| Trent Valley Way | |
|---|---|
 The Trent Valley Way withClapper gates nearNorth Clifton | |
| Length | 187 km (116 mi) |
| Location | Nottinghamshire,Lincolnshire |
| Trailheads | Trent Lock,Derbyshire Alkborough,Lincolnshire |
| Use | Hiking |
| Highest point | 74 metres (243 ft) |
| Season | All year Round |
| Sights | The valley of the River Trent |
TheTrent Valley Way is a waymarkedlong-distance footpath inEngland following theRiver Trent and its valley in the counties ofNottinghamshire andLincolnshire.
Originally created in 1998, to mark the centenary of theNottinghamshire County Council, it was waymarked between the two southern starting points atThrumpton andAttenborough, through toWest Stockwith near Gainsborough at the northern limit of the county, a distance of some 84 miles.[1][2]
This Nottinghamshire route used both riverside paths and footpaths in the wider valley to linkNottingham, withNewark-on-Trent,Gainsborough and various villages via points of interest. It appeared onOrdnance Survey maps, and a book showing the route was also produced.[3][4]
The waymark consisted of a white disc with a blue arrow containing three wavy white lines.[5]
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 nearBiddulph Moor inStaffordshire toAlkborough in Lincolnshire, where the Trent joins theOuse to form theHumber estuary, a distance of 170 miles.[2]
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.[6]
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 toTrentlock inDerbyshire, which extended the route slightly, so that it became 80 miles long.[7][8][9]
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.[10][11]
The end of the route is the maze atJulian's Bower, which has a viewpoint that overlooksTrent Falls.
There are also plans to establish a definitive route in the upper reaches of the Trent, fromBiddulph toStone. 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.[12]
52°52′44″N1°14′27″W / 52.8789°N 1.2409°W /52.8789; -1.2409
