Cricklade Country Way

The Cricklade Country Way is a green corridor of walkways and cycle paths reaching from Swindon in Wiltshire to Cricklade in North Wiltshire. Running throughout its length are two largely abandoned routes from the area’s rich industrial past – the Swindon to Cricklade Railway and the North Wilts Canal.

It was recently announced that the Cricklade Country Way had successfully progressed to the next round of the Living Landmarks bidding process. This news means that a grant of £250,000 has been made available to enable the partnership to continue to work on the £15million scheme and develop detailed plans and designs for the finished Country Way. When completed, a business plan will be submitted in May 2007 for final consideration by the lottery panel for a 12.8million grant.

If successful, the project which has been developing over some eight years, will be of great strategic, cultural and economic importance to the district and the region. A partnership of local authorities and interested groups have been developing plans and proposals which will enhance the corridor’s value as a recreational retreat for the expanding local population and also promote its development as a tourism and leisure destination.

The key project elements will include 5 miles of restored Wilts & Berks Canal, canal basins, moorings and a marina, 5 miles of restored steam railway, a new 48ha country park at Mouldon Hill on the edge of Swindon which is adjacent to 6,000 new homes with another 4,000 planned over the next 5 years, 140ha of new community forest and woodland, 17 miles of new and improved cycleway and towpath/walkways, an interpretive, community influenced public art trail, a new visitor, education and sports centre by the canal at Cricklade, related youth training and skills training schemes and the creation of new woodland and water habitats for wildlife.

To find out more about this project, go to the Cricklade Country Way website (www.crickladecountryway.org.uk)