Some views looking south towards Wellow from the end of the cycleway. There's plenty of space here for rail facilities and track relaying and is another option for phase 3 - the down goods yard in this area has plenty of room and as far as we can ascertain no other takers! In fact I've heard that at least one of the landowners hereabouts is extremely keen for the line to return!
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Been checking the formation at Wellow from Google. I see that the station building survives as does an excellent 3 arch bridge on the edge of the village traversing Bull Hill.With a little deviation the railway could easily return to this community.
Note that the cycle route doesn't end there. It continues along the trackbed as far as Wellow before continuing through the village on the road and on to Shoscombe where it rejoins the trackbed to Waterloo Road, Radstock. Sustrans mapping: http://bit.ly/x0w4MB
I was thrown by the gate and the notice that this was a 'permissive' path. Good that a right of way for sustainable transport has been established beyond this point!
Walked through there today Brrrrrrrrr, It is a permissive path as you say and at the Wellow end there is a timetable of path closures, mainly due to pheasant shooting activities.
"Permissive Path" is an odd one indeed. Unlike a right of way like a footpath or a bridlepath the landowner retains the right to close the path whenever he fancies. In this particular instance the landowner shuts the path between that gate and Wellow Trekking Centre for about 4 days a year for shooting parties, hence the alternative route via Twinhoe shown on the Sustrans map.
Most of the off-highway sections of the so-called Colliers Way cycle route between Midford and Frome is classed as Permissive Paths. But as most of them are owned by a subsidiary company of Sustrans there is little likelihood of them being closed off at will.
The Bristol - Bath cycle route is a permissive path as well. This works in favour of the Avon Valley Railway as they don't need to seek a legal order to divert the path when they build an extension. I think the Five Arches Route up to Midsomer Norton station is too.
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