I took a walk around a brand new £650,000 footpath in Northampton – I felt lost and underwhelmed in a maze of gravel

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has this month (October) completed a 1,300-metre track linking Far Cotton with Brackmills as part of its ‘Active Travel’ initiative to encourage more walking, cycling, and wheeling through the ‘Northampton Active Quarter.’ The project cost was £642,871, funded by Active Travel England, and there was a seven-month delay in its completion.

Cllr Phil Larratt, the man in charge of the project, stated: "This new route will improve access to local amenities, reduce carbon emissions, and encourage more people to get active.” It will be interesting to find out how much CO2 it saves and how that is tracked.

I parked at Delapré Abbey around midday, where parking is free, and headed off down the new paths. The first thing you notice is that while the track is tarmacked, it’s been gravelled over to make it blend more naturally into its surroundings. It’s gone from nature to pretend nature.

The paths are useful if you're heading to Brackmills, Delapré Golf Club, Delapré Abbey, or the council’s Northampton Bike Park, which is where the gravelled paths take you. But if you’re walking for leisure and nature, you’re probably going to want to avoid them, like I did.

Immediately, I wanted to walk on the smaller natural path alongside it instead of the larger gravel one. You can feel the difference right away between walking on tarmac and natural earth. The tarmac is harsh on the joints, and the sound of gravel is monotonous.

Thankfully, there are still some natural paths adjacent that are not tarmacked, so although the main path is gravelled, you can still enjoy nature walks around the outskirts. You might just have to figure out a new route.

I understand that the tarmac might be better for accessibility, such as for wheelchair users, but one carer I spoke to said the gravel actually makes it harder to push the chair compared to when it was just tarmac. Another resident told me: “My elderly neighbour has a small electric buggy she says its awful trying to drive it on that gravel, she gives it a miss now.”

As I continued my walk, I found that there was no signage, so if you’re new to the area, you might get lost in this man-made gravel maze. WNC says there are plans to implement signage, but for now, it’s lacking.

Walking towards Delapre Golf Club, it was more of the same gravel-based discomfort. I got to the golf club and was underwhelmed with my walk so far. People go to parks to escape the unnaturalness of concrete towns and cities, but the concrete has made its way here too. It feels like the town is changing and growing, and quiet natural spots are slowly being tapped into. See Harlestone Firs for another example of ‘improving accessibility’ by tarmacking through woodland.

I spoke to a few walkers while I was out. A dog walker said her small dogs struggled on the gravel, while a family with a pram found the surface manageable. I know many dog walkers were worried about the tarmac before it started. A small sample size, but that was the feedback.

I think cyclists, especially those on mountain bikes going to the bike park or to work, might find the path useful, but anyone on a thin-tyred road bike could struggle. Voi scooters have been banned from riding through here.

Then there’s the issue of practicality. A Delapre resident mentioned that with no lighting on the path, it’s not ideal for anyone looking to use it to get to work, especially during the winter months.

Councillor Julie Davenport (Delapré and Rushmere ward) said: “They’ve added drainage in some parts, so areas that used to flood don’t anymore, which is a positive step. I might not need my wellies as much this winter. I was initially worried about the path attracting too many cyclists and potentially causing issues for dog walkers, but so far, it’s been peaceful, with little to no conflicts between cyclists and dog walkers.”

So, if it’s not being used much by cyclists and a wheelchair user is finding it hard to navigate, and commuters are navigating through the dark aided only by the sound of gravel, it does beg the question: will it be worth it? The jury is out on this one. If it allows more disabled people to enjoy nature, then I’m all for it. Only time will tell.