Former railway line named Britain's favourite path

Britain’s top walking and cycling route for 2026 is the Strawberry Line Path in Somerset, after winning a national vote organised by the Ramblers charity.

The 20-mile-plus path follows the old Great Western Railway branch line that once carried strawberries from the Mendip Hills to market. Closed in the 1960s as part of the Beeching cuts, the track was later transformed by volunteers into a shared-use trail for walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users and horses. The route runs through Shepton Mallet, Wells, Cheddar and other Somerset villages before ending near Yatton.

This is the second year in a row that a South West path has won the Ramblers’ competition, after the South West Coast Path between Bude and Westward Ho! took the title in 2025. The annual poll asks the public to vote for their favourite path across the UK.

Amanda Jane Baldwin, who lives in Winscombe, nominated the Strawberry Line. She said she has walked it “more times than I can count” since moving to the area seven years ago. “It’s accessible in all weathers, it goes on for miles, it’s an absolute pleasure to walk, and the nature all around is beautiful,” she said. Baldwin added that volunteer maintenance makes the path especially precious.

The runner-up was the Buttermere Circular Path in the Lake District National Park, followed by the tidal Holy Island Causeway off Northumberland’s coast. The Strawberry Line’s winning margin underscores the broad appeal of well-kept, multi-user routes that connect communities with green space.

Rachel Mulrenan, the Ramblers’ campaigns manager, said local paths act as “lifelines,” linking people to fresh air, exercise and mental health benefits. “Right now, we need these things more than ever,” she said. “Yet across Britain, millions are cut off from nature because local paths are missing, blocked or unusable.” She praised the Strawberry Line as a model of how communities can restore and expand paths for everyone to enjoy.

Since 2015 the Ramblers has received more than £26 million in funding from Postcode Lottery players, which it says has helped protect and promote Britain’s footpaths and green spaces.

#StrawberryLinePath #Somerset #Ramblers #WalkingRoute #CyclingRoute #GreatWesternRailway #BeechingCuts #UKPaths