A POPULAR walking route linking two Somerset towns will soon be enhanced following a local grant.

The Somerset Space Walk is a sculpture trail which runs along the length of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, with plinths marking the scaled distances between the Sun and the planets in the solar system.

The walk was opened in 1997, with some funding provided by Somerset County Council in 2007 to refurbish the various models.

Taunton Town Council has now provided more than £1,700 to the South Somerset Astronomical Society, allowing new plinths to be installed along the length of the route.

The walk was the brainchild of investor Pip Youngman, and was constructed to a scale of 1:530,000,000 – meaning that one millimetre on the model equates to 530 kilometres.

Each planet is marked by a concrete plinth with a model of their given planet, with each plinth doubling as a marker showing the distance between Bridgwater and Taunton.

The Sun is sited at Higher Maunsel Lock, with one set of planets being installed in each direction, to convey both the distance between the planets and the overall diameter of the solar system (before Pluto was declassified at a planet in 2006).

Somerset County Gazette: Somerset Space Walk.Somerset Space Walk. (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Both sets of inner planets are very close together, with the ‘Bridgwater Mars’ plinth lying near the Maunsel Tea Rooms (which was recently granted a new licence by Somerset Council allowing it to serve alcohol during summer evenings).

Those wishing to explore the planets beyond the asteroid belt face a walk of up to seven miles in each direction – with the ‘Taunton Pluto’ being found near the Brewhouse Theatre and Coal Orchard, and the ‘Bridgwater Pluto’ lying near Albert Street, a short distance from the Meads Eco-Park.

Councillor Amber Packer-Hughes said: “We were overwhelmed by the number and variety of exciting proposals put forward by the people of Taunton, for the people of Taunton.

“We are delighted to have been able to make awards to a really diverse set of local initiatives supporting young people, families, mental health, arts and culture, sports and environmental projects.

“Hearing the representatives speak was inspirational and we look forward to reviewing applications for the next round in October.”