The A225 road runs in a north-south direction, connecting Dartford

Dartford

Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....

 with Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...

 in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. For much of its journey it follows the valley of the River Darenth.

Overview

The road begins in Dartford, leading out of the town in a southerly direction from the A226 ring-road passing along Lowfield Street. It then crosses the Dartford bypass

Bypass (road)

A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....

 road at a major junction. Interestingly the road from this junction until its junction to the M25, Princes Road, is also called the A225. Next is the junction to Wilmington

Wilmington, Kent

Wilmington is a village and parish in Kent, England, in the Borough of Dartford, about 1.5 miles from Dartford town centre. The parish is one of the largest in England and borders the London Borough of Bexley and Sevenoaks District. The parish council meets at Oakfield Park pavilion.The...

 and the road now becomes Hawley

Hawley, Kent

Hawley is a village near Dartford in Kent, England. It is part of the Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley civil parish. It is one half of Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley ward on Dartford Borough Council, the Councillors are Tony Martin and Pat Coleman...

 Road; before reaching that village it passes under both the A2

A2 road (Great Britain)

The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between the British capital of London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe...

 and the M25

M25 motorway

The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...

; there are no junctions with either. 4 miles (6.4 km) from its start, the A225 passes Sutton-at-Hone

Sutton-at-Hone

Sutton-at-Hone is a village south of Dartford in Kent, England. It is part of the Dartford local government district and the civil parish of Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley. It is represented by Dartford Borough Councilors Pat Coleman and Tony Martin....

 village; most of the following villages are not on the main road, but are located to the east on the river itself. Here the railway line crosses the road by a high brick viaduct

Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...

 at Farningham Road railway station

Farningham Road railway station

Farningham Road railway station is on the Chatham Main Line, and serves the villages of Sutton-at-Hone and South Darenth in north Kent, in south east England. Train services are provided by Southeastern. It was 150 years old in December 2010...

. Horton Kirby

Horton Kirby

Horton Kirby is a village in the civil parish of Horton Kirby and South Darenth in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England.The village is located on the right bank of the River Darent, south of Dartford. Its church is dedicated to St Mary. The nearest railway station is at Farningham Road...

 village is next; the M20 motorway

M20 motorway

The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is long...

 crosses overhead, again with no junction to the A225; and the road enters a roundabout

Roundabout

A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

 junction with the A20 road, to lose its identity for a short distance as it follows the latter in an easterly direction, before a turning off once more to the south.

Now the river is on the west side of the road, and at Eynsford

Eynsford

Eynsford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the River Darent, south of Dartford in Kent.-The village:...

, the next village, the railway between Swanley

Swanley

Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of London, north of Sevenoaks town. The town boundaries encompass the settlements of Swanley itself, Hextable and Swanley Village...

 and Sevenoaks joins the road to travel up the Darenth valley together. There are stations at Eynsford

Eynsford railway station

Eynsford railway station serves Eynsford in Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.The ticket office, on the 'down' side, is situated in the substantial station building...

, Shoreham

Shoreham railway station

Shoreham railway station serves Shoreham in Kent, England. Train services are provided by Southeastern.The ticket office here was closed c 1992, having been manned only during part of the day; these days, a PERTIS passenger-operated ticket machine issues 'Permits to Travel' - which are exchanged...

 and Otford

Otford railway station

Otford railway station serves Otford in Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.- Services :From Monday 23 March 2009, most of the stopping train service to/from Blackfriars is extended across Central London via the 'Thameslink' route, serving City Thameslink, Farringdon, St Pancras...

. Here the road is on the eastern side of narrowing valley, above the flood plain, and the railway crosses and recrosses the road on several occasions. On the northern outskirts of Sevenoaks, there is a crossroads with the A25 road

A25 road

The A25 road is one of the three cross-country two-digit numbered roads in the southeast of England, the others being the A26 from Newhaven to Maidstone and the A27 along the south coast. It carries traffic from Guildford in Surrey through Dorking, and thence eastward along the southern edge of the...

. It continues its journey by climbing St Johns Hill, to enter the town centre via Dartford Road. The A225 then continues out of Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...

 until its junction with the A21 where at this roundabout the road becomes B245 - London Road.