This summer, Declan Ryan from the University of Northampton (one of the organisations helping to steer the Active Quarter Partnership) worked alongside North Northamptonshire Council’s Greenway to measure the success of the recently opened Griffin Trail.

The Griffin Trail was designed to make it easier for people to travel between Braybrooke in North Northamptonshire to Market Harborough in Leicestershire – whatever the weather. Some of this journey required pedestrians, cyclists, or wheelchair users to tackle unsafe roads. Now, the Griffin Trail has helped extend the local footpath network from 1.56km to 2.3km.

People using the trail can now use one of the area’s most beautiful routes, the Brampton Valley Way, and feel much safer whilst doing so. The trail was designed with an all-weather surface that can be used at any time of year – helping people enjoy being outdoors and live more active lifestyles.

The trail is a crucial step towards building an even larger network and safe walking and cycling routes. Lucy Hawes, Greenway Project Officer for North Northamptonshire Council says, “Well designed amenities help increase access to the countryside and our rural businesses.” The hope is that the trail will inspire similar projects across the region.

Official opening of The Griffin Trail

The current route includes a footbridge near Braybrooke, and North Northamptonshire Council’s Greenway would like to improve the surface of this bridge to further enhance the trail for people who use it.

To help understand the importance of the footbridge, the University of Northampton monitored its use for four-weeks during the summer of 2025. The results reveal that there are an estimated 78 crossings every weekday, and 550 crossings each weekend (on average). 5,133 crossing were made in total.

Lucy continues, “This information is fantastic. It helps us prove the need to complete the small section of the Griffin Trail, and helps justify how important the Griffin Trail is for local communities.”

This measurement data means that North Northamptonshire Council’s Greenway, West Northamptonshire Council, and Market Harborough Councils can now negotiate with those who own the land in the area. The hope is that, with all parties working together, this part of the Griffin Trail can be improved.

With this and further changes, even more people can walk, cycle, and wheel between our rural towns in North Northamptonshire.

A footbridge in the area. Researchers from the University of Northampton measured how frequently people use this footbridge, so that a case can be made for improvements.

Declan Ryan University of Northampton installing devices to measure footfall across the bridge.