Television personality Robbie Cumming is set to reopen popular Wendover canal path after £750k upgrade

Television personality Robbie Cumming has agreed to reopen an upgraded towpath by Walnut Tree Meadow in Wendover.

Known for the Canal Boat Diaries series, Robbie will be opening the new route at 1pm on 28 June.

Once open the canalside path will link Halton and Wendover providing a new walking, running, and cycle route to locals.

Representatives of the Wendover Canal Trust (WCT) have confirmed a day of activities are planned to celebrate the path’s expensive revamp with a celebratory walk confirmed, as well as an official ribbon ceremony.

People will be gathered by the canal towpath between 10am to 3pm, with the festivities starting at the entrance from the towpath to Walnut Tree Meadow.

Funded by five organisations, the footpath upgrades took six months to complete, cost £750,000 and runs for 1.7 miles. This forms part of a bigger WCT project, with trustees hoping the entire seven-mile Wendover to Grand Union canal towpath will be upgraded.

WCT chairman Clive Johnson said: “We are very grateful that Robbie has taken the time out of his busy schedule to come along and formally open this important towpath. It will be an incredibly useful route for everyone who wants to enjoy the ambience of a canal side whether its people out for a gentle stroll, ramblers, joggers, cyclists or birdwatchers. We want the day to be a community celebration and everyone is invited.”

In total, 28 local, regional and national organisations supported the campaign to upgrade the towpath. These included all the schools in Wendover, the Chiltern Society, Chiltern Conservation Board, Inland Waterways Association, Sustrans and Chiltern Railways.

Other bodies assisted with funding the project, while volunteers from the trust assisted with readying the site.

Robbie, who is a patron of WCT, added: “I’m delighted to be able to officially open this towpath. Any developments that can enhance canals and their surroundings are close to my heart. This is a very picturesque part of the country with the Chiltern Hills as a backdrop and I know that already the towpath is much used.”