Strawberry Line gets 'missing link' bridge

A new footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists is to open on Somerset's Strawberry Line.

The B3136 connects West Shepton to Pilton and the A361 towards Glastonbury but often experiences lots of traffic.

Contractors and volunteers with the Strawberry Line Society have been working since February to get a footbridge over the road installed.

The plan is for the route to eventually stretch uninterrupted from Collett Park in Shepton Mallet to Yatton railway station, via Wells and Cheddar.

The new 15-metre-long (45ft) bridge was made to order in Huddersfield.

It will provide a direct car-free route between West Shepton Playing Fields and the town centre via The Sidings, linking up with two further sections of the Strawberry Line which opened in March 2023 – one leading to Collett Park, the other out to Ridge Road.

The Strawberry Line itself largely follows the route of the former Cheddar Valley railway line, which was dismantled in the mid-1960s as part of the notorious Beeching cuts.

The bridge itself will be opened to the public from Friday.

Councillor Ros Wyke, who has been pushing for the completion of the Strawberry Line for decades, said she was confident the bridge would be used by “hundreds of thousands of people” over a single year.

“For the people of Shepton Mallet, this means they can connect across their whole town," Cllr Wyke said, adding "this is a red letter day” for walkers and cyclers.

The next stage of the project will see volunteers focus on closing the remaining gap between Shepton Mallet and Wells, extending the existing link from Ridge Road towards Churchill Batch Lane.