Work is officially under way on the newest section of a popular cycle route which will eventually stretch from Shepton Mallet to the Somerset coast.

The Strawberry Line active travel route currently runs interrupted between Yatton railway station and Station Road in Cheddar, largely following the route of the former Cheddar Valley railway line.

Numerous other short portions of the route have been opened over the last 12 months, including two sections of the route in Shepton Mallet in March 2023 and the completion of a link between Westbury-sub-Mendip and Easton, which opened on September 2023.

Work is currently ongoing on an extension near Dulcote household waste recycling centre, which will bring the route to within two miles of Shepton Mallet as the crow flies once it opens around Easter.

Contractors and volunteers with the Strawberry Line Society have now embarked on the latest section, which will see the Shepton Mallet part of the route completed – provided a new bridge over a main road can be installed.

Two sections of the path were installed in Shepton Mallet back in March 2023 – a short stretch through the Shape Mendip car park and under the A371 Cannard's Grave Road, and a longer section between Ridge Road and the West Shepton Playing Fields off the B3136 West Shepton.

This latest venture serves as the missing link between these two sections, meaning people can safely walk and cycle from Collett Park in the town centre into the open countryside towards Wells without going on a main road.

Currently cyclists emerging from under the A371 can use The Sidings residential street to move south of the Townsend Retail Park, but then have to navigate a maze of parked cars before moving under the old railway bridge onto Kent Lane and then onto the B3136.

Under the new proposals, the route will be extended from the western end of The Sidings down towards Kent Lane, providing a connection with the Queens Road playground and the existing houses.

From there, it will gently climb up to the existing railway abutments by the B3136.

Both slopes will be constructed at a gradient of no more than one in 20, in line with government guidelines, to enable mobility scooters to travel along the route.

The Strawberry Line Society and its partner Greenways and Cycle Routes intend for a new, lightweight bridge to be installed, "possibly this year", to straddle the road and provide easy and safe access to the playing fields, skate park and football stadium, as well as linking up with the existing path to Ridge Road.

A spokesman said: "When complete, the resultant route will offer pedestrians and cyclists of all ages and abilities, as well as users in wheelchairs, on mobility scooters or with walking frames, a safe and attractive route from Collett Park to the outskirts of town, and into open countryside – eventually connecting to the path coming from Wells to create a traffic-free route between the town and the city.

"It is National Highways' ambition to open up one of the old arches under Ridge Road, which could take the path all the way to Summerhill Lane in the near future. Wells, here we come!"

National Highways' historic railway estate (HRE), which manages around 3,100 historic structures across England, confirmed in early-January that it was actively working to open up former arches under Stump Cross Bridge on Ridge Road, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to pass safely underneath.

The new Shepton Mallet 'missing link' will be built up to the same standard as the rest of the route from Wells, with a three-metre-wide path and an all-season dusted limestone surface, making it suitable for all users groups.

The completed Strawberry Line forms a crucial part of the 'Somerset Circle', which will comprise a 76-mile traffic-free route linking Bristol, Bath, the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels (with an offshoot towards Frome).

For more information on the Strawberry Line – including how to get involved as a volunteer – visit www.thestrawberryline.org.uk.