How to walk from Dartford to Northfleet: Thames Path Day 21

The walk from Dartford to Northfleet was a little bit better than yesterday. I still didn’t love it though. I got bitten by a horsefly and various other insects, was worried I’d get shot, and had the sound of crackling electricity walking next to the pylons….

What to expect on the walk from Dartford to Northfleet

The walk towards Northfleet starts out through the Dartford marshes with remnants of WWII. This is where all those insects were (I recommend wearing insect repellant). It feels quite remote with no one around, making it even more unnerving when you hear the gunshots. Turns out there are two types of shooting places in here.

Looking across the green dartford marshes, at the start of the walk to Northfleet.

You will then pass an Amazon warehouse, walk under the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, and then a random Gothic Abbey, before finishing off with more marshes with lots of pylons.

Looking over the green bushes to the QE2 bridge over the river, on the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

A ship and docking platform in the middle of the river, along the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

It’s an easy walk, not very exciting, and I was glad when it was over.

Logistics

Start: Dartford, Kent.
Finish: Northfleet, Kent.
Distance: 9.4 miles (plus 1/2 mile to get to the trail from the station). So about 10miles total.
Time: 2h 45min.
Difficulty: Easy.
Option to shorten the walk: Yes. See public transport below.
Terrain: Dirt trail, concrete, road.
Amenities: 5.5 miles in is an Asda. A little past there are a couple of pubs by the river.
Time of year: I walked from Dartford to Northfleet in July.

Public Transport

Dartford and Northfleet are both on the Thameslink and South Eastern railway line which have direct trains to either Charing Cross, London Bridge, or London Waterloo East in an hour or less. They are on the same train line so you can buy a return ticket to Northfleet which will cover both journeys. Just make sure to get on the same train provider for both.

8 miles in is Greenhithe Station if you would like to end there.

Map for the walk from Dartford to Northfleet

Read the previous day: Woolwich to Dartford Day 20

Route Description: How to walk from Dartford to Northfleet

Out of Dartford station a bit of navigation is needed to get to the trail. Turn left out of the station, and find the path on the other side of the road (photo below), then take the steps down and walk back along the water under the bridge.

a path on the left and pavement on the right with a wall between them.

Looking down wooden steps and realigns to a stream of water below. — Walk down these steps

A walkway with metal fence eon the right side, lead g under a brick bridge archway ahead.

Cross the road to enter a nice green space.

A walking path lined with wooden fence and surround by grass and an overhanging tree, with a pond to the right.

Then cross the next road to walk alongside the apartment complexes. At the end, you will see the bridge you want to get to, on the other side of the fence. To get to it, turn around to find the signpost and follow the the Darent Valley Path.

A wide walking path with apartment buildings to the left and bushes, yellow flowers and concrete wall to the right.

Looking through a metal fence to the water with a bridge going over it. — That’s where you want to get to

A signpost pointing to the town centre, railway, and darent valley path. — Follow the Darent Valley Path

Take the first right, and on the other side of the hut thing you will be on the path to take you over that bridge.

Looking across a car park, with two cars parked on the left and trees and bushes ahead. — Walk towards that hut

A white swan sitting on the ground. — A swan chillin

Looking along the stream of water lined with tall grass and bushes. There is a row boat on the left side.

Once across, turn left to walk past the bus sleeping place, then when you reach the black metal railing gate, walk through it.

looking across car parking spaces to a path leading behind a metal fence. There are trees and bushes on the left side.

A walk-in g path leading ahead, and another path leading off it to the left through black railings. — Turn left into here

Now you can follow this all the way to the bridge. It’s quite nice along here.

A narrow dirt path lined with bushes, on the walk out of Dartford heading towards Northfleet.

A narrow dirt trail surrounded by tall grass, with apartment buildings ahead to the left.

At the bridge, walk under it. I found it a little creepy. Although, it’s not a creepy bridge. I think I was still feeling a little anxiety from yesterday.

A path leading under a bridge. The path is lined with big green leafy bushes.

Walk around the Dartford Marshes

You now have about 3 miles in these marshes. I quite enjoyed them at first. That is until I felt something on my ankle. I looked down and saw a beast of a horsefly. I flicked it off and saw blood. The f*cker drew blood.

(My ankle swelled up over the next few days, forcing me to postpone my next hike).

Looking towards the pond surrounded by the Dartford Marshes on the walk towards Northfleet.

A dirt trail on the left surrounded by the dartford marshes, when walking towards Northfleet.

There is an archway thing you will see in the distance, you are heading to that. Which seems to never get closer.

Looking across the marshland as far as the eye can see, on the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

You will also pass abandoned ammunition buildings from WWII.

An abandoned WWII ammunition budding surrounded by the marshland, on the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

When you reach the river, the Thames Path sign points ahead. It was full of overgrowth. Luckily I could take an alternate path. There are two alternates on the right. I took the left one but soon wished I’d taken the right one.

Looking across the marshland with yellow and green grass, and the river just visible ahead. — Take one of the right trails here

The left one got a bit overgrown further along and I just felt so itchy (I would later discover I was being eaten by more insects).

A long straight ridge trail across the dartford marshes, on the walk towards Northfleet.

Once I saw an opportunity to get down to the nice easy trail, I took it.

A dirt trail leading down through the marshe land.

The fear

I had been hearing gunshots for a while, and down here I found myself in what felt like the heart of it. The shots were loud. Very loud and continuous. I knew I must be near a shooting range (I later discovered it’s a shooting range and clay pidgin shooting). I had never been this close to gunshots before and it was unnerving. I wondered what direction they were shooting. What if there was a stray bullet? Occasionally the gravel on the ground got disturbed.

A large open gravel area with a grass ridge to the left, and the QE2 bridge ahead in the distance.

To say I was panicked is an understatement. Every shot made me jump. I really picked up the pace but it felt like it went on forever. I was really regretting all of this now, and wishing I’d just stopped at the Thames Barrier.

Later I could laugh about. When hiking around the England countryside, you sometimes worry about stray golf balls. Here in east London it’s stray bullets.

A bit further along, some kids came down on little motorbikes. Probably harmless, but my anxiety was already there. If they wanted to rob me, they could. I felt vulnerable and helpless.

Towards the end, it’s dead end, so I went back up to the other path, which by now is a proper trail.

A walking trail lines with tall grass, and the river to the left.

The Queen Elizabeth II bridge

You should see the QEII bridge in the distance. That’s were we are heading next. My anxiety was still there. I wanted to get back to civilisation. Crowds of people. But the path kept going. With marsh to one side, and wall with barbed wire to the other.

A walking trail lined with tall grass on the left and wall with barbed wire fence to the right.

A gravelly dirt trial leading ahead, surround by tall grass, with the blue amazon warehouse building ahead on the right in shades of blue and grey. — There’s Amazon

Looking over the tall grass to a platform on the river with some big ships behind it.

Then I saw some other walkers, and people fishing. I started to calm down.

When I reached the QEII bridge, I sat under it to eat my lunch.

Fun Fact: When the QEII bridge was built, for a while it was the longest single span bridge in all of Europe.

Past the bridge, it’s a bit more path and industrial stuff to reach the road where you turn left.

A big industrial ship next to a platform in the river, on the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

A blue Thames path disc sign on a black lamppost.

You need to walk toward Asda, then take a left on what feels like a trail back allay next to the petrol station. This will lead you to apartments, where you follow the signs, up the steps, and back alongside the river. This was more like it. I felt safer here.

A road with pavement on the left and Asda signs ahead amongst some trees.

A blue Thame spot disc sign on a black lamppost on the left with green grass path ahead.

A blue Thame path disc sign on a black lamppost with apartment buildings behind.

A paved walking path with concrete wall and river to the left, and neatly grass to the right.

Ingress

Along here, when the walkway ends, you can pick it up again by going right then immediate left. At the next end, at low tide, you can see a shipwreck. You will then be led back onto the road for a bit, then back to the river again.

Looking over the river corner to a ship skeleton next to the wall, and an apartment behind, on the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

A block of apartments with white painted brick wall and a painted sign on the wall saying 'ships provisioned'.

A paved walking path with brick wall then river to the left and shows to the right.

Looking down to a gravel walking path below, lined with a tall brick wall on the right and tall metal wall on the left, with the river on the left side of the metal wall.

A rentable open area surrounded bye houses. The house ahead is painted pastel pink. — Turn left in the wall here

Something about this area felt different. Posher. I then saw a Tesla. Definitely posher.

The riverside house aren’t typical English houses. I felt like I was abroad.

A neat path lined with white timber frames houses on the right, with a neatly cute strip of grass to the left next to the river, on the walk towards Northfleet from Dartford.

Then there is Ingress Abbey, framed nicely through a hole.

Looking through a hole to a long straight path leading to a grand house on the other end. The path is lined with tall trees.

Ingress Abbey

This is a Neo-gothic Jacobean style house which has had an interesting life. The estate dates back to 1363, and over the years through various renovations we have what we see today. It started out as a royal retreat owned by King Henry VIII. Nuns lived there for a bit. Then it left the royals and passed around between various owners, before returning back to the crown.

In the 1800’s, a city lawyer bought the land and built the manor into gothic style.

It was later sold to the navy, then the Thames Nautical Training collage, and was used as an army hospital during World War I.

Some more owners later it ended up as a family home.

After the abbey, it’s a bit more riverside walking to reach the next lot of marshes.

A concrete walkway curving to the left head, with the river on the left and a tall concrete wall on the right.

A wooden trail signpost on the left leading onto the green with messy grass, and the river to the left, for the final stretch of the Dartford to Northfleet walk.

The marshes

The remainder of todays walk is through the marshes. That pylon you will see ahead has it’s own spot on Google Maps. Not sure why.

A dirt trial through the tall orange grass river bank towards a pylon ahead, on the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

When you reach the junction, there are two trails off the road corner. Take the right of the two. Then at the next junction, take the left. This will lead you under that pylon.

a dirt patch surrounded by grass and road corner on the right side. — Take that trail ahead on the left

A dirt path split, surrounded by grass paths, and a pylon ahead. — Take the left trail here

Now it’s easy just following the trail.

A dirt path leading towards a tall pylon, on the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

Looking over the grass to a cargo ship on the river, when walking between Dartford and Northfleet.

After walking through a sort of boating scrapyard, take a right on the dirt road, then a left just ahead.

A mass of messy unkept grass filled with boats and junk.

A widę gravel road lined with bushes and grass. — The right turn

A gravel road leading right with mass of bushes and grass to the left. — The left turn

At the metal gate, take the trail to the right and you will be back onto grassy path.

The gravel path on the left leading to a metal gate, with the walking trail leading off it to the right through the unkempt grass. — Turn right here

A grass trail leading through the bushes and tall grass.

There are a few junctions coming up which are signposted. The first junction is a left, then I think there is another left turn to reach the steps.

A blue thames path disc sign on a wooden stump signpost, surrounded by bushes, near the end of the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

A barely visible trail through the tall bushes and grass, with a pylon ahead.

Looking down wooden steps to a walking path below and fields ahead.

With all the pylons around, you will be able to hear the electricity. It’s a little unnerving.

Down the steps, turn left. Then follow this path, through a gate, then at the picnic bench, go left onto the road.

A walking path lined with bushes and tall grass, near the end of the walk from Dartford to Northfleet.

A walking path leading straight to a metal gate which is surrounded by big bushes and trees.

A walking path winding ahead, lined with grass, bushes, and trees.

A junction in the walking path with neatly cut grass and a wooden picnic bench and information board on the right side. — Turn left here

Walk to Northfleet station

Nearly finished. On the road, turn right. Then follow it all the way to the roundabout.

A wide road leading ahead, with grass bank to the right and warehouse budding ahead to the left.

Looking along the pavement with the road to the right. There is a blue metal fence on the left side, some traffic cones on the road, an tractor parked ahead, and a petrol station ahead on the right side of the road.

At the roundabout, ahead to the right is Station road. Follow this, then up a cheeky hill with a random mass of green to reach the station.

A road sign in front of a house wall saying 'railway street', at the end of the walk from Dartford to Northfleet. There is a blue pole in front of it.

Read next: Northlfeet to Cliff Day 22 – coming sometime. I took a break. The weather got really hot and I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore, so I spent the rest of the summer doing walks to beaches.