Cheddar Walking is getting its message out loud and clear to visitors and villagers that there are some excellent walks to be enjoyed around the village and Gorge. The Group now has three large signs on display, which include a map and list of walks.
One of the signs, in Cliff Street Car Park, has been in place for a while but in the last few weeks two new ones have appeared following the successful planning applications to have them installed. The first of the new signs is by Cheddar Medical Centre in Roynon Way and the second is on the wall outside Café Gorge in The Cliffs.
A member of the nationwide network, Walkers Are Welcome, Cheddar walking has been going three years with the aim of developing and promoting walking in Cheddar by ensuring it is walker-friendly and has a number of routes of varying grades on offer, starting from the village centre.
Since its inception, Cheddar Walking has produced an astonishing 50,000 of its guided walk sheets and seen 44,000 more of them downloaded from the website. It has also had 6,000 of the walk sheets commercially printed for stocking in the village’s National Trust Shop.
Chair of the Group, Huw Robson, said: “We are delighted at last to have our three beautifully designed signs up to show everyone what wonderful walks are possible for all ages and abilities around and about the village.
“We are particularly grateful for the support we have had from Sedgemoor District Council, the Mendip Hills AONB and Cheddar Parish Council. We would also like to thank Cheddar Medical Centre and Cafe Gorge for allowing us to site signs on their railings.
Huw added that the number of walk sheet that had been issued and downloaded showed how popular walking was and so it was good to have interesting and enjoyable walks in the Group’s repertoire.
Cheddar Walking helps keep the walks in good shape and information about them current. It has helped with walking festivals and offers occasional led walks. For more details check the Cheddar Walking website: www.cheddarwalking.org.uk