A new nature reserve, Hollybrook, is being established along the popular Strawberry Line multi-user path in rural Somerset, enhancing both biodiversity and visitor experience. Stretching from Yatton railway station to Cheddar, with plans to extend to Collett Park in Shepton Mallet, the route offers scenic walking and cycling opportunities across the countryside.
The latest section, linking Westbury-sub-Mendip and Easton, opened in summer 2023 and welcomes approximately 50,000 visitors annually. Volunteers from the Strawberry Line Society, together with Greenways and Cycle Routes, are now transforming a two-acre area into the Hollybrook nature reserve.
Located between the active path and properties lining the busy A371, the reserve is accessible through a historic railway arch near Erlon Lane, once part of the Cheddar Valley railway line. This site is a wildlife haven hosting badgers, rabbits, foxes, birds, and deer, nestled within an embankment rich in natural habitats.
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Chairman Mick Fletcher explains that the reserve leverages the opportunity created when the original railway bridge was removed, allowing the path to descend from the embankment and incorporate this wildlife area. Visitors can enjoy a spiraling path leading to benches atop the bridge, offering panoramic views over the Somerset Levels toward Panborough and Wedmore.
Volunteers have fenced off key zones within the reserve to protect sensitive species from disturbance by people and pets. Although this nature enhancement follows the path’s completion by two years, it is a deliberate part of the project ensuring net biodiversity gain.
“When you install a path, you usually lose some biodiversity, but through planting hedges, creating ponds, and now establishing this reserve, we’re ensuring nature comes out ahead,” Fletcher says. The reserve’s perimeter hedge will also provide wildlife privacy and enhance the natural setting.
Family-friendly planting events, such as the one held on January 3, invite locals to contribute directly by planting trees and hedges along the reserve’s edges. Future plans include a picnic area near the entrance and improvements to the viewpoint, making it more accessible for wheelchair users and those with mobility aids.
Fletcher emphasizes that these efforts reflect the Strawberry Line’s core mission—not only to connect communities and encourage countryside access but also to support nature conservation and boost biodiversity throughout the region.
For participants, parking is available at Easton Village Hall or Station Road in Westbury-sub-Mendip, with a short walk to the nature reserve entrance. Somerset Council is expected to announce additional grant funding shortly to support the Strawberry Line and associated cycle routes.