Somerset cycle route could be crowned Britain’s favourite path
Somerset’s Strawberry Line is in the running for Britain’s favourite path, with public voting now open as plans progress to extend and improve the popular cycling and walking route
A popular rural Somerset cycle route could soon be crowned Britain’s favourite path in a public vote.
The Strawberry Line active travel route currently runs uninterrupted from Yatton railway station to Labourham Way in Cheddar, and will eventually reach all the way to Collett Park in Shepton Mallet.
The Strawberry Line Society has been working with Somerset Council and local landowners to deliver the remaining sections of the path – with the council announcing in early-April that £730,000 would be provided towards this and other rural routes over the next two years.
A further £30,000 for smaller-scale improvements to the route was provided in early-June by the management team of the Mendip Hills National Landscape (formerly area of outstanding natural beauty, or AONB).
Path users now have only a few weeks to vote for the multi-user path to be awarded the status of Britain’s favourite path by The Ramblers Association, a registered charity which is pushing for improved access to the UK countryside.
The Strawberry Line is the only route in the entirety of the south west to be a finalist, going up against the likes of the West Highland Way near Loch Lomond in Scotland, the Holy Island Causeway near Lindisfarne in Northumberland, and Pinnacle Hill in the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire.
The path was nominated by Amanda Jane Baldwin, who lives in the village of Winscombe and described the route as “stunning”.
She added: “I moved to Winscombe more than seven years ago and this path has been trod by myself more times than I can count.
“It’s accessible in all weathers, it goes on for miles, it’s an absolute pleasure to walk on, it’s beautiful and I appreciate the nature all around me while on the path.
“It is maintained by volunteers which makes it all the more precious to walk on.”
To cast your vote for the Strawberry Line, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/britains-favourite-path-2026-shortlist before 11pm on July 31.
Local residents can vote as many times as they like, but it is limited to one vote per unique email address.
Numerous improvements to the Strawberry Line are being planned over the next 18 months, with negotiations ongoing with local landowners and the Historic Railways Estate to close the remaining gaps along the route.
The existing crossing over the A38 Shute Shelve, near Axbridge, will be upgraded as part of a wider £30m programme of road improvements to cut journey times between junction 22 of the M5 and Bristol Airport.