The time has come to walk the Greenway again!. We had a fairly long pause over the winter, but spring has sprung and it’s time to get back at it. The next one is on Saturday, 30th May from 09:30 – 14:00 (approx). Details here
Althgough we can’t walk the exact route, we can give you the gist of our hoped-for route from the public footpaths between Wellington and Taunton through the River Tone Valley. You will see why we have borrowed the ‘Grand Westrn’ name from the canal, and realise why this route is so important for travel infrastructure.
It is a beautiful walk but, equally importantly, it is a direct route into the important parts of Taunton and Wellington. Sure, it will be a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but it will also provide a quick and convenient route to work, to college or to that hospital appointment without having to endure the joys of the A38 at 9 o’clock in the morning.
We call it an inter-urban route which will connect two important towns as well as providing an arterial route for a number of smaller communities to travel quickly and easily between themselves and the larger centres. For example, Milverton has a good potential Quiet Lane over Houndsmoor to Nynehead. Nynehead has a direct connection to the Greenway route along the Wessex Water access route that serves their facility by the river. Wouldn’t it also be a thing if Wiveliscombe were able to establish a route along the dismantled railway that runs adjacent to the main road to Milverton. There is an interactive map on our website that shows these potential connections, but it is going to take a highly motivated Council to get it done.
Connecting communities and creating active travel networks should be at the heart of transport plans for the County, but Somerset has a pretty relaxed approach to anything that isn’t in an urban area. Take for instance, the travel to work journeys in Somerset with data from the national cencus. These are the top 10 daily, two way movements.
| Journey | Two-way daily movements |
| Taunton-Wellington | 3288 |
| Bridgwater-taunton | 1880 |
| Crewkerne-Yeovil | 995 |
| Burnham on sea – Highbridge | 866 |
| Taunton – Yeovil | 699 |
| Bridgwater – Highbridge | 683 |
| Glastonbury – Street | 612 |
| Chard – Taunton | 529 |
| Chard – Yeovil | 515 |
| Bridgwater – Burnham on sea | 424 |
To quote the Council, “travel to work makes up a large share of journeys during weekday hours and improvements support and boost economic growth”. Surely the time has come to look at a realistic alternative to provide for active travel to take some of the pressure out of the roads and the climate and to support the health and wellbeing of the commuities we live in.
Tell us what you think…
We have launched a Travel and Use Survey which should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Please let us (and Somerset Council) know what you think about the Grand Western Greenway, and feel free to share it as far and wide as you wich
Grand Western Greenway – Travel & Use Survey – Fill in form
Don’t forget…
Walk the Greenway – 30th May 2026
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