The Brampton Valley Way is a a traffic-free path, running through the countryside between Market Harborough and Northampton. Built along the route of an old railway line, this 16-mile+ pathway is a brilliant place to walk, cycle, or ride.

Lucy Hawes, Greenway Project Officer for North Northamptonshire Council says, “The Brampton Valley Way is a valued asset for our communities, so we want to make as strong a case as possible for improving the route – and providing more pathways like it.”

To help support this vision, Declan Ryan from the University of Northampton (one of the organisations helping to steer the Active Quarter Partnership) worked alongside North Northamptonshire Council to measure the popularity of the route.

Lucy adds, “It’s brilliant to work with the University of Northampton to get this kind of baseline data. It truly shows how important our work is, in providing off-road routes for walking, wheeling, cycling, and horse riding where appropriate – all to improve health, reduce congestion, and help people access our beautiful countryside.”

Left: a sensor placed outside Waterloo Farm to capture the number of crossings made along the route.
Right: The owners of Waterloo Farm and Chief Executives from Harborough District Council and North Northamptonshire Council.

Results from this research really clearly show the importance of the Brampton Valley Way to those in the area:

A sensor placed outside Waterloo Farm measured 3,352 crossings over thirty-three days. On average, there were 85 crossings captured each weekday; and 142.5 each weekend day. Although it isn’t possible to know how many of these crossing were unique visitors, or what activity they were undertaking, it does show the popularity of this route.

This data can go on to help North Northamptonshire Council’s Greenway continue its work. For the Brampton Valley Way in particular, Lucy explains “We can use [data] to apply for funding to improve the surface and improve connections to and from it – like the recently opened Griffin Trail.”

We’ll continue to share more research and stories like this on the Active Quarter website. By bringing together partnerships from across Northampton, our aim is to support the quality and accessibility of our local outdoor spaces. And we’re excited for things to come!