North Northants Greenway

By North Northants Project Officer, Lucy Hawes

The North Northants Greenway will be a network of largely traffic free routes suitable for walking, wheeling and cycling and, where possible and appropriate, for horse-riders, to connect settlements with places of employment, education, leisure and tourism destinations.

It acts as the rural Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and its Strategy which, as of December 2023 is in its draft, identified 33 routes all classed as a priority to be delivered over the next 20 years. They have been identified through baseline analysis of current trips over the last 10 years.

It is an ambitious project and is fully supported by North Northants Council, the lead delivery organisation. Many stakeholders are involved including Natural England, Wildlife Trust, Environment Agency, local town and parish councils, Sustrans, National Highways and various voluntary and community organisations.

It will add to the Nene Valley Greenway which currently runs from Rushden to Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough and then north through Stanwick Lakes towards Thrapston along the old Northampton to Peterborough railway line.

Partnership working is key with the delivery of the Greenway and working with Rockingham Forest Vision with their wealth of expertise and local knowledge of the area is very valuable.

The routes identified in the Strategy which sit within the Rockingham Forest Vision area include:

Corby to Oundle via the proposed Tresham Garden Village
The proposed Tresham Garden Village to Elton
King’s Cliffe to Elton
King’s Cliffe to Stamford
Lyddington to Corby via Gretton
King’s Cliffe to Warmington
Market Harborough to Wansford

Some of the routes will potentially cover others e.g. King’s Cliffe to Warmington will also form part of King’s Cliffe to Elton. These routes are high level and are shown in the diagram below which was published as part of the North Northants Greenway Strategy prepared by Phil Jones Associates Limited in Summer 2023.

Please note that the routes are indicative, and their actual course will depend on landowners and permissions, however these routes are identified as priorities for increasing walking, wheeling and cycling trips.

Interested in helping out?

We are looking for Greenway Champions to help us spread the word about the North Northants Greenway. A Greenway Champion simply raises the Greenway profile by spreading the word through conversations with interested parties, and signposts interested parties to the North Northants Greenway Project Officer.

If you would like anymore information, please contact lucy.hawes@northnorthants.gov.uk

GREENWAY NEWS MAY 2025

Wellingborough-Rushden Greenway work continues with surveys of birds along this section. We have had the first set of results for the over-wintering survey and the summer breeding survey has started. Natural England will be looking at the results in July and establishing if the results are in line with expectations . Two years’ worth of studies are required in order to gain permission for this part of the Greenway.

We are looking for funding to replace the footbridges over the Nene between Wellingborough and Chester House Estate to make them more accessible and to prepare for the Greenway. At the very least, these improvements are enhancing our Rights of Way network.

We are also sourcing funding to look at options at the south of the Nene between Rushden Lakes and Chester House as Historic England are now more open to the option of this route, as opposed to creating a new bridge near the Midland Mainline viaduct. This is hugely welcomed as it will save so much money - but there are still a lot of hoops to jump through so it’s not set in stone just yet.

After the great success of the Griffin Trail opening, we are working to get the small section in West Northants open to meet with the Brampton Valley Way and looking at ways of connecting Braybrooke Beer Co. with Waterloo Farm. It is made difficult that the end of the current Griffin Trail is in North Northants and over the bridge is West Northants, but we are working hard to find solutions.

Elsewhere, I am working with Boughton Estates to create a small section of the Greenway which takes people off the busy road and through grazing land giving unparalleled views of the Estate. They will be opening their Star Pond too, so if you are that way, do visit. There is a lovely tea room in Weekley. We are again, sourcing the funding for the Greenway, but very hopeful we can do this. Fingers crossed!

Update July 2025

Funding has been secured for a section of the Ise Valley Greenway at Weekley across Boughton Estate’s land. This is fantastic, as again it shows great working with private landowners, and it means users won’t have to use the current shared use route close to the A4300 Stamford Road by the roundabout. It will be suitable for walkers, wheelers, and cyclists by improving the surface and the gates to create easier access, a more scenic route, less noise and an all round pleasant experience. It could unlock future routes too through their land if this goes to plan.