Wesyat two

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Walked from Yatton to Weston, the final part of an occasional coast to coast project to walk from Skegness to Weston on SlowWays routes. I agree with Mockymock that it is very much a walk of two halves, but overall it does the job safely and efficiently and the eastern half is very enjoyable, though may be muddy in places at times. The western half is a simple but monotonous pavement walk.

The Yatton meeting point is on the west side of the station, and our route starts by using the road bridge to the north to return to the east side - those who can handle steps can shortcut this using the station footbridge. We then join the Strawberry Line cycle track to reach the A370, which has a pavement on the north side. The road is busy so take care crossing - either at the junction with Old Weston Road or a littlle further back, where there is a central refuge but using it means a few meters of road walking. We soon leave Old Weston Road on Colemoor Road, which starts surfaced but becomes a gravel lane. Those who wish to remain dryshod may have to dodge the puddles. Eventually we cross a drainage ditch and follow it right on an unsurfaced track which is a little wet and muddy in places.

We briefly join a quiet lane before taking the largely unmarked field path straight on, crossing the drainage ditch at the second bridge and following its north bank out to the main road. Take care crossing here, as we need to join the pavement on the north side, which we soon leave to turn right along a lane. This is narrowish in places and has no pavement, but I saw no evidence of dangerous driving, so felt fairly safe. This road gets us across the railway and the M5, we then turn left twice onto the very quiet twisty lane into St George. From here all is pavement walking, though in places the GPX file could be more helpful in showing the most walkable lines around the major junctions.

This route is a walk of two halves. I give it a three star rating overall but it’s actually a very dull two-star roadside tramp for five miles through the urban sprawl of Weston and Worle, followed by a much better four-star walk between the edge of town and Yatton.

The first half of the route is direct and easy to navigate, but unvarying and feels longer than it is. Eventually it picks up cycle route 33 in Worle and heads on out to the Somerset Levels past a massive out-of-town shopping centre and through the village of St Georges.

The next couple of miles are still on-road, firstly along a quiet, bendy lane with a grass verge for much of the way, and then a slightly livelier minor road from Bourton to Hewish (the most direct way to get across the M5 on foot in this area). Then, finally, after a couple of hundred metres of paved footway alongside the A370, there is an escape into open fields south of the road. Take care crossing here as it is very busy.

From then on it is an enjoyable ramble through meadows, green lanes, tracks and short sections of quiet minor roads through typical watery Levels landscape (guaranteed soggy and locally muddy in winter) with reed-fringed rhynes and Avon Wildlife Trust’s Puxton Moor Nature Reserve adjacent for part of the way.

The route then crosses back north over the A370 near Congesbury (passing a garage with a shop) and uses the lovely Strawberry Line cycle path for the last mile and a half or so to Yatton Station.

The whole route is pretty much flat and access is generally easy. There is the odd stile and a few gates in the countryside section but much of the route is obstacle-free.

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