Still thinking of Sarah and her poor family.
I grew up in the area and spent a lot of time exploring, pretty much, every country lane and track in the area. It is easy to get lost and easy to find some very secluded narrow lanes that go on and on for miles. Thinking about finding Sarah, I thought back to the areas around the last sighting of the car in the early hours.
I can’t imagine BL would have risked driving onto the old A20 (at Hilltop Hotel junction). It’s a busy well lit road all year round. But if he did, it would be more likely he would have turned left onto the a20 and then left at the next roundabout (taking you to a viewing point). This is highly unlikely as a gate is locked here at night (at least when I was there up until 2006). Again this is a well lit road (a20) and he wouldn’t want to risk it.
a right turn onto the a20 would have been risky again. The only option would be a first left which takes you on a quiet country lane again (towards the village of Seal IIRC). This is more probable IF he took the a20 at all.
I think it would have been more likely he stayed on Labour-In-Vain road, it’s very quiet and dark along there with very few dwelling near the road (and a constant humm on the m20 not so far away). Then this leads to Tumblefield road, which again is very narrow and quiet and dark.
there’s not so many spots to go “off road” along there. So the mud on BLs car is a big lead. I remember down there were a few fields that didn’t have fencing/hedging. Which is quite unusual as most landowners are regimented in keeping you off their land. I think there’s a pig farm around there too.
I apologise for jumping in here but I wanted to share my intimate knowledge of those areas with you all in the hope it may spark something. Can someone tell me if those fields close to labour in vain and tumblefield were searched. I assume so as it seems a likely spot from memory.
It’s likely BL would have retraced his steps on his journey home too. Which makes the labour/tumblefield route most likely. The alternative a20 turns would also have taken him on an alternative route back to new ash green, which he didn’t seem to take.
