After final closure in 1965 of the Yatton–Wells railway, known as the Strawberry Line, local residents used parts of the route of the branch line from Cheddar to Yatton as unofficial walks. In 1987 they formed the Cheddar Valley Railway Walk Society which persuaded the district councils to buy much of the line and lease it to the Society as a walk and nature reserve. The Society, along with the Axbridge/Cheddar Cycleway Branch and the Yatton & Congresbury Wildlife Action Group, manages the ten-mile Walk and cycleway between Yatton and Cheddar in partnership with North Somerset and Somerset County Councils. It is hoped to extend through to Wells and possibly also to Wrington and Clevedon. The land between Yatton and the A38 is a designated Local Nature Reserve, the largest in North Somerset. New members of the Society are extremely welcome. Members of the Society receive a regular newsletter giving them news of the route and activities connected with it; these include guided walks, talks and fundraising events. Volunteer working parties are organised to help keep the route clear and do minor maintenance or conservation work. Members have the final say in the Society’s policy towards development of the route. A book has been written about the route: Cheddar Valley Railway Walk by Douglas Kidder & Amanda Brading, published by Ex Libris Press, cost £5.95. Peter Knight, a local historian, has written A Parish and the Railway, about the railway itself; it is a very interesting and detailed study of the railway in the parish of Winscombe and Sandford. Both books are available from local booksellers.
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