Pier to Pier Way is officially open!
North Somerset’s Pier to Pier Way officially opened this month, in time for summer.
The 13-mile cycling and walking route between Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon Pier consists of quiet roads and new or improved traffic-free sections designed to appeal to commuters, leisure users and tourists. The key to unlocking the whole route is the creation of a new section of off-road path that crosses the Yeo and Oldbridge rivers over the Tutshill sluices, owned by the Environment Agency. This new section allows cyclists and pedestrians to avoid the busy A370 and shaves four miles off the total distance from Weston-super-Mare to Clevedon.
Western Gateway’s Hannah Fountain took to her bike to explore the new route:
“During my couple of hours on the new path, I passed around 200 cyclists, from speedy riders with fancy gear to toddlers in trailers and tagalongs. Everyone was in good spirits, with many hellos, waves and holding of gates for each other. One cyclist told me he was 83 years old and I heard a woman tell a friend her bicycle had been in storage for four years before getting it out to ride the new route.
“The woman in the Owl in the Oak café said their custom had doubled overnight when the route opened. These are all just anecdotes from a single trip, but hopefully indicators of the social, economic and health benefits the new route might bring to the area.
“The Pier to Pier Way has been in development for over a decade, with lots of challenges to overcome, so well done to North Somerset Council and funders National Highways, Sustrans and the Department for Transport for persevering and delivering a fine route for all.”
Explore the new Pier to Pier Way this summer using this route map.
