Norbri one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Norbri here.

A nice walk through The Meads nature reserve. It was not possible at the time of the review to complete the described route, due to footpath closures because of housing development at Wilstock Village. These led to me using the road route to the west, which whilst being ok. there was little traffic it was not the actual route. I was back on route at Shearston and the rest of the route was fine.

Starting in Bridgwater the path follows pavements next to main roads initially (with a dedicated crossing over the dual carriageway). It then crosses St Mathews Field. You can cut the corner off the official path to come out at the RSPB reserve. This is a well used wetland reserve so there are lots of paths. Many of the paths officially cut across ‘fields’ but, as it is a wetland, it is more sensible to go round the edges. At Broadmeadow the field is large and it is difficult to stay on route and spot the exit gate but there are alternatives which do not detour much. A short section of minor road with no verge or pavement leads to a new housing estate with more houses being built. This was the hardest part to navigate. While the rights of way are still supposedly there, they are not signed and can be difficult to spot. I had the navigation app running on my phone as my map was too out of date and even that was sending me down roads that did not have a footpath at the end to link back up with the route. I had to ask twice if I was going the right way (I wasn’t) and ended up deciding just to walk along the pavement of the ‘main’ housing estate road until I came across a clear footpath leading out of the estate. There was then a lovely section across the levels but again, no signage and again, paths that should cut across fields were not clear on the ground (early spring crop growth) so I ended up walking around the edges. The route comes out on Ivors Way which is new housing aswell but it was easier here to spot the path that lead out onto North Petherton High Street.
I have given this route 3 stars as, while it is still possible to follow, it is difficult to navigate the new housing estate and, with the rate of current building in the area, will involve walking through housing estates for the majority of the route.

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