Take time out Walk

See the sights around the Strawberry Line

The Strawberry Line is a hugely popular walk and cycle path running along the disused railway from to Cheddar. Before joining the route, take a tour around the Winscombe countryside for views far and wide.

rom the car park, cross Sandford Road Exit at the other end and cross the A371 with Fand walk down Woodborough Road (the care, into the junction with Church Road. The A371) towards the public footpath is on the left, up and over a railway bridge. stone stile, next to the road sign. Go through the Go between the fences then out into the gate on your field. Head straight across, towards the right and up houses at the top. the driveway towards Exit over the stone stile into a lane. Old Station Walk to the left, around the cream- Green. coloured cottage and continue on the footpath downhill. This former railway platform Carry on alongside the fence, go over another stone stile, then head How to get there was restored for the millennium and is over the next field, keeping to Start at map ref: now the perfect place for a the right edge. ST 420578 (OS 141) pit-stop on the Strawberry Line, Go through another stile and Car: with picnic benches and other into the next field, keeping to Winscombe is seating. the left edge. Go through the reached via the A371 Near the stone structure, take kissing gate then follow the yellow from Weston-super- waymarker straight ahead across the Mare or A38 from the footpath off the Strawberry Line, next field. /Bridgwater. following the yellow waymarker downhill. Free car park in Exit through the metal gate at the bottom and There is a watercourse here marking the Sandford Road, next continue straight ahead, towards the cul-de- edge of the field, so it can get muddy. Near to the Woodborough sac. the end, veer to the right. There is a gap in Inn At the bend in the road follow the yellow the hedge with a concrete bridge. Cross this Bus: waymarker through the kissing gate and footbridge and stile in the right corner of the Service 121 or 126 across the field. field and follow the left hedge for a short distance. 16 • North Life • April 2013 Walk Take time out

Cross the wooden stile, go diagonally right At a fork in the path continue on the wider over the field and through a large gap in an route, still heading downhill. At a grey house old hedgerow. Bear left across and up and car park, veer to your right. When the next, narrow, field to a stile, the path splits, take the left route which is rather hidden in the towards a gate. A sign here says Strawberry Line far hedge. this is a permissive path which leads to the Strawberry Line, Drop down and over Sustrans route 26. Winscombe Brook (stepping stones), with East Walk down towards the Well to the left. Continue line and turn left onto it. The ahead to Eastwell Lane line, part of Great Western (which is often muddy) Railway, was completed in and walk up the lane to the 1869. It closed in 1963 and Route information road. Turn left and head up is now a local nature reserve and Distance: heritage trail popular with families, Winscombe Hill. 4.4 miles walkers and cyclists. Take a right-hand turn into Church Lane and Difficulty: go into the churchyard of St James the Great. You will walk through Shute Shelve Tunnel easy-medium – mainly Carry on straight past the church, graves and and it eventually leads back to Millennium level route but with a war memorial and exit through the kissing Green and your couple of steep hills gate. starting and some stiles point. Walk along the path and you will see far- Duration: reaching views to your right. Head towards approx two hours the wooded area, Broad Knoll, and follow Public toilets: the wooden fence to the end. Go through the near entrance to Old kissing gate, with the waymarker pointing Station Green directly uphill, through the trees. Map: Go up and over through the wood. You OS 141 should be able to see the well-trodden path. You will see a waymarker pointing uphill, so Thanks to Dave Parker, a ranger, for suggesting this continue up and round. route. If you know somewhere in that would make The path eventually exits the wood. Go over a suitable walk for Life, email [email protected] the stile and into the field. Watch out for www.thestrawberryline.co.uk grazing animals and keep dogs on leads here. Head to the top right corner, where a stile Start/finish leads out into Barton Drove. Turn left onto the track and follow it until you reach a t-junction. Take the right hand lane, which leads uphill. Continue past Hill Farm and through the kissing gate out into the open land. This is Cross Plain, owned by the National Trust. Head left, keeping near the old stone wall and hedge. Continue across the plain then © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey 100023397 You are not permitted to copy, sub-license, distribute or sell this data to third parties in any form. down through the trees of Kings Wood. www.n-somerset.gov.uk • NorthSomersetC • NorthSomersetCouncil • 17