The Cheddar Valley Lost Railway - the 'Strawberry Line' from Yatton to Cheddar and beyond

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Not Shepton Mallet.

But it is between there and Cheddar...

[TonyK]

Tiverton?

Sorry, not Tiverton.

I would have expected a call if it was anywhere around there.

[Andy E]

Tiverton?

Sorry, not Tiverton.

I would have expected a call if it was anywhere around there.

I thought that it looked a bit like the old line heading past Cowleymoor and on towards Bolham. Nor walked it for a few years ago though.

[TonyK]

Are we on the outskirts of Wells?

[JayMac]

Are we on the outskirts of Wells?

We are indeed, Tony.

Between the former Wells (Tucker St) and Wookey stations. Looking toward the site of Wookey Station which is about a ¼ mile away.

To my left is a large new build housing estate off the A371 road to Cheddar. My daughter and her partner live here.

[Chris from Nailsea]

In the interests of continuity and ease of future reference, I have moved and merged several topics here.

These posts all relate specifically to the 'Strawberry Line': as ever, nothing has been deleted and the original topic headings have been retained where possible.

I do hope my consolidation of various historic information into this one definitive topic helps our readers.

Also, I should declare something of a personal interest here: the Strawberry Line is local to me, it is a great cycleway, and their cafe at Yatton station is excellent: if you find yourself in North Somerset with some time to spare, please do give it a go!

CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Next Strawberry Line section close to completion

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A section of a new walking and cycling path in Somerset is close to completion.

The Strawberry Line link, near Kings Academy in Cheddar, will extend the existing route from the village's reservoir down to local housing developments. The path currently runs from Yatton railway station to Wedmore Road in Cheddar and will eventually reach all the way to Collett Park in Shepton Mallet.

David Parkin said the Strawberry Line project, which he has been involved with for more than 20 years, had faced many setbacks over the years.

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"For a long long time, we have repeatedly tried to get a route through in this direction and it's been repeatedly blocked by one thing or another," he said. "So it's a terrific day to see this happen."

The new section of path will be constructed near Cheddar's household waste recycling centre, the Local Democracy Reporting Service was told. South of the playing fields, a new walking and cycling bridge will be constructed over the Cheddar Yeo – along the lines of the bridge installed over the B3136 West Shepton, in Shepton Mallet, in October 2024.

Mick Fletcher, chairman of the Strawberry Line Society, said the team needed to obtain approval from the Environment Agency for the bridge. "That bridge will arrive almost in kit form and be assembled on site," he said. "It won't be quite as big as the bridge that was put in at Shepton Mallet but it will require more volunteers' effort to do it."

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Mr Fletcher went on to thank all of the neighbouring communities - the school, multi-academy trust and the Diocese of Bath and Wells - for their "tremendous co-operation".

The Strawberry Line Society said funding for this section of the route came from grants provided by Mendip District Council, Active Travel England and the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) shared prosperity fund.

[ChrisB]

"Behind the bikeshed" - ooer, missus!

[grahame]

A visit to the Strawberry Line yesterday - I walked from Congresbury to Yatton ... used the pub rather than the Cafe (to attend a Railfuture meeting being held there).  Probably worth taking the bike by train next time and exploring further.

Here to update this thread, pictures from the Congresbury to Yatton section

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

New Strawberry Line pathway extension opens

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A new bridge and section of a walking and cycling path has opened in Somerset.

The Strawberry Line link, a traffic-free pathway, has been extended from Cheddar reservoir to the Draycott Park estate.

The project team said it is the fifth new bridge built on the former Great Western Railway line, which was used for transporting strawberries in the 1960s, in the past three years with plans to expand the line further across Somerset. Negotiations are ongoing with landowners between Wells and Shepton Mallet which may lead to the line being extended further.

Mick Fletcher, chair of the Strawberry Line Society, said the "important link" will enable people to get from one side of the village "to the other without having to navigate the traffic". He added: "Children will be able to go to school on their bikes or on foot whereas you would be reluctant to let younger children go along the main road."

The railway line was closed in 1963 as part of the Beeching cuts, which saw a reduction of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail network and severed thousands of miles of track.

Somerset Council has been working to upgrade "missing links" across the county with various new sections at Shepton Mallet, Wells and Sandford opened in the past few years. It wants to encourage people to walk and cycle more to reduce congestion and pollution levels.

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The Kings Academy Strawberry Line path bridge crosses the Cheddar Yeo river

"This a large statement, about our intention to make active travel more of a possibility for people in Somerset," he added.

A spokesperson for the Strawberry Line project said the extension of the route, which begins at Yatton railway station, will also be a "vital link" in efforts to close the remaining gaps of the path between Cheddar and Shepton Mallet.