Walking route hailed a success in first six months

The Griffin Trail connects Braybrooke to Market Harborough, Leicestershire

A new walking route officially opened six months ago had proved "its popularity and value to the community", a council said.

The £100,000 Griffin Trail around Braybrooke in Northamptonshire was created to replace a disjointed route that involved negotiating unsafe roads.

Figures from North Northamptonshire Council showed it was used more than 5,000 times in a four-week period over the summer.

The authority said the all-weather, accessible route was "encouraging active travel, outdoor recreation and rural connectivity" and footfall figures had "confirmed its success".

The route includes the Kelmarsh Tunnel

The Brampton Valley Way, described by the council as "one of the area's most scenic routes", follows the line of the old Northampton to Market Harborough railway for 14 miles (23km).

It includes the Kelmarsh Tunnel - a 480m (1,575ft) unlit structure - and the 414m (1,358ft) Oxendon Tunnel.

Plans are in place to improve the surface of the trail's footbridge near Braybrooke.

The trail is part of the North Northamptonshire Greenway Project, a network of rural routes, which are mostly free from traffic.

Reform UK leader of the authority Martin Griffiths said: "Routes will be delivered over the next 10 to 30 years, working closely with communities and landowners."

It was developed by the parish council and the Braybrooke Beer Company, which received funding from North Northamptonshire Council, the National Lottery, Northamptonshire Community Foundation and other trusts and businesses.