Cheddar: Gorge, Caves and Living Local History

Cheddar is a destination for anyone who wants to combine impressive landscapes, cave history and active exploration. At its heart is Cheddar Gorge, a dramatic limestone landscape shaped by natural processes over millions of years. The gorge is part of the Mendip Hills National Landscape, almost 400 feet deep and 3 miles long. These dimensions give the landscape a distinctive profile and make it a defining feature of trip planning.

Gorge and caves as special experiences

The story continues beneath the surface. Gough's Cave is more than 500,000 years old and the largest of the show caves in Cheddar. The cave also contains shelves of maturing cheese—an unusual detail that highlights the connection between the natural environment and the region's cheese-making tradition. Cox's Cave offers an immersive multimedia experience about the formation and development of the caves. This allows you to choose between a tour focused more strongly on the cave world and a multimedia-narrated experience.

The site's human history can also be explored in different ways. The Museum of Prehistory tells the story of human survival during the last Ice Age over a period of more than 40,000 years. Flint tools and items from the everyday lives of earlier people are on display. Cheddar Man is the oldest fully preserved skeleton ever found in Britain. Anyone choosing a holiday apartment or holiday house for their stay in Cheddar can deliberately combine such historical themes with days spent enjoying nature and activities.

Trails, steps and activities for different day plans

For a hike, the Cheddar Gorge Trail is a good option. The moderate route is 4 miles (6 km) long and follows trails. Take this distance into account when planning your day. Another notable challenge is the 274 steps of Jacob's Ladder, which visitors can climb. This allows you to add a specific physical activity to an outing without having to base your entire stay around a single experience.

Anyone wanting to explore underground spaces can explore underground caves in Cheddar through Adventure Caving. Rock Climbing in Cheddar Gorge offers climbing routes ranging from very easy to quite difficult. There is also a 50-foot-high outdoor climbing wall. These differences help when choosing the day's activities: you can choose between a trail, steps, a caving activity and climbing, adapting your trip planning to the interests of your group without reducing Cheddar's character to just one attraction.

Cheddar by bicycle and on regional trails

There is also a clearly described option for cyclists. The Strawberry Line is a National Cycle Network route, Route 26. The cycle route is 8 miles (12.8 km) long, connects Cheddar with Kings Wood and continues to Wavering Down and Crook Peak. When choosing accommodation, you can therefore consider whether you want to plan your stay primarily around a bike ride, the gorge or the cave experiences. The Cheddar Visitor Information Centre has maps, walking guides and information about activities in the surrounding area and can be helpful for finding your way during your stay.

Cheese-making tradition and the local weekly market

Cheddar is shaped by more than just its gorge and caves. Cheddar cheese has been made in Cheddar since the 12th century. Every Tuesday from 10 to 11:30 a.m., a weekly Country Market with local products, craft stalls and refreshments takes place in the village hall. This regular event can play a role of its own in your planning if, alongside landscapes and history, you would also like to experience regional products and local market life.

The main appeal of a holiday apartment or holiday house in Cheddar is therefore the variety of possible days out: nature enthusiasts can explore the limestone landscape, history enthusiasts can learn about caves, the Ice Age and Cheddar Man, while active travellers can choose between the hiking trail, steps, cycle route, Adventure Caving and climbing. When searching for accommodation, first decide which of these experiences should be the focus of your stay.

Discover more places

If you would like to explore destinations beyond Cheddar, here is a compact selection: Bruton, Redlynch, Porlock, Minehead, Ditcheat, Chiselborough, Hatch Beauchamp and South Petherton.

For the broader travel overview: Somerset.