Overall, I recommend using Axbwel two because it is a better walk overall but just to note that this route is walkable all the way and is exactly the same for much of the walk....

Mockymock

It is an enjoyable over-the-hill hike, basically one long up followed by one long down, with a reasonably pleasant mile around the edge of Cheddar village and a fun stroll along the concrete ramparts of Axbridge’s circular reservoir lake at the end. Eventually you start descending again and reach the open-access area around Cheddar Gorge on the southern Mendip Scarp where the Slow Way takes a bit of a sideways loop east along the clifftop gorge walk to make the most of the view into the gorge. From here there is a steep descent through woodland down into the edge of Cheddar village where you can easily divert into the village proper for all the tourist facilities around the bottom of the gorge: eateries, shops, pubs etc. The Slow Way itself jinks west and continues along the northern edge of the town along quiet roads, passing the Gardener’s Arms pub along the way before crossing a main road and picking up a track and cycle path to Axbridge reservoir. Axbridge is well connected by the Plymouth Falcon bus that runs all week to Bristol and the Southwest, but you have to walk a mile west out of the main village for to the bus stops on the A38 to get it....

Mockymock

The really steep muddy climb south of Hutton can be avoided using the Hutton millennium green footpath linking with Canada Combe - you do miss a delightful woodland stroll though at the top....

Chris

The Slow Way takes the easiest and most efficient route over this hill but if you have the energy for the climb as well as a twelve mile walk, I recommend taking the path right over the top of the knoll between Brent Knoll village and East Brent for the big view from the top. After East Brent, the route takes minor roads for much of the next five miles, partly because there are a lot of ageing and unsafe bridges across rhynes in the area which have resulted in temporary footpath closures, so at Edingworth, you gave to walk around a little loop of road instead of taking the quick route across fields and Crab Hole cannot currently be reached on the obvious footpath over the motorway, necessitating an extra stretch of road walk through Loxton....

Mockymock

The route largely follows the West Mendip Way which is signposted well, lots of old school stone stiles and a steep but staircased section up the Ebor Gorge....

Steve_Roser

I love walking in this area, and much of this Slow Way is a classic limestone Mendip hill walk with a big climb and descent of the southern scarp and some fabulous views....

Mockymock

An excellent, easy to follow route. Mainly on paths and byways. Superb views the gpx track could be tidied up a bit, but was obvious....

Tim Ryan

An easy to follow and pleasant route. Mostly along a cycleway using a disused railway. Nonetheless a very nice walk....

Tim Ryan

I've been waiting for months to put this review on the previously inaccessible route page and now, finally, I can!...

Mockymock

While it's great, there was one spot that wasn't navigable when I walked in May, and I had trouble with a field of cows that was easily avoided around Cheddar. I've uploaded an updated version that fixes these and several other minor issues!...

mtormey

First, I walked from Axbridge to Cheddar, then I took the bus to Wells. The next day, I walked Wells to Cheddar. From Cheddar, if you're feeling up to it, the iconic Cheddar Gorge is perfect for exploring! The route between Cheddar and Wells is awesome....

mtormey

I walked this particular route because I was eager to go on a tour of the Thatchers cider mill (directly on the route, the sign pictured that says “no public right of way” isn’t a fault in the route or anything, I just liked that it was a Thatchers orchard!) and check out Cheddar (just a bit further, along the Axbwel route) and I took the train to Yatton from Bristol, so this was a perfect route for my needs....

mtormey

Once over the top, the route makes its way down to the village of Shipham on stony tracks and through fields following the West Mendip Way. The way then continues to follow the waymarked path around to the south of the village on a fiddly route through little fields and copses which gets muddy at some times of year. It is nice enough but I think it is perhaps more straightforward simply to walk through the village (where there is a shop and pub), first using the footway above the road on the east side of the road, then the ongoing pavement, to take the lane east out of the centre of the village and pick up the mapped route again on Rowberrow Lane. The route heads on steadily downhill from there into Burrington and crosses the bottom entrance of the steep, rocky combe before heading steadily back up the hill again on lanes and tracks through the edge of the village, fields and woodland, before levelling out and making the final moderate descent through pastures into Blagdon....

Mockymock

It is a top-quality five-star hilly hike for the seven or eight miles between Axbridge and the edge of Weston at Oldmixon, which is then brought down a star by a sudden switch to a tramp through Weston’s urban sprawl for the remaining couple of miles. Signage isn’t brilliant here and access is mostly through ordinary field gates, but the route through is pretty obvious. It is then all-change at the bottom of the hill at Oldmixon as the route transitions very suddenly from a Mendip hill walk to a thoroughly urban route. Access on the rural portion of the route includes gates, kissing gates, a few stiles and footbridges. The urban portion of the route is flat and almost all paved, with a couple of short slopes to access railway crossings and, as I remember it, the route looks mainly wheelable, although there may be one or two motorbike deterrent-type barriers across footpaths....

Mockymock

The route into/out of Axbridge uses the excellent Strawberry Line railway path, but at w3w reach.hammer.stunt where there appears to be a junction between the railway path and the bridlepath to/from Wavering down to the west, the railway path is in a cutting and entering a tunnel, and the bridlepath is many many metres up a rockface above it.........

Mockymock

Agree with the other reviews, but to add to them, good refreshment stops are the Railway Inn at Sandford or the Woodborough Inn in Winscombe....

Chris

It is all easily walkable and looks to be regularly walked but has the usual rural mixture of slightly patchy signage, variable stiles (one or two in poor condition), some easy step-over footpath gates, others tied with string and one fully padlocked, including the footpath inset gate, which had to be climbed....

Mockymock

This is a lovely walk, which we made circular-ish, by cycling from Wedmore to Axbridge, along quiet country lanes mostly, locking the bikes up, walking the slow way back and picking up the car....

Steve_Roser

This Slow Ways route does include two short sections of footpath either side of the A368 at Sandford (best on foot only) and the northerly of these is currently temporarily closed during building works at the well-known cider company’s HQ but it is easy to divert and generally, unless you were intending to visit Sandford, the permissive sections of the Strawberry Line path in this area (closed only on Christmas Day according to the notices on the gates) are the easy option anyway. Overall, This is an accessible, well-used route for walking and wheels. Mostly flat with good surfaces and mostly off-road apart from the stretch into Axbridge, and only a few short sections with gradients and more gravelly paths...

Mockymock

The Strawberry line cycle path runs from Yatton station to Axbridge, and this flat, lovely route follows it virtually all the way. The surface is good throughout and could easily be negotiated by an all-terrain wheelchair or buggy. There are no stiles, although there are some pinchpoints designed to keep out motorbikes which are the width of a bike handlebar....

Steve_Roser