The Strawberry Line (Somerset)

BOOKED a few days away in Somerset for a break from lockdown and a rest from work.   I planned to go for a run whilst away which is the best way to see any area up close and personal.   There is an app on my phone called "Footpaths", which is a really good way to find runs in areas that you may not be familiar with.   It's a free app worth looking at.

The app kept coming up with the "Strawberry Line" but was unclear as to what this was?   It showed a long route through the country with what appeared to be a tunnel!   One of the many entrances was close to where I was staying in Sidcot, so I turned to Google to try and solve the mystery.   What I found was "Cheddar Strawberries" which seemed a very odd taste combination!   But the line did go down to Cheddar Gorge, so the mystery is slowly unravelling with the line being a disused railway line, "The game is afoot Holmes".

The Cheddar Valley Line, which ran from Yatton railway station through Cheddar and Wells was opened in 1869 and became known as the "Strawberry Line" because of the volume of locally grown strawberries that it carried on to London markets.   Strawberries were collected from a string of Cheddar Valley village settlements sheltered under the southern slopes of the Mendip Hills between Cheddar and Wells for transporting to Yatton Junction.   The line was also a vital economic link for passengers, quarrying, agriculture and general jobs.

For nearly a century several trains a day served the village communities along the line until it's closure in 1963.   After this the line fell into disrepair and a wealth of wildlife habitats were allowed to prosper.

Things remained this way until 1983 when volunteers from the Cheddar Valley Railway Walk Society began converting the line into a walking and cycling route.   The route is mainly traffic-free with no steep gradients and takes in a variety of landscapes from the flat marshes and cider apple orchards around Yatton, steep wooded valleys and a tunnel through the Mendips, to historic Axbridge and the spectacular Cheddar Gorge.

The route has been re-surfaced since opening and on-going improvements have seen the current road section through Sandford replaced with a traffic-free path behind the Thatchers cider farm.   The current route can be broken down into segments ...

• Cleveland to Yatton
• Yatton to Cheddar
• Cheddar to Wells
• Wells to Shepton Mallet

From Strawberries to an amazing initiative by volunteers from the Cheddar Valley Line Walking Committee removing all the rails and sleepers and replacing it with a maintained path giving people an amazing pathway over 10 miles with virtually no vehicles.   I was sold and wanted to have a closer look at the line, but I was short of time and could only achieve a small segment, but better something than nothing!

I set the alarm for 06:00 and nipped out whilst Mrs. 50+ was still asleep and set off for Winscombe station which was just down the road.   I walked up to the platform and dropped down onto the path which stretched out in front of me towards Axbridge and off I set through the Somerset countryside.

I soon came to the next station which, although wasn't there anymore, had barriers that reminded me of turnstiles you find at railway stations on either end of the stretch.   By this stage the countryside was opening out and I could see the amazing views over the valleys.

Continuing on the line I saw the Shute Shelve tunnel; a 165-metre long tunnel with no lights that you can walk safely through.   The geology changes from soft marl to hard limestone with cats eyes along the sides and down the middle of the path to keep on on track in the dark (if only I knew you needed a head torch, even in daylight!).

It wasn't until I got home and started to research the tunnel that I found, "The tunnel has rare cave spiders and various species of bat".   That explained why it felt as if something was watching my progress through the tunnel. Every horror film I have seen came to mind as I didn't have a torch and it was very dark.   But there were a few cyclists that went past me going in the opposite direction and they clearly got through with out being eaten!

I then came to a minor road and crossed onto a footpath.   I had looked this up and the guide explained the line is still under development. You follow the footpath and pick the Strawberry Line up after Axbridge.   But the footpath was so overgrown I couldn't get through, so had to go back and take an alternative route through Axbridge village to the Strawberry line on the other side.   Luckily, it was clearly signposted through the beautiful village.

I was sorry to complete the run as each stage is so different as you go through different aspects of the county.   One part I remember well was running a path covered in Buddleia (butterfly bushes), which was amazing as you are up quite high and can see the countryside for miles.

It was a great initiative and a great run. I aimed to run 5km from Winscombe to the other side of Axbridge and another 5km back.   This has given me a taste for Cheddar Strawberries and a real interest in the line.   It reminded me that we also have a disused local line that links the North Downs to the South Downs.   I was born in Redhill, Surrey which is underneath the North Downs and now live in Haywards Heath which is at the foot of the South Downs.   Maybe I should check this one out next and see where that takes me?  After all, the line is only 37 miles long!

Here are some links if you are interested in checking it out some more ...

The Strawberry Line

Cycle route in Somerset