenhill as the path to A20 footbridge will be closed for a month, looks like major road drainage works....

Daisy C

There's the Roman Villa and Lullingstone Castle to visit and a little further on is a café in Lullingstone Country Park and Castle Farm (lavender products). There are toilets at Swanley Station (platform 1) and Lullingstone Country Park....

JohnMyerson

At Stones Cross Road, I took the second path (opposite the War Memorial) which leads to the railway and after passing under the A20 there's a footbridge to Southern Place....

JohnMyerson

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

Joyden's Wood was especially atmospheric, with delicate icicles festooning spiders webs and hazel twigs, and whole trees fully silvered by frost, a natural Christmas Grotto. Along the way there were stiles, a couple of anti-motorbike and/or anti-horse width restrictions, a kissing gate, prominent tree roots and non-drop kerbs, but it avoids muddy sections despite the bridleways and so many local stables using Joyden's Woods. Down the eastern edge of the wood the route line is a bit vague, use the footpath close to the edge. There are many other ways through Joyden's Wood on smaller paths including the Faesten Dic trail. After Joyden's Wood the route joins SidSwa 2 along footpaths: beside fields, a golf course (another eating option - it's open to anyone) and a garden centre. Joyden's Wood to Bexley was rechecked in late spring 2023....

Daisy C

* In winter the bridleway sections were often extremely muddy and I almost get through. In summer Joyden's Wood was fine, Parsonage Lane was ok for walkers but a passing horse rider said it never really dries and a cyclist turned back. * There were a few less serious problems including a blocked footpath in Chalk Wood (which would avoid some muddy bridleway in Joyden's Wood and a secluded dark footpath within Swanley....

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

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

The middle section is suddenly very peaceful and enjoyable, with beautiful wild flowers, quiet paths and some very friendly cows. Checking the Bromley and Kent online PRoW maps shows 2 paths, the OS is in the quarry, the less direct one other is still there. I was running late, used a more direct footpath which came into Swanley station north entrance. If you use my short cut you can walk right through Swanley station without a ticket to get to the meeting point....

Daisy C

Overall nice walk along a mixture of main roads, residential quiet roads, country lanes, couple of woods and an abandoned (or at least both times I have walked through it, quiet) quarry. The walk takes along some residential roads at this point, with various shops around Cotmendene Crescent, you also walk past a McDonalds at the bottom of Broomwood Road....

NickD

Useful instruction from that walk , after Bleak House Farm yard :- 'Follow the footpath straight ahead following the hedge line on your right until you reach a large gap in the hedge. Continue on this path until a fence is reached, where the path cuts 90 degrees to your right. Continue on this new path, keeping the fence to your left. Take an immediate right to another pathway, again with a few large stones across the path, but again no worse than any stiles....

NickD

At the end of Spur Road you need to turn left and cross Court Road at the pedestrian lights. The path is easy to follow across fields up and down some small rises until you get to Darns Hill on the edge of Crockenhill Village, From here on the route is paved until in about 200 m you cross the Cray Road to enter a narrow public footpath that takes you across fields to where you turn left onto Stones Cross Road. Follow Stones Cross Road and turn left on the road next to the Dormers/Crags bungalows (signposted to a Manor?). ***** If you look at Google maps you'll find an alternative way of crossing the A20 by following Stones Cross Road into Green Court Road then following the footpath at the end of Green Court Road down to the Goldsel Road, turn left to cross the A20 on paved footpaths and you're in Swanley not far from the planned end point of this route...

brslowway6

6) AT the end of Avalon Rod turn left into Chelsfield Lane 9) Path towards Cockmannings Lane from Skeet Hill Lane end of Chelsfield Lane...

brslowway6