Route Overview
| Distance | 16.79 miles |
|---|---|
| Surface | The surface varies greatly, but is poor in places. After rain, it can get extremely muddy. |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Child-Friendliness | 🟡 Somewhat child-friendly |
| Suitable Bikes | Standard bicycles |
| Barriers | Sadly, there are some barriers, as well as gates, along this route. |
| Café / Food | Along the trail there are Miller's Yard Café, the Brampton Halt pub, Waterloo Tea Room (slightly off the trail) and at the Platform 3 Buffet, by the heritage railway |
| Train Access | There are train stations at both ends of the trail, but to get to one from the other would mean a train journey via Milton Keynes. |
| Parking | There is limited parking at either end of the trail, and free parking at the heritage railway. |
The Brampton Valley Way is another rail trail. Stretching for 18.6 miles, from Northampton to Market Harborough. The route as show on the map below ends at the Market Harborough train station, and it’s possible to catch a train back to Northampton, but that goes via Milton Keynes and is quite a detour.
The tunnels can be muddy at the best of times, and are usually locked during the coldest times of winter, whenever there is risk of icicles forming.
Photos supplied by LycraOptional and Douglas Mcfarlane
Surface on the Brampton Valley Way
The surface is self-compacting gravel almost throughout, but is mainly wide and in good condition when dry. Poor drainage means that when it’s wet (or recently rained) the route can have loads of puddles, and it can be very muddy.
Bob MacQueen added the following: “The surface can be very poor in places loose gravel and rough. Inside tunnels there are some very large holes riding a Brompton through was impossible!”
Bikes
You can use most standard bikes on this route, but will be better off on something with thicker tyres. Road bikes will struggle. Tandems can be used, but trikes will struggle to get through.
Toilets
There are toilets at Miller’s Yard Café, at the Brampton Halt pub, at Waterloo Tea Room (slightly off the trail) and in Market Harborough. There are also toilets at the heritage railway.
Hilliness
As you’d expect from a rail-trail, the route has very mild gradients.
Safety from traffic
The entire route is traffic-free, though to get to cafés, both at the start and the end of the route, some cycling on the road will be required.
Points of Interest
Enjoy riding through the Kelmarsh and Oxenden tunnels (you will need decent lights – the tunnels are long and unlit) and do stop at the Lamport Steam Railway.
Routes in Northamtonshire
Barriers
There are some barriers and gates along the length of this route.
Refreshments
There are refreshment stops near the start, and near the finish. Also at Miller’s Yard Café, at the Brampton Halt pub, at Waterloo Tea Room (slightly off the trail) and at the Platform 3 Buffet, by the heritage railway.
Cycle Hire
I’m not aware of any cycle hire facilities on, or very near the trail.
Child friendliness
The route would’ve been great for all kids, but is let down by the poor surface, and isn’t really suitable for younger kids.
Social safety
Some parts of the route are very isolated.
Forecast for the Brampton Valley Way
What the Brampton Valley Way looks like
Video
This utterly adorable video is by Family ByCycle, and shows much of the route.
More Routes
To find more routes, click this link.
Interactive map for the Brampton Valley Way
You can download the GPX file from the map below, simply by clicking the GPX button. Hovering over the elevation profile will show the elevation for that point along the route, in both metres and feet. It will also show the gradient.
If viewing the map on your phone, you will also see a Find Me, Navigate and Record Route button, below the map. WillCycle Supporters can have voice turn-by-turn navigation of the route.
And finally…
If this route guide was of use to you, it will be of use to others, too. Don’t keep it secret! Share it with everyone, on social media, in Facebook Groups, on chat forums, and elsewhere.
The surface can be very poor in places loose gravel and rough. Inside tunnels there are some very large holes riding a Brompton through was impossible!