By Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby with further reporting by Frome Times
Phase two of Frome’s Missing Link has officially reopened after being resurfaced, following a successful fundraising campaign.
The 1.3km path, linking the Colliers Way terminus to Elliots Lane in Hapsford, can be accessed from Buckland Road in Great Elm or via the Colliers Way. Originally laid in 2018, its rough surface was unsuitable for horses, bikes, scooters and wheelchairs.
After raising £27,000 last autumn, the route received a £140,000 upgrade, improving access to National Cycle Network route 24. It was formally reopened at a well-attended event on Saturday 26th April, with the mayors of Frome and Radstock in attendance.
The project aims to deliver a multi-user path from Welshmill Lane to the Colliers Way cycle path in Great Elm, creating an unbroken route between Frome and Radstock.
When phase two was originally constructed in late 2018, volunteers cleared the route, removed the old railway track and concrete sleepers, levelled the ballast and built steps up the embankment. They also installed benches and picnic tables made of railway sleepers.
The rough surfacing meant it was walkable, but bumpy for cyclists and those using mobility aids.
These improvements will make it easier for people of all abilities to avoid narrow country lanes between Frome and Radstock.
Geoff Pell from the group said, “This is all about getting people out and about so they can exercise in safety.”
Funds raised in the Crowdfunder will go towards remaining ‘missing links’ on either side of the town.
Two further phases have already been delivered: phase one (opened in 2015) runs north from Welshmill Lane for 950 metres, and phase three (completed in 2023) runs from Whatcombe Fields to just south of the railway line.
With the Great Elm section now complete, the group can turn its attention to two remaining links – a northern path from Elliots Lane to the railway line, and a southern link from the Edmund Park housing estate under the railway line towards Longleat.
Chairman of Frome’s Missing Links, Richard Ackroyd, said, “With the northern link, there are plans lodged with Network Rail, and discussions are ongoing.
“That will require a lot of funding because it involves three bridges and a tunnel – it sounds complicated, but we believe it’s doable.
“The route to the south is slightly less complicated – there are two landowners involved, and part of that route is already built. So the next stage for me is to go and talk to Network Rail and the other landowner.”
Frome’s Missing Links forms part of the wider Somerset Circle project, which when completed will form a 76-mile traffic-free circuit linking Bristol, Bath, the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels.
For more information or to volunteer, visit www.fromesmissinglinks.org.uk or email mail@fromesmissinglinks.org.uk.
