Two historic viaducts in Somerset will be given a new lease of life after plans for a new active travel route were approved.
Mendip District Council pledged in June 2020 that it would reinstate and upgrade 14 "missing links" across the district, encouraging people across the district to walk or cycle to work or school, thereby reducing congestion and pollution. Greenways & Cycle Routes put forward plans in December 2021 to deliver the first section of a new active travel route between Shepton Mallet and Emborough, utilising two former viaducts and a 120-metre former railway tunnel at the northern edge of the town.
Somerset Council (which replaced Mendip in April) has now granted permission for what councillors described as "a great route for safe cycling". The new route will largely follow the path of the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway line, which closed as part of the infamous Beeching cuts in the mid-1960s.
The route will start at the Ham Wood viaduct (also known as the Windsor Hill viaduct) in the parish of Croscombe, and run south-east through the Windsor Hill tunnel before passing over both Ham Lane and Forum Lane. Walkers and cyclists will then cross the Bath Road viaduct, taking them high above the B3136 Bath Road, before ending their journey at a new junction with the A37 Kilver Street Hill.
Much of the route either follows or moves close by the East Mendip Way, which runs from the eastern edge of Wells to the western edge of Frome. Once permissions and further funding have been secured, campaigners hope that the route can be extended further east over the Charlton viaduct, linking up with the A361 Charlton Road.
ane Nicklin, who serves on Shepton Mallet Town Council, was one of many figures expressing their enthusiastic support for the route when Somerset Council's planning committee east met in Shepton Mallet on Tuesday afternoon (September 5). She said "This is a really useful addition to the local community - and beyond that, it’s going to encourage tourism and other villages to link up with our town.
"We are fully behind this - already we see people going up and using those pathways. The amount of positive comments about it on Facebook is extraordinary."
The Windsor Hill route is eventually intended to form part of the Somerset Circle, a 76-mile traffic-free circuit which would link the north Somerset coast (including Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon), Bristol, Bath, the Mendip Hills and Cheddar. The circle is currently around two-thirds completed, with around 50 miles linked up, and most of the outstanding sections lie in the former Mendip or Sedgemoor districts.
Two new sections of the Strawberry Line - which will form part of the Somerset Circle - were opened in Shepton Mallet in March, with work currently under way on further extensions in Easton (which will open on September 16) and Dulcote (which could open by the end of the year). Councillor Edric Hobbs (whose Mendip Hills division borders the planned route) said: "It’s going to come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I wholeheartedly support this.
"I’m excited about this - it will be a great route for safe cycling and provide a great route for people who aren’t as fit as me to get onto the Mendips." The committee voted to approve the plans by a margin of ten votes to none - though Councillor Bente Height, who represents Shepton Mallet, chose to abstain from the vote.
Gavin Mayall, leader of the Friends of Windsor Hill Tunnels volunteer group, has welcomed the news of planning approval, describing it as "a very long and hard-fought battle". Mr Mayall - who also sits on Shepton Mallet Town Council - added: "So many people have worked tirelessly on this.
"There have been heartbreaking setbacks and seemingly impossible conditions. Ultimately this project and the others like it are being done entirely for the benefit of our community, along railway lines that were built nearly 200 years ago."
No target opening date for the route has yet been agreed; however, sections of the route (such as those following the East Mendip Way) are open informally - something which Mr Mayall said had helped to increase interest in the project. He said: "Since the informal reopening of the tunnel it has opened up the whole Windsor Hill area including our community woodland.
"The current level of usage has been quite remarkable there are people of all ages and abilities, many of whom have not seen the area for decades as access has been impossible. Although the majority of the heavier maintenance so far has been done by contractors, it must not be underestimated the amount of work and therefore money saved that has been done by local volunteers.
"There are now four such groups working at different locations around Shepton Mallet - the one at Windsor Hill, for example, now has over 60 members. We always need more volunteers again of all abilities. Everybody can do something, so please get in touch if you would like to help."
Mr Mayall said negotiations with landowners were ongoing in order to open up both the Charlton viaduct and other 'missing links' in and around Shepton Mallet, including further sections of the Strawberry Line. He said: "Some members of the public seem very frustrated that it is all not yet finished and open.
"This really is due to the complexities of the land ownership. We too would love to deliver it all instantly, but sadly these things do not work like that.
"The tactic is to deliver what we can where we can. That can at times look a little disjointed, but it is slowly getting the job done and we are beginning to fill the gaps."
To recruit and train volunteers, Greenways & Cycle Routes is holding its eighth Greenways Work Camp in Shepton Mallet from Saturday (September 9) to September 16, with a day set aside at either end of the camp for setting up and dismantling equipment. This year's camp will involve working on the two viaducts, building on work carried out in 2022, with those participating being encouraged to camp on the grassy floor of a former quarry.