Author: Charles Biscoe

  • Greenway news

    Greenway news

    We have had tremendous support for our walks along the Greenway over the last few months. We continue to plod though the mud (it;s not that bad) throughout the winter, and have our next coming up on Sunday, 10th December. This will go from Taunton to Wellington starting at 09:30. It takes about four hours to cover the 8 miles.

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    We are very grateful to Wellington Town Council for their support. In their recent meeting to set next year’s budget, they created a sum of £10,000 to be made available to us upon application. This was a strategy used to kickstart the reinstatement of Wellington Railway Station and the refurbishment of Wellington Monument. Both these projects have been succesful, and we have every confidence the Greenway will be the next one

    Somerset Council has circulatred the Sustainability Options study into travel between Wellington and Taunton commissioned last year by Somerset West and Taunton Council. Although it makes much of various routes around the A38, we are confident the council will put its support behind the Greenway. We know that the Greenway would be at least four times cheaper than a path by the highway, and that the community-driven nature of this project (like the Strawberry) is an attractive option for a council that has no money!

  • Which way would you go?

    Which way would you go?

    Somerset Council is consulting about sustainable travel between Wellington and Taunton. If you were a walker, wheeler or a cyclist travelling for pleasure, leisure, work or anything else, which way would you choose to go?

    The choices are,

    • a path on either the north or south side of the A38 from the Chelston roundabout to the new Stonegallows roundabout.
    • a traffic-free greenway route along Grand Western Canal from Wellington (from Longforth Farm) to Taunton Station

  • Wellington Station and the Greenway

    Wellington Station and the Greenway

    The new railway station planned for Wellington makes a cycle route between the town and Taunton a real possibility.

    The new railwaystation planned for Wellington ‘boosts the argument’ for a cycle route between the town and Taunton.

    That’s the view of campaigners who want it to follow the grand western canal – rather than the busy A38 as had been originally looked at (see below). 

    At the weekend the first in regular guided walks – along the proposed route – took place so potential users could see the benefits. 

    The proposed new route would connect with the new Wellington train station, which the Government recently gave the go-ahead for. 

  • How other people do it…

    How other people do it…

    We are not the only people who campaign to achieve their ambition about how cycling could be a more pleasant experience in Somerset. The Strawberry Line has been under construction for a long time, with the most significant part between Yatton and Cheddar. More sections are underway in Somerset, and in March 2022, a new section betwen Wells and Dulcote was opened.

    The continuing work is managed by the Greenways and Cycleroutes in the form of John Grimshaw with whom our project has a strong relationship. John is the founder of Sustrans, and is the instigator and engineer that inspired the Bristol to Bath Cyclepath. He works with local contractors in a way that is sympathetic to the local environment, and which keeps costs to a level that is much more manageable than using large corporate organisations.

    This section has got to this stage in 11.5 days!

    Access for the farmer getting across his land has necessitated the construction which was designed by John and installed by the same contractor.

    The trackbed of the old railway is roughly at the level of the tracks on the digger, but nothing is lost as material is transferred from one section to another to fill in the dips.

    This section from Draycott is complete and has the first season of growth being managed by local volunteers who maintain the path.

    In the distance you can just about glimpse Wells Cathedral

    The Grand Western Green Association will adopt a similar approach to the Strawberry Line in that we hope to build in sections starting from Taunton to Silk Mills, and then from the Wellington Station through to the Nynehead Road. A phased approach to construction allows time for money to be raised, and for the concept to become deeply embedded in the minds of planners, volunteers and users alike.

  • Feasibility Study, for want of a better name…

    Feasibility Study, for want of a better name…

    In 2022, the long standing campaign to see a cycle route built between Wellington and Taunton focused on a route alongside the A38. Somerset Council pledged to establish the route by 2025, although this has slipped and slipped as all pledges do.

    The most recent development at a cost of £50,000, has been made by the Council to commission a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC), the purpose of which is to be prepared for submission to the Department for Transport (DfT) in the event of competitive funding becoming available – an ‘oven-ready’ plan! There is no such funding at the moment, and the SOBC has been delayed by several months before it made any real progress.

    The firm of consultants preparing it, Stantec , are briefed to put forward a plan for’ improving sustainable transport between the two towns, and this is suitably vague so that everything, including cycling, can be looked at. We would have preferred them to focus solely on creating a cycle and walking path, but this specification as it is could include rail travel, bus travel or, as one officer recently said in jest, ‘the addition of anothe rcar lane on the A38!’ 

    Nevertheless, the SOBC (or feasibility study as we would prefer to call it) is underway, and making progress towards a set of stakeholder workshops. The Grand Western Greenway Association has submitted a proposal document to Somerset Council and to Stantec. We have engaged with our pratners as we developed it, and you can download it below.

    Grand Western GreenwayDownload
  • How is the campaign going?

    How is the campaign going?

    There has been a campaign to get a traffic-free cycle route between Wellington and Taunton for many years. In the last three years this has involved a well supported protest and rally at which prominent local politicians including the current leader of Somerset Council pledged their support and committed to getting it done.

    Somerset Council has commissioned consultants to put together an outline strategic business case for a cycle path from Wellington to Taunton. This is in preparation for the time when funding is available from the Department for Transport and other sources, and is looking at all the options between the railway line to the north and the M5 to the south.

    The consultants will be conducting stakeholder consultations in the next few months, and we, the Grand Western Greenway Association, will lobby hard for our route to be favoured. The more people we have supporting us, the stronger our case will be, so please get involved.

  • What’s the purpose of a Greenway?

    What’s the purpose of a Greenway?

    Wellington is a substantial town 6 miles from the county town of Taunton. It is proposed to establish a predominantly traffic-free greenway between them along the route of the disused Grand Western Canal. Wellington will have a new railway station by 2025 which would mark the starting point, and it would end at Taunton Railway Station giving access to both town centres

    Sustainable transport initiatives in the coming years mean that more will be cycling from Wellington to Taunton,

    • the canal corridor provides a level route separated from most traffic,
    • its heritage and wildlife assets make it also ideal for recreational use,
    • It will provide 6 miles where walkers and cyclists can exercise without traffic noise and fumes,
    • it will link Taunton station and the new Wellington station for benefit of visitors
    • links with other local community initiatives (Friends of the Grand Western Canal, the Wellington Green Corridor) will provide opportunities for business development along the route.