The Trent Valley Way is a waymarked
long-distance footpath
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exce ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
following the
River Trent
The Trent is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midland ...
and its valley in the counties of
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
and
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
.
Originally created in 1998, to mark the centenary of the
Nottinghamshire County Council
Nottinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England. It consists of 66 county councillors, elected from 56 electoral divisions every four years. The most recent election ...
, it was waymarked between the two southern starting points at
Thrumpton
Thrumpton is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 152, increasing to 165 at the 2011 census. It is located on the A453 road south-west of West Bridgford. The 13th centur ...
and
Attenborough, through to
West Stockwith
West Stockwith is a village within the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 327. it lies on the west bank of the River Trent, north-west of Gainsborough and east of Misterton. West Stockwith ...
near Gainsborough at the northern limit of the county, a distance of some 84 miles.
This Nottinghamshire route used both riverside paths and footpaths in the wider valley to link
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, with
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...
,
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
and various villages via points of interest. It appeared on
Ordnance Survey
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maps, and a book showing the route was also produced.
The waymark consisted of a white disc with a blue arrow containing three wavy white lines.
Extending the Route
Various organisations were interested in extending the route of the Trent Valley Way so that it covered the entire length of the river from its source near
Biddulph Moor
Biddulph Moor is a village located on the hill which bears the same name. It is in Biddulph parish and is a part of the Staffordshire Moorlands district in England. It is very similar to Mow Cop which is located on the other side of the valley ...
in
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
to
Alkborough
Alkborough is a parish of 458 people in 192 households (2011 census) in North Lincolnshire, England, located near the northern end of The Cliff range of hills overlooking Trent Falls, the confluence of the River Trent and the River Ouse.
Alkb ...
in Lincolnshire, where the Trent joins the
Ouse
Ouse may refer to:
Places Rivers in England
* River Ouse, Yorkshire
* River Ouse, Sussex
* River Great Ouse, Northamptonshire and East Anglia
** River Little Ouse, a tributary of the River Great Ouse
Other places
* Ouse, Tasmania, a town in Au ...
to form the
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...
estuary, a distance of 170 miles.
The feasibility of a complete route along the Trent Valley was investigated in 2008, and it was assessed to have "considerable potential", and would attract 250,000 annual walkers. These would enjoy the combined attraction of "the river’s rich natural heritage and its history as an inland navigation". A draft map using existing footpaths was drawn up in 2009 for the entire 170 mile route, with preferred and interim alternatives where there were major access issues.
One of the first revisions of the route was to remove the segment between Thrumpton to Nottingham, so that there was only a single starting point, which reduced the length to 77 miles. The start was then changed to
Trentlock
Trent Lock (otherwise Trentlock) is located south of Long Eaton, on the borders of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in the United Kingdom. The area is a major canal navigation junction, where the River Soar and Erewash Canal can ...
in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, which extended the route slightly, so that it became 80 miles long.
Littleborough to Alkborough
Subsequently, plans were made to extend the path northwards along the tidal reaches to the Humber. In 2012 an extension of the waymarked route was confirmed, using paths mainly in North Lincolnshire to link the existing path with sections through to Alkborough, and a series of nine walking guides were produced to define this new 36 mile 58 km section. The first two sections act as a parallel route for part of the original valley way, but use riverside footpaths instead.
* Littleborough to Gainsborough
* Gainsborough to West Stockwith
* West Stockwith to Haxey
* Haxey to Epworth
* Epworth to Belton
* Belton to Keadby
* Keadby to Scunthorpe
* Scunthorpe to Burton Upon Stather
* Burton Upon Stather to Alkborough
The end of the route is the maze at
Julian's Bower
Julian's Bower or Julian Bower is a name given to turf mazes in several different parts of England. Only one of this name still exists, at Alkborough in North Lincolnshire. It has also been known by corrupted forms of the name, such as "Gillian's ...
, which has a viewpoint that overlooks
Trent Falls
Trent Falls is the confluence of the River Ouse and the River Trent which forms the Humber between Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire in England.
Location
The River Ouse flows to the east where it turns into the Humber, and the R ...
.
Biddulph to Stone
There are also plans to establish a definitive route in the upper reaches of the Trent, from
Biddulph
Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south-east of Congleton, Cheshire.
Origin of the name
Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon/Old English ''bī dylfe'' = "beside the pit or quarry". It may also ...
to
Stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
. A similar set of walking guides to those produced for the Littleborough to Alkborough section will be created, along with a waymarked route. A Heritage Lottery bid is being developed to fund this work.
See also
*
List of fish in the River Trent
This list of fish in the River Trent is a list of fish species that have been recorded from the River Trent, a major river in England that starts in Staffordshire, flows through the Midlands, and joins the River Ouse to form the Humber Estuary ...
References
{{coords, 52.8789, -1.2409, display=title
Long-distance footpaths in England
Footpaths in Lincolnshire
Footpaths in Nottinghamshire