Letters
Dear editor
Possible discovery of the ancient Darent Valley route?
Some believe that the road from Dartford to Farningham and beyond, past Lullingstone Villa and the Castle, could be the course of the old route, all to the west of the river. Many believe it can be traced along existing footpaths running beside the river; they point to stretches that run straight, believing they are Roman in origin. Maybe some are, but the earliest route will have predated that period by a few millennia, going back to the Neolithic at least. The prime candidate therefore is likely to be a route running along the eastern slopes which catch the sun and therefore stayed warmer and lighter for longer and drier underfoot.
No doubt others will have considered this possibility, but it seems that nobody has actually found the course of this ancient route.
I believe that I may have uncovered its true course. Starting from an area near the Thames, it can be traced as a footpath running south from the marshes along the east side of the river Darent. Passing Dartford, it continues along the course of a modern lane to an area known as Blackdale, which I understand was once a silted-up boggy area running east-west. This was bypassed by a track leading east to a point where it was possible to again travel southwards, then the route climbed up a gentle slope to a point just north of Roman Villa Road. From here the route is followed by modern roads in an unbroken line to Otford.
I put forward a number of pointers adding weight to the theory, including recently discovered sites found beside its course dating from the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Saxon periods. Prehistoric branch routes lead from it and a possible banjo enclosure sits nearby. Saxon cemeteries, Medieval manor houses and chapel sites, and most of all the churches, are also found east of the river Darent near the proposed route. Metalwork found adjacent to it dates from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and later Medieval period.
This is a brief summary only; information relating to the above awaits publication. If you are interested in discussion of the route do get in touch.
Del Cook
DEL181145@aol.com
There is just one untouched section of this ancient route remaining, north of Roman villa road, Darenth.