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