An ongoing project to expand a popular multi-user path in Somerset is progressing well, with volunteer groups leading the mission to improve the region’s connectivity.
Once completed, the Strawberry Line will provide a car-free route from Shepton Mallet to Yatton railway station, passing through Wells and several other villages along the way.
Work on the routes is predominantly carried out by local volunteers. Richard Jones, treasurer of the Strawberry Line East group, believes that this is the “best way” to execute the project.
“It’s important for the community to feel like they own the path from the outset,” says Jones. “This model of community ownership is inspiring, it’s exciting, and it yields better results”.
Richard Page, who has been volunteering with the Strawberry Line for six years, says the work the group does is “very rewarding”.
“It’s great to see when people actually start using the paths,” says Page. “People will hopefully be able to get a lot fitter and enjoy the countryside.”
We’re proud of and grateful to our extensive community of volunteers, friends, key partners, trustees, council backers, political support, neighbouring path projects, 🍓Line pioneers and huge huge public support. 🥰
— The Strawberry Line (@StrawbLine) January 1, 2025
We simply can’t do all the work without you. pic.twitter.com/KM88JytujR
Since 2021, several new sections have been completed, including the installation of a new footbridge in Shepton Mallet in October. These recent developments come after what Jones describes as “a rather bumpy” history.
While North Somerset has had access to a large network of cycle paths since the 1990s, these projects have moved more slowly in the rest of the county.
However, following a change in administration at Mendip District Council in 2019, there appears to have been more backing for projects like the Strawberry Line.
“These paths are beyond special and even life changing for communities,” says Jones, who emphasises the impact the routes have on the physical and mental health of locals.
“We’re all being told to move more, but if the infrastructure to do so doesn’t exist, then it is a little bit of a Catch-22,” he adds.
Jones also highlights the crucial role these paths play in supporting the local economy and helping the environment.
The finished route would make up a large portion of the proposed ‘Somerset Circle’, a 76-mile route spanning various segments of disused railway lines across the region.
Tessa Munt, MP for Wells and Mendip Hills, says the path “will greatly enhance safety and contribute towards tourism across the whole area.”
Munt complimented the project’s leaders for finding solutions to move round “bureaucratic barriers that might have beaten a less enthusiastic, optimistic and dedicated group of supporters.”
“It has been an absolute delight to watch volunteers set to and get on with the job of making the Strawberry Line multi-user path a reality.”
Over two thirds of the Somerset Circle have already been completed, including the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, the Two Tunnels Greenway, and the River Avon Trail.
Other volunteer groups across the region, like the Friends of Windsor Hill Tunnels and the Frome’s Missing Links, are working to complete the unfinished sections of the route.
More improvements to the Strawberry Line are planned over the next 18 months. Volunteers are currently aiming to clear the proposed path between Shepton Mallet and Wells.
