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The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes. It was created by the charity Sustrans Link (Sustainable Transport), aided by a National Lottery grant.

Many routes aim to minimise contact with motor traffic, though 70% of them are on roads. In some cases the NCN uses pedestrian routes, disused railways, minor roads, canal towpaths, or traffic-calmed routes in towns and cities.

The Brampton Valley Way is a 14-mile walking and cycling path, following the route of a dismantled railway line linking Northampton with Market Harborough.

The railway had opened in 1859 and had six intermediate stations. It passed through two tunnels, at Kelmarsh and at Oxendon. Regular services over the line were withdrawn in 1960, although the line continued to be used intermittently until 1981 when the final train ran.

Brampton Valley Way forms part of Sustrans' National Cycle Network route 6.

Sustrans' website has more information: Link

National Route 6 of the National Cycle Network passes through Watford, Luton, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Market Harborough, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Worksop, Sheffield, Manchester, Blackburn, Preston, Lancaster, Kendal and Windermere, and will connect London and Threlkeld (nr. Keswick) in Cumbria when complete.

Link National Route 6 on the Sustrans web site.

The National Cycle Network is Sustrans' primary initiative set up in 1995, providing up to 12,600 miles of walking and cycle routes across the country. Route 6 links London with the Lake District.

The National Cycle Network is Sustrans' primary initiative, providing up to 12,600 miles of walking and cycling routes across the country. Routes are numbered in a similar manner to the original A-road numbering system, radiating clockwise from London. The UK is further divided into ten regions, with regional routes numbered in a similar fashion. National Route 6 connects London with the Lake District; one of its branches is Regional Route 68, the Penine Cycleway from Derby to Berwick-on-Tweed.