A WALKING route between Weston super Mare and Clevedon has opened – bringing to an end years of work to make the trip a reality.

The Pier to Pier Way is a 13-mile route designed to appeal to commuters, leisure users and tourists.

It is made up of quiet roads and new or improved traffic-free sections and forms a ‘missing link’ of the North Somerset Coastal Towns Cycle Route.

The project builds on the success of the established Brean Down Way cycle route and it is hoped it will boost the economy, attracting tourists and locals alike.

Based on the line of the former Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway, the complex project involved installing a new bridge over the river Yeo at Tutshill to separate the cycle path from the agricultural traffic in the area and also includes a one-mile traffic-free route crossing the Yeo and Oldbridge rivers.

The link allows pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to avoid the busy A370 and save four miles on their usual journey.

Cllr Hannah Young, North Somerset Council’s executive member with responsibility for sustainable travel, said: “We want to thank everyone who has been involved in this complex project, and in particular our funders, stakeholders, councillors and officers, who had faith in the route and supported the scheme through thick and thin to make that vision a reality.

“I am delighted to see the path open. It is a wonderful route and the missing link in our cycling network and it will be enjoyed by many for years to come.”

The route was officially opened on Friday, July 12, at the Tutshill sluice in Kingston Seymour.

The project has been funded by The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, Sustrans, National Highways, the Department for Transport and North Somerset Council.

For more information on the route – including a map – log on to www.n-somerset.gov.uk/piertopierway or click HERE (opens in a new window).