A detour off the M5 in Somerset takes you to Cheddar, home of the cheese and the Cheddar Gorge attractions. This area is situated in the heart of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is well worth a visit.
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Contents
Cheddar Gorge Attractions
Cheddar Gorge has a range of activities for the whole family in an all-inclusive Explorer ticket.
When I visited in May 2019, I found parking available off-road at pay-and-display areas for £5 a day until 5.00 pm.
These are the attractions available on your ticket. Unfortunately, I experienced heavy rain showers while I was there, and I was also driving from Penzance to Cardiff. I didn’t have much time or the weather on my side to do the Clifftop walk.
Gough’s Cave
Large caverns, formations from limestone rock, and stalagmites and stalactites are what draw you inside this massive cave.
The tour takes approximately 45 minutes to complete, and an audio guide offers insights at various points along the way.
You’ll find Cheddar Cheese maturing down in the cave, and it has been since 2006. The temperature remains steady at 11°, and the humidity is ideal for maturation, as it has been for centuries.
A good sealed path leads around, but there are also stairs to help you navigate the steep gradients.
The lighting accentuates the natural features, highlighting the limestone formations that give us St. Paul’s and Niagara Falls.
At the end of the cave, information boards provide details about discovering and learning about Cheddar Man.
Beyond the View
A 15-minute film that takes you on a journey through the gorge.
This is accessible through the Escape Rooms hub, a separate attraction located next to Gough’s Cave.
Museum of Prehistory
This small museum packs a lot of information into a compact space. Explore the area at the time of Cheddar Man and learn about the migration of early humans out of Africa.
Findings from excavations create a picture of what life was like for early humans. Moving from room to room, you learn how humans have evolved through the centuries and millennia.
Dreamhunters at Cox’s Cave
This interactive walkthrough lasts about 30 minutes and projects the story of the hunting man on the walls of the cave.
You walk through the cave and watch the story illuminated on the walls. Ultimately, you see a running man directing you to the next viewing.
As it is dark in parts, I used my phone’s torch app to navigate my way around. You can’t get lost, but you can run into dead ends, which I did, but that adds to the adventure. There are also flashing lights during the visual displays and strobe lighting effects.
At the end of this attraction, you go through the door that leads straight into the next.
Jacob’s Ladder
Take the 274 steps up to the next two attractions, the Lookout Tower and the Cliff-top Walk.
A few points up the stairs have rest areas with information boards on the area’s flora and fauna.
Once at the top, you can go right for the lookout and turn left for the cliff-top walk.
The Lookout
The lookout is another 48 steps up to a 360° platform with views as far as you can see below.
This lookout is like a fire tower, narrow with steep steps.
Cliff-Top Walk
As I said earlier, I didn’t have the time or the weather to do the 3-mile, 2-hour loop of the cliff-top walk.
Good sturdy walking shoes are essential. The walk can be muddy and steep in parts, perfect for the primitive British goats that love this terrain.
More to See and Do
It’s not called an Area of Outstanding Beauty for nothing, and I’m sure when the weather is at its best, this would be a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
There are more attractions to visit in the area, including the Escape Rooms, Rock Climbing, Adventure Caving, and the Black Cat Free Fall.
Please check out the link above to book these. They are popular, especially the Free Fall, and must be booked well in advance of your visit.
Hours
10 am – 5 pm in winter and 10 am – 6 pm in summer.
Last entry into all Cheddar Gorge and Cave attractions is 4.30 pm (5.30 pm at weekends during the peak summer period). The only exception to this is the Lookout Tower, which closes at dusk during the winter months.
Click on the website to check the schedule for your planned visit.
Prices
Click here to view the prices for your planned visit.
Conclusion
After reading this, I’m sure that you’ve found that there are definitely more Cheddar attractions to see than you initially thought. I hope that reading this has inspired you to visit this area of outstanding beauty.
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Links
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I love caves and Cheddar looks like fun. The cliff top walk sounds good too. Helpful to know how much time is needed.
Thanks Sue. This is a great place to visit and like I said if you get good weather it’s a nice way to spend an afternoon.
I have never made that detour, will try harder as it looks really interesting
Thanks Catherine. It’s a beautiful area.
I’ve never heard of Cheddar before – what a fun name for a town! That cave especially looks cool – especially since Cheddar is ACTUALLY stored there! How cool.
Thanks, Kelsey. It was such a cool place to visit as well with so much to see.
Your photos are amazing! I had no idea there was so much to do in Cheddar! I’ll have to arrange a weekend trip soon to check out these caves.
Thanks, Stephanie. You’ll love it in Cheddar, and I’d arrive early if I were you to get a park and avoid the crowds.
This is fabulous! I had not heard of cheddar before. Jacob’s ladder Looks like my kind of hike. Totally worth the climb to the lookout. I’ll have to remember this next time I travel through the UK.
Thanks, Francesca. I hope you get to visit it one day.
Gough Cave looks like a really amazing cave to explore. Definitely adding to the bucket list. How interesting to learn that cheddar cheese is still being matured in this cave!
Thanks, Aditi, it was a surprise when I saw all that cheese there.
This is so interesting! Plus, what a cool name for a town. We love a good hike and this looks perfect. Pinning this for later when we visit England again.
Thanks, Nicole. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when you visit.
I’ve been in a few caves, but never ones where I have seen cheddar fermenting in. That’s pretty awesome. Great look out!
It’s a very unassuming place, Kathryn, but has so much to offer when you visit.