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The Haddenham-Thame Greenway is a planned off-road, all-weather route for walkers,
cyclists Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world for pur ...
and those using other wheeled non-road transport such as
wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...
s,
mobility scooter A mobility scooter is an electric personal transporter used as mobility aid for people with physical impairment, mostly auxiliary to a powered wheelchair but configured like a motorscooter. When motorized they function as micromobility de ...
s, prams, and children's scooters. The greenway's future has been written into local authority plans as described below.


Route

Though the detailed route has not been finalised yet as of February 2025, the greenway will connect Haddenham and
Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the ...
. Currently there is no safe route for those wishing to walk, cycle or wheel between these adjacent settlements: from Thame there is an arterial road, the A418 with more than 10,000 vehicles per day,A418 annual average daily vehicles: The Haddenham & Thame Parkway Station Travel Plan 2014, submitted by Sustrans to Buckinghamshire Council, referred to in planning applications by Council officers, but not published, says "the very busy A418 (Oxford-Aylesbury) road is a major barrier to cycling between Haddenham and other nearby towns ... the most important of these is Thame". More than 10,000 vehicles per day is conservatively based on direct data from 2010 along the route, with Oxfordshire County Council recording an average of 16,800 vehicles. This is published on-line: https://portal.oxfordshire.gov.uk/content/publicnet/council_services/roads_transport/traffic/traffic_monitoring/data-summaries/TableAannualaveragedailytraffic.pdf (retrieved 2025-02-24). Since then, road usage in Oxfordshire has remained fairly level according to DfT sources: https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/local-authorities/142 (retrieved 2025-02-24). A traffic census on the A418 in 2017 two miles to the east of the greenway route, recorded 12,333 average daily vehicles (referred to in PJA Consultants report in December 2023, for Haddenham and Cuddington Parish Councils, “Aylesbury Road (Kings Cross Junction) Haddenham: Junction Review", available at https://www.cuddingtonvillage.com/page-content/documents/1706120830-CPC%20-%20PJA%20Kings%20Cross%20junction%20A418%20Study.pdf (retrieved 2025-02-24)). followed by winding Thame Road—both roads with parts derestricted to 60 mphDerestricted to 60mph (national speed limit): The speed limit on the A418 can be seen at https://www.openstreetbrowser.org/#map=15/51.7614/-0.9624&basemap=osm-mapnik&categories=car_maxspeed (retrieved 2025-02-24). and with no footway;No footway: The lack of footway can be seen on Google Maps, satellite view. whilst cross-country, there is a direct footpath that floods intermittentlyIntermittent flooding: Government maps show a "high risk" of flooding of the relevant area, south of Scotsgrove Mill. See website, https://check-long-term-flood-risk.service.gov.uk/map (retrieved 2025-02-24). and is not currently suitable or authorised—along its full length—for cycling.Authorisation for cycling: The official Public Rights of Way map for Buckinghamshire shows the bridleway from Haddenham, which can be traversed legally by bicycles, HAD/1/1 but better known as Miller's Way, turning into a footpath, which cannot be legally ridden upon, HAD/11/1, just south of Scotsgrove Mill. See https://prow.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/standardmap.aspx grid reference SP 71934 07195 (retrieved 2025-02-24).


Geographical background

Haddenham and Thame are adjacent settlements, three miles apart, located in the English counties of
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
and
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
respectively. Haddenham depends on Thame as its local market town. Facilities in Thame not available in Haddenham include: monthly charter market, specialist shops,
restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
s, leisure centre,
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
, bowls, secondary school, skate park, theatre, rugby and football stadiums, and more. Thame depends on Haddenham most significantly as location of its nearest
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
, Haddenham & Thame Parkway, established in 1987. By virtue of proximity and the relative populations of Haddenham and Thame (5,700 and 13,300 respectively, in the 2021 Census), a significant proportion of the total 784,436 entries and exits through its doors in year-ending March 2024,Use of Haddenham & Thame Parkway station: This is the fifth busiest railway station in Oxfordshire, and year-on-year usage is increasing at a rate of 20% towards the pre-Covid level of 960,972 recorded in year-ending March 2019. as in other years, is bound to have been contributed by Thame residents, employees and visitors. Challenges to development of the greenway have included the intervening floodplain of Cuttle Brook, Scotsgrove Brook and Thame River already referred to, and the challenge of coordinating efforts across the Buckinghamshire-Oxfordshire border.Coordinating efforts across the Buckinghamshire-Oxfordshire border: The general challenge of coordinating counties' efforts was one reason why in 2023 England's Economic Heartland decided to highlight various inter-county active travel opportunities, in its report at https://eeh-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Agenda_Item_7_Annex_1_Active_Travel_Strategy__09062023.pdf (retrieved 2025-02-24). The unpublished Haddenham & Thame Parkway Station Travel Plan 2014 referred to above, in section 5.2, refers to the difference in approach in the past. For this reason the more recent joint approach is to be welcomed.


History

Since the establishment of the Parkway station in 1987, there have been calls for a safe walking and cycling link between Haddenham and Thame.   In 1999, Haddenham Safe Walking and Cycling group, also known as HaddSWAC, was established by Robyn Thorogood to campaign for this link. The link was referred to as a greenway, adopting the generic nomenclature for an off-road walking, cycling and wheeling route. HaddSWAC was partly inspired by the campaign for, and success of, the nearby
Phoenix Trail The Phoenix Trail is a footpath and cycleway which runs between the market towns of Thame in South Oxfordshire and Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, passing through the villages of Towersey and Bledlow. History The trail largely follo ...
, a greenway from Thame to Princes Risborough established in 2002. One of several studies and consultations on route options between Thame and Haddenham was commissioned by Buckinghamshire County Council, assisted by Jacobs Baptie Ltd, in 2008 and 2009. Following this, in 2009 Buckinghamshire County Council referred to local “overwhelming support for a route between the two settlements”. Thame’s dependence on the parkway station has meant that a path to Haddenham has been a regular aspiration of Thame Town Council Neighbourhood Plans, e.g. the 2013 plan. The importance of the anticipated greenway for the sustainability of Haddenham, a village of c. 4,500 at the time, was explicitly recognised in 2016 by the Secretary of State, with references to the link in his formal decision to support the growth of Haddenham as a strategic growth centre for new housing. Support has not dwindled, witness the commitment of 94% of 2,000 respondents to a survey in 2019 who said they would use the greenway when built, and a “family bike ride” to support it in 2024 that was attended by 400 riders.Family Bike Ride 2024: See the newsletter published following the ride, https://www.villagesociety.org/lib/signpostsissue-13greenway-edition-F867259.pdf (retrieved 2025-02-24).


Local Authority plans

In 2023, England's Economic Heartland, supported by consultants, AtkinsRéalis, recognised the greenway as a strategic inter-county route.England's Economic Heartland report: see the top 15 shortlisted routes, pages 8-11 and 55, in their 2023 report, https://eeh-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Agenda_Item_7_Annex_1_Active_Travel_Strategy__09062023.pdf (retrieved 2025-02-24). In 2024, the greenway "corridor" was recognised by Oxfordshire County Council, supported by consultants, PJA, as a “Strategic/Primary” link in its Strategic Active Travel Network.OCC report on Strategic Active Travel Network, March 2024: see page 55, https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/file/roads-and-transport-policies-and-plans/OxfordshireSATN.pdf (retrieved 2025-02-24). Between 2022 and 2025, Buckinghamshire Council has led a detailed review of route options, and findings are expected to be published imminently (as at February 2025). On 11 February 2025, Buckinghamshire Council adopted its Buckinghamshire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, and approved prioritisation of the Haddenham-Thame Greenway. On the same day, a greenway between Haddenham and Thame was approved by full council of Oxfordshire County Council in its Budget and Medium Term Finance Plan (MTFP) 2025-2028.Oxfordshire County Council Budget and Medium Term Finance Plan (MTFP) 2025-2028: see Supplementary Section 5.3, pages 83 and 87, which refer to the “Thame to Haddenham Active Travel Link”, https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/documents/b24294/Supplementary%20Report%20Tuesday%2011-Feb-2025%2010.30%20County%20Council.pdf?T=9 (retrieved 2025-02-24).


Notes


References

{{coord missing, United Kingdom Greenways Parks in England Proposed infrastructure in England Proposed parks