How Somerset's Steam Coast Trail could soon be extended

The Steam Coast Trail is sandwiched between the West Somerset Railway line and the west Somerset Coast, and is eventually intended to link Minehead to Williton via the neighbouring villages.

The trail currently has two completed sections, with cyclists and walkers currently using the quieter local roads to complete their journeys.

But campaigners are pushing for funding from central and local government, along with private contributions, to ensure the path can be completed.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Where is the Steam Coast Trail?

The Steam Coast Trail will eventually run all the way from Minehead seafront to the northern edge of Williton – though it is currently not a complete, off-road route.

The first phase, which opened in December 2016, runs from Dunster Beach car park almost all the way to Blue Anchor seafront.

The majority of this route is hard-standing, being either Tarmac or Netpave (which involves packing square plastic grids with locally sourced stone chips, allowing the trail to be ‘topped up’ after extreme weather).

However, the final stretch near Blue Anchor runs on the shingle beach – and cyclists have to dismount and carry their bikes up the steps to the B3191.

Some sections occasionally need shingle clearing from them – with Travis Perkins sponsoring shovel stations at the relevant points on the route.

The Steam Coast Trail charity (SCT) has been in discussions for many years to negotiate a route over the Blue Anchor Chalet Owners Association Ltd. (BOCOA) land and past the chalet park, which would remove the need for cyclists to use the steps.

The Steam Coast Trail between Dunster and Blue Anchor. (Image: Daniel Mumby)

The shareholders of BACOA initially agreed to consider a path along the beach and around the grade two listed pill box – but the SCT rejected the proposal on the grounds of cost and difficulty of construction.

Subsequently, shareholders of BACOA Ltd. voted unanimously in 2019 to approve a fresh joint proposal with the SCT, involving a 400-metre permissive path on their property, with the route crossing the railway close to the chalet park and utilising the former goods yard, already owned by the council to reach Carhampton Road.

Due to the refusal of the West Somerset Railway to consider such a development, this proposal was unilaterally dropped by the SCT. There is no alternative route currently agreed which awaits funding.

Those travelling from Blue Anchor towards Minehead use Sea Lane through the northern part of Dunster and can then use a recently-finished £1m cycle route along the A39 to reach Minehead seafront and town centre.

Phase two of the trail, which opened in October 2018, runs from Dragon’s Cross in Old Cleeve to the Cobbler’s Steps in Washford, to the north of the West Somerset Railway station.

Cyclists from there can cycle a short distance on the road before joining the Mineral Line, which runs all the way to Watchet – but from there have to use local roads to reach Williton.

What are locals’ aspirations for the route?

Judy Mapledoram uses the Steam Coast Trail on a daily basis to cycle from her home in Blue Anchor to her workplace in Minehead.

She was involved in the early years of the trail’s creation, and is currently an active member of the Minehead Area Active Travel campaign group.

She said: “The trail is very well-used, because it’s one of the few places where you can walk easily [in this area].

“Before this was built, I used to go up the hill at Blue Anchor, which means going along the side of the main road from Carhampton to Minehead. It does have a cycle path, but it’s mostly not a very good one – it’s very narrow, very bumpy and of course very noisy.

“People who drive often get irritated by cyclists who don’t use the paths that exist – but often it’s because they’re so bumpy that they’re very hard work to use them, unless you’ve got an electric motor to help you.”

A West Somerset Railway steam train heads To Minehead, seen from The Steam Coast Trail. (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Ms Mapledoram has been campaigning for better cycling in west Somerset for many years, being a Cycling UK representative in addition to her membership of local campaign groups.

Her campaigns included penning a song, ‘We Don’t Want No Cycle Paths Here’, criticising the lack of recent progress.

She said: “We’re trying to connect up together all the people who do cycle and use active travel routes – there’s more of them than you might think.

“Sometimes the improvements which are needed are quite costly – but other times, there are quite, small cheaps things that can be done – compared with the cost of new roads.”

Active travel routes in and around Watchet are likely to become more important in the years to come as a result of the B3191 from Blue Anchor being closed indefinitely due to coastal erosion – with Somerset Council estimating it could cost up to £60m to realign and reopen the route.

Ms Mapledoram added: “Routes like this pull people into the area. You only have to go to the Tarka Trail in north Devon to see that.

“Although this path is really nice, it does need to be made longer to encourage more people to come and use it.”

Could the Steam Coast Trail link up with other routes?

The trail does intersect with other public rights of way in Somerset – including the West Somerset Coast Path, which includes the stretch from Dunster to Minehead near Butlin’s.

Roughly halfway along the phase one stretch, the trail meets a footpath leading to the village of Carhampton – a footpath which Ms Mapledoram would like to see upgraded so that cyclists can use it too.

She said: “People can walk across the field to Carhampton, but it would be really wonderful if there was a cycle path to link up with the trail.

“People always say with these sort of paths that they don’t like the idea of the countryside being paved over – but if you look at this path, it looks pretty good to me.

“There were plenty of people who objected to this trail when it was first done, but they changed their minds when it was finished.”

Is there any funding to extend the route?

The short answer is: no – but there may be in the not-too-distant future.

Back in 2020, EDF Energy set aside £50,000 from its Hinkley Point C community mitigations fund, which has to be spent on efforts to better connect Minehead and Blue Anchor.

A further £200,000 will be provided to create 1,500 metres of new cycle paths as part of a development of 350 homes on the A39 Priest Street in Williton, which was approved by Somerset West and Taunton Council in November 2021.

Somerset Council (which replaced the former council in April) has since clarified that this funding is to “assist connectivity to the route” rather than paying for an extension in its own right.

A further £1.5m has recently been secured from the government’s active travel fund – though the council is being coy as to where in the county this money will be spent.

It is possible that further money for the Steam Coast Trail could be provided to off-set the impact of new housebuilding in Minehead, along with the planned developments in Watchet – including 280 homes on the former Wansborough Paper Mill site on the B3191 Brendon Road, and 139 homes on Normandy Avenue at the eastern edge of the town.

What is the council’s position?

Somerset Council has said it is exploring different possibilities for extending the Steam Coast Trail – though it has not committed to delivering any specific sections of the route.

A spokesman said: “We are still investigating what public rights may or may not exist on this route.

“Whatever conclusion that investigation reaches may impact on the design of the Steam Coast Trail. Therefore at this stage we’re not able to say what that will look like, until we know more.”

The council said that the Minehead and Watchet local community network (LCN) – which brings together local councillors and numerous community organisations – would prove instrumental in delivering any future progress.

The spokesman added: “We are looking to work​ with local community networks (LCNs) on a range of projects across the county, and there will be a role for the LCN in this area to assist and advise as we seek to move the Steam Coast Trail forward.”

How can I get involved?

For more information on the Steam Coast Trail – including a map of the planned extensions and how to make a donation – visit www.steamcoasttrail.org.

The next meeting of the Minehead and Watchet LCN is expected to be held at West Somerset House in Williton on October 19 at 7pm.