Get out of London! South-east to Sevenoaks

Walked — July/August 2019

Aiming to the south-east, the early part of this one of the radial Get out of London! routes (naturally) has to make use of streets to reach the first parkland. After crossing the river at Westminster Bridge, the route passes Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (with the Imperial War Museum inside) before going through Elephant and Castle to Walworth. Thereafter, it is an alternation of parks and streets all the way to Chislehurst. There are riversides and airy viewpoints alike.

At Chislehurst Common, the route which best combines interest and directness takes the walker through Petts Wood, through Farnborough and High Elms Country Park, meets the North Downs at Knockholt Pound, and descends to Sevenoaks via the North Downs Way and Riverhead. However, there are very few public transport options after leaving Farnborough: it would be a shame to restrict the walkership to those who can get to Farnborough (probably by a combination of train and bus) and then get over the Downs and down to Sevenoaks, and finally get home again in a day.

For this reason, the south-eastern route has an alternative ending, which has access to more regular public transport. This route crosses the River Cray at St Paul’s Cray (bus), passes Swanley station, and reaches the Darent Valley at Lullingstone. With railway stations nearby at Eynsford, Shoreham and Otford, this route offers more break-points. It also brings the walker into contact with history (the Roman villa at Lullingstone), agriculture, and even astronomy (with the Solar System layout at Otford). There are various opportunities for refreshment along the valley.

The Darent Valley route is about the same length as the Knockholt Pound route (but has less ascent).

The routes are described in a single document. The maps are referenced in the tables below.

1: Trafalgar Square to Beckenham Hill — 16.3km; 137m ascent Urban streets, Burgess Park and the former canal to Peckham, then streets, parks and riverside	Map
2: Beckenham Hill to Farnborough — 16.9km; 171m ascent Predominantly parkland and woodland	Map
3: Farnborough to Sevenoaks — 17.9km; 354m ascent Nine Elms Country Park, then rural fields and forests, with a little suburbia at the end	Map

The Darent Valley alternative sections (indicated by a D prefix to the section number in the documentation) are

D1: Scadbury Park Drive to Shoreham — 17.4km; 202m ascent Streets and fields, then “industrial countryside” and streets to Swanley, then open countryside and the Darent Valley	Map
D2: Shoreham to Sevenoaks — 8.5km; 124m ascent Darent valley, with a few streets at the end	Map

The distances of the two routes from Chislehurst are measured all the way to Sevenoaks, including the concurrent section from Newbarn Bridge, because it is unlikely that anyone would be stopping short of Sevenoaks.

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