Community volunteers and local people gathered to celebrate to mark another step forward in the Strawberry Line Path in Somerset today (Friday 14 November).
They were joined by Somerset Council representatives at the opening of the link that bridges a section known as the Kings of Wessex Gap in Cheddar. The new section, supported by funding from the Council, built by Greenways and Cycleroutes, runs from Cheddar Leisure Centre in Station Road, around the perimeter of the Kings Academy playing field and over a new bridge across the Cheddar Yeo.
The route connects to the existing stretch of the Strawberry Line south of Cheddar and enables direct access for people living south of the Yeo to Kings Academy, Cheddar Leisure Centre, Sharpham Road sports ground, the new Bloor estate, Axbridge and Cheddar Reservoir and onto Yatton Starion for national rail access.
Councillor Ros Wyke, Somerset Council’s Associate Lead Member for Active Travel and Public Transport, said:
It’s fantastic to see yet another section of the Strawberry Line delivered and it represents another Active Travel initiative in Somerset – a priority for us as a Council.
The link will provide direct access to the leisure centre, and I hope this will reduce the incentive to drive there.
Students and teachers at the school now have an off-road route directly to the school gates. Parents will be more prepared to let their children gain the independence to walk or cycle to school – good for both physical and mental health.
I would like to thank the school, Wessex Learning Trust and the leisure centre for their enthusiasm in making this section of the Strawberry Line turn from being an ambition to a reality.
The section includes a newly built 30m bridge across the Cheddar Yeo River.
The Strawberry Line is a traffic-free path reaching from the Mendips to the sea. The path is a unique and pioneering multi-partnership project between, charities, volunteers, contractors, community groups, councils, Historical Railways Estate (HRE) and private landowners.
Between them contractors – both local to Cheddar – Holcim UK and Somerset Council’s highways resurfacing partner Heidelberg Materials UK donated over 1,200 tonnes of aggregates for the project – worth £25,000.
Simon Parkes, Heidelberg’s Unit Manager at Batts Combe quarry said:
Hats off to the Trustees of the Strawberry Line for their incredible work in creating this new link.
We know it will be valued and enjoyed by the local community including many of our Batts Combe colleagues, so we’re thrilled to play our part in supporting the project.
Simon Evans, Quarry Manager at Holcim UK’s Callow Quarry said:
Our team at Callow is proud to have played its part in this project. As well as donating aggregate to help reinstate and construct pathways for the Strawberry Line we also volunteered on site as a team.
As part of the community for many years we recognise what a difference this will make for local people and we look forward to enjoying it alongside them.
Somerset Council, and before, Mendip Council, has helped the project by providing guidance and investment where possible.
The converted railway line now provides a link for walkers, cyclists, mobility users and horse riders through wonderful Somerset countryside.
The Strawberry Line project encourages people out of cars, reducing congestion and pollution, while promoting active travel and a healthy lifestyle. It also supports local businesses along the route too, helping to achieve a number of the Council’s key priorities.
