Today we are exploring the historic and beautiful Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. The gorge is Britain’s deepest natural canyon (in scale it is the Grand Canyon as Britain is to the United States; relatively small).
But what I wanted to know is …
Why Is A Gorge Named After A Cheese?
Well, it’s not! The gorge is named after the village of Cheddar which lies at the foot of the gorge. The cheese originally comes from Cheddar village, hence Cheddar Cheese! (See sidebar).
Cheddar is in the southwestern part of England in the county of Somerset. As well as being the birthplace of Cheddar, Somerset is also renowned for its cider. Cheddar cheese has been produced here since as early as 1170!
The gorge sits at the edge of the Mendip Hills, which is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in the UK.
Source: https://cheddarvillage.co.uk/
Arrival At Cheddar Gorge
Our route brings us into Cheddar Gorge from the top. As we drop down the narrow twisty roads, I’m glad Nigel has had lots of practice on the narrow roads of Jersey! On more than one occasion, I needed to breathe in as we squeaked past a wide vehicle coming uphill.
There were lots of cars parked on the side of the road too, just to add to the challenge. Some people park at the top to avoid paying the five pound daily parking fee required at the bottom of the gorge.
As we wend our way down toward the bottom of the valley, we soon come across official parking spaces in various car parks near the bottom. Continuing down to the very bottom we pass the entry to Cheddar Gorge Caves, where a long line is forming for tickets to go into a dark cave with bats! I insist on giving it a pass. And besides, we have Cora with us, so we wouldn’t be able to go inside. (A good sheep always blames the dog!)
Tip: if you want to visit the caves, you can buy tickets online.
Finding no parking available near our hike starting point, we do an about turn and head back up the gorge a little way to find an available parking space.
As luck would have it, there’s a near-empty parking area just a short way up the hill. On checking the parking sign, which clearly states parking must be pre-paid and a ticket displayed in the window, it becomes clear why the car park is empty: There is no means to pay the parking here! Does this mean parking is free? After all, is it reasonable person to expect visitors to pay for something without providing the means to pay? After leaving the car, we walk downhill and in the next car park, we find a signpost indicating parking should be paid by phone using the JustPark app or SMS. Well that’s easy …. Except there’s no cell coverage here! Who puts a pay-by-phone parking system in a place that has no cell coverage? (We eventually found a signal and paid for our parking just to be on the safe side).
There be goats here!
As we walk – well my sitters walk and I’m carried because I have little legs – to the bottom of the gorge, where our designated trailhead is, it appears everybody in Somerset is visiting Cheddar Gorge today! There are dogs and people everywhere.
Above us, clinging to the sides of the cliffs, are mountain goats! Apparently, the goats help maintain the beauty of the gorge by eating the shrubbery. Hey, if I could get paid for hanging around eating, I’d take the gig!
Past the caves are the usual assortment of shops selling souvenirs with an emphasis on cheese and cider associated products. At least that’s what it looks like because we don’t go in – we have Cora and they don’t let pets into cheese shops – and every shop is a cheese shop in Cheddar Gorge!
There are also plenty of pubs with beer gardens, tea rooms with tea gardens, and at least three establishments placing a heavy emphasis on frozen cow products (ice cream shops). Conveniently for anyone with a need, there’s also a public restroom!
A Clifftop Walk
We’re heading off on the clifftop walk around the gorge. The hike is about three miles. We’re starting from a path near the Rockface Café, where my sitters buy some Steak Pasties for lunch on the hoof. We’re heading clockwise around the gorge, following a route platted in the OS Maps app. The suggested time of just over an hour is with a 3.5mph pace. We’re not going to be going that fast! I’ve got little legs!
We’re heading up Cufic Lane looking for a path off to our right. We find it just before the houses at the end of the lane. This is where we begin a steep climb out of the bottom of the gorge to the top. I would say it was easy, but I was being carried. Nigel and Sue found the going a little harder than me. The trail is quite rocky in places, making good footwear something every hiker should consider. (We did pass people doing the hike in flip flops and sandals – not recommended).
As we emerge from the trees the path opens up to easy grassland. Before too long we get our first impressive view of the gorge! After the obligatory photo opp’ we head north-east along the rim of the gorge following a well-marked footpath.
The gorge proper is fenced-off to help keep the goats in place. There are signs recommending dogs are kept on a lead so they don’t accidentally chase a goat over the edge of the cliff – apparently it happens more than you might expect. Fortunately, there are plenty of stretches where Cora can be safely let off her lead to run.
We stop for a rest and lunch on a grassy spot in the shade. Apparently the pasties are great but as I’m a herbivore, I pass.
The hike continues along the edge of the gorge but viewing points are few and far between. It’s a pleasant enough walk. Toward the north end of the gorge, the trail begins a steep downhill section. There are steps but these aren’t any easier.
After we’ve gone about half way down to the road, the trail splits in two. We need to choose left or right. Left should go down to the road, but right is indicated as the loop trail. Nigel checks the route on his OS Maps app and discovers the route guidance has disappeared and only the detailed map is showing, without our plotted route. (It seems our app only showed the route while we had cellular coverage even though Nigel had downloaded the offline version of the route map on the app). We aren’t sure which path is the one we should follow. We decide to follow the sign indicating Gorge Loop Trail.
We eventually find our way down toward the road (where the app suggests we are going off route, even though it’s not showing our route!), and the trail continues across the road. As we climb up the hill again, the going gets very rocky underfoot. At the top of the hill we get cell coverage again and the route we’re supposed to be following appears on the app. We’re at least back on the correct trail!
We pass more goats on the way to the top. They seem very accustomed to people and show very little fear. Since Cora is on her lead, we’re not worried about her chasing them, though she shows little interest in them overall. Once we get through the gate toward the top, we let Cora of her lead for a while – at least till we get toward a section where we have access to the cliff tops again.
Time For Tea
Eventually we made it back to the village, where we enjoyed a nice cup of tea at The Cheese Cottage. Although it took longer than the time my sitters thought it would, I thought hiking Cheddar Gorge was great fun! Especially since I didn’t have to do any of the hiking (But I am still not sure what all the fuss is about the cow products). The tea was excellent and Cora was rewarded by the proprietor with a dog biscuit for being so good!
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