Long before the designation of the Kent Downs AONB, the famed 19th century landscape artist, Samuel Palmer, thought he had found “the nooks and dells of Paradise” in the Darent valley. The countryside surrounding Shoreham was the inspiration for some of Palmer’s greatest work. He was one of a small group of artists calling themselves ‘the Ancients’ who were largely inspired by the visionary poet and artist, William Blake. They, like Blake, rejected the values associated with increasing industrialisation and turned back to a Golden Age of pastoralism.

He lived for seven years at Water House in Shoreham, an attractive Queen Anne house of 1704. During that time he painted the local landscape giving it a mystical, ethereal quality and often showing scenes of pastoral bliss flooded in moonlight. He captured the fertile abundance and rustic simplicity of this idealised valley, which he called his “Valley of Vision.”

The rich history of the valley has left many legacies. There are Roman remains, majestic viaducts, historic houses, old mills and picturesque villages with beautiful churches. An excellent guidebook, the Darent Valley Path, produced by Kent County Council and priced at £5, follows the river from Sevenoaks to the Thames. The Path follows the river fringed with ancient willows, hop gardens and corn fields, downland carpeted with wildflowers and expanses of marshland.

It includes detailed information about famous people like Palmer, who had connections with the river. Starting at Westerham, home of General Wolfe, hero of Quebec, the guidebook describes Crockham Hill, home of Octavia Hill, a founder of the National Trust, and follows the river to St John’s Jerusalem where the eminent historian, Edward Hasted lived.

Heading towards the Thames near Dartford is Joyce Green airfield where James McCudden VC, a First World War flying ace instructed raw recruits for battle and Dartford was the final resting place of the engineering genius, Richard Trevithick, who patented the high pressure steam engine. In addition to these celebrity profiles, the book contains a wealth of historical and ecological information plus detailed OS maps and full colour illustrations. Available from env.publications@kent.gov.uk or order by credit card on 01622 663306 (Monday to Thursday 11am – 3pm). For information on walking routes and the guidebooks which accompany them, visit www.kent.gov.uk/countrysideaccess