Darent Valley Path

We have known for a while that an extension to the Darent Valley Path was under consideration. Indeed, before we published our guide to the DVP in 2018 we were warned that it might soon need revising for this reason. If we delayed publishing guides because something might change, we'd never publish anything so we pressed ahead and while waiting for the extension we've sold most of the 2500 copies we had printed.

The extension is now imminent and will link Chipstead, one of the two current starting points for the walk (the other is Sevenoaks station), to Westerham. It would have been nice for the extension to follow the riverbank but there are few existing rights of way there and it seems that not all landowners were amenable to permissive access. There will be some new access between Westerham and Brasted but between Brasted and Chipstead the extension will take a wide loop away from the river along existing rights of way.

The extension should be fully open by 30 June 2025 and with luck we will have a revised guide available by then or soon afterwards.

Another welcome development in 2024 is that a section of the Darent Valley Path passing through the grounds of the Lion Hotel in Farningham has been added to the definitive map as a public footpath, protecting it from future challenge.