The future is looking bright for the Strawberry Line walking and cycling route following the opening of its newest section in Shepton Mallet.

Volunteers gathered with local residents and Somerset Council representatives to officially open both the Dulcote extension (near the Charlie Bigham Quarry Kitchen) and the West Shepton section, which includes a new footbridge over the busy B3136 West Shepton.

The new West Shepton section is designed to provide a connection between two earlier sections which were delivered in March 2023, using funding set aside by Mendip District Council shortly before its abolition.

For those living to the west of the town, the route begins at Stump Cross Bridge on Ridge Road, winding past local farms to the West Shepton Playing Fields, home to the town’s skate park, pump track and football club.

From there, residents can cross the new 15-foot bridge (installed in mid-October) and gently slope down towards the Strode Way play area, with numerous spurs peeling off into the existing residential streets.

After this, it’s a gentle climb past the allotments onto The Sidings, with pedestrians and cyclists using the existing pavements and road surface to either access the Townsend Shopping Centre or to pick up the separate short section under the A371 Cannard’s Grave Road towards Collett Park.

Once completed, the Strawberry Line will run uninterrupted from Yatton railway station to Collett Park in Shepton Mallet, providing car-free access to Cheddar, Wells and the neighbouring villages.

The longest unbroken stretch currently runs from Yatton to Station Road in Cheddar, largely following the trackbed of the former Cheddar Valley railway line, which was closed in the mid-1960s under the infamous Beeching cuts.

READ MORE: Strawberry Line in Mendip celebrates its grand opening

 

Several other sections have been delivered further east of Cheddar by volunteers and contractors through grant funding and the kind agreement of local landowners.

But even after these triumphs, the Strawberry Line Society is not resting on its laurels (or should that be strawberry leaves?), with contractors making progress at a further extension near Wells and negotiations going on behind the scenes to close the remaining gaps elsewhere on the route.

Construction of this vital section was supervised by volunteer-led charitable organisation Greenways and Cycle Routes, with work being carried out by local contractors MP and KM Golding – who had previously delivered the path connecting the villages of Westbury-sub-Mendip and Easton in the shadow of the Mendip Hills.

Speaking in early-November, Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, praised the hard work of the volunteers in delivering this section which, he believes, will make a huge difference to locals and visitors alike.

He said: “The grand opening event really showcased the importance of the local community and volunteers.

“Your efforts have transformed the disused railway into a vibrant pathway for everyone to use.

“This triumph gives more people the opportunity to leave their cars at home and get into active travel – which is great for health, well-being and the environment.”

Within the next 18 months, further additions will be made to the Strawberry Line, moving the route closer to completion and improving the communities which it serves.

At the eastern terminus at Collett Park, Shepton Mallet Town Council agreed in early-October to a significant refurbishment project, which will see the entrance to the park enhanced to make it easier for people to walk and cycle there.

READ MORE: Bridge completes missing link in Somerset’s Strawberry Line

 

The project also aims to enhance the Collett Park Café through the provision of indoor and outdoor seating, upgrade the public toilets (making them cleaner and more accessible) and improve the landscaping around the café area.

Out at Ridge Road, the Strawberry Line Society is working closely with National Highways (formerly Highways England) to unlock Stump Cross Bridge, allowing the route to continue under the busy road further westwards and close the Dulcote gap.

Under the planned scheme, the next section of the path would pass underneath one of the bridge’s three spans and bend north-west into the neighbouring parish of Croscombe.

In Wells, the existing on-road stretches will receive a small addition in the coming months, with a short section being delivered on West Street as part of the ongoing construction of the city’s new, improved Lidl supermarket.

And to the west of the city, work is now under way near Easton Village Hall on the first phase of the newest section of the path, which will eventually connect the village to the Haybridge area of Wells near St. Cuthbert’s paper mill.

The first phase of this new section will be completed in the coming weeks (weather permitting) – but it will only be open to pedestrians until negotiations with the neighbouring landowners have concluded.

In the meantime, pedestrians can reach Haybridge or the surrounding settlements using the existing public rights of way in the local area – with the Strawberry Line urging visitors to adhere closely to these paths to avoid the future of the route being jeopardised.

A spokesman said: “We need to ask everyone to keep out of the whole section for your own safety and to respect what is private land until the work is complete, which will be a week or two yet.

“Any trespassing prior to opening risks the landowner pulling out of phase two of this section, so we appreciate your patience and support.

“And when open, please keep out of farm buildings and yards, which are off limits to the public.

“We are deeply grateful for the landowners who make our extensions possible, so it’s important we all respect their privacy and active farm operations when crossing their land, by sticking to the marked paths.”

For more information on the Strawberry Line, including how to get involved as a volunteer, visit www.thestrawberryline.org.uk.