Get out of London! South-east to Sevenoaks

Walked — July/August 2019

Aiming to the south-east, the early part of the route (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 total distances for the two options just straddle the 50km mark. Ascent totals are 685m for the Knockholt Pound route and just over 600m for the Darent Valley route.

1: Trafalgar Square to Peckham Rye — 7.65km; 24m ascent Urban streets, Burgess Park and the former canal to Peckham.	Map Directions
2: Peckham Rye to Beckenham Hill — 8.53km; 126m ascent Streets alternate with parks and riverside	Map Directions
3: Beckenham Hill to Chislehurst War Memorial — 8.35km; 109m ascent Predominantly parkland	Map Directions
4: Chislehurst War Memorial to Farnborough — 8.55km; 82m ascent Woodland, suburbia and open land	Map Directions
5: Farnborough to Knockholt Pound — 8.31km; 233m ascent Nine Elms Country Park, then rural fields and forests	Map Directions
6: Knockholt Pound to Sevenoaks — 9.44km; 112m ascent Fields to Dunton Green, then parkland alternating with streets	Map Directions

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

D1: Chislehurst War Memorial to Swanley station — 8.36km; 105m ascent Streets and fields, then “industrial countryside” and streets	Map Directions
D2: Swanley station to Lullingstone Roman villa — 5.81km; 63m ascent Open countryside and the Darent valley	Map Directions
D3: Lullingstone Roman villa to Otford — 6.29km; 74m ascent Darent valley, with a few streets	Map Directions
D4: Otford to Sevenoaks — 6.29km; 95m ascent Parkland and fieldpaths, with a few streets	Map Directions

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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