View of Chedar Gorge taken from the top of the Stepped Wall buff on the north side of the Narrows. Here you can see north towards Scary Monster Wall and Madrugada Wall on the oposite side of the Gorge. Cheddar Gorge is very popular for climbing and walking, virtually every rockface has numerous named and graded routes. You can see someone roped on about to descend the cliff next to the tree in this panorama. The highest point of the far side provides stunning panoramic views of the whole region. Panorama taken in April 2011.

Cheddar Gorge - Cheddar visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Cheddar Gorge' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Somerset.

Cheddar Gorge is a famous, limestone gorge and popular tourist attraction in the Mendip Hills near to Cheddar in Somerset. Noted as one of the top natural wonders in the UK, Cheddar Gorge attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year who explore the various caves, climb the cliffs, walk across the hills and visit the other attractions within the gorge.

Formed by meltwater between the ice ages, Cheddar Gorge is also a very important archaeological site for it was in the caves of the gorge that Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, estimated at 9,000 years and called 'Cheddar Man', was found in 1903. Other artefacts dating from the Upper Late Palaeolithic era (12,000–13,000 years ago) have also been found in the caves of Cheddar Gorge.

Today, the land on both sides of the Cheddar Gorge are owned and managed by two different groups. To the north, the land is managed by the Natural Trust, with free access year round. The land on the southern side is owned and managed Marquess of Bath's Longleat Estate. Part of the cliff top is fenced off to form an enclosure containing goats. Access to the top of the cliffs from the visitor centre and attractions, all belonging to the 'Cheddar Caves & Gorge' visitor attraction company, is via a set of steps and entrance fees apply.

CHEDDAR GORGE - CHEDDAR CAVES & GORGE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

All the paid attractions, found near the Cheddar town end of Cheddar Gorge, are all managed by Cheddar Caves & Gorge, which are part of Longleat Enterprises Limited. All these attractions are covered by one entrance ticket and include access to:

• Gough's Cave - showcaves with various stalactite and stalagmite formations and housing Greater and Lesser horseshoe bats.
• Cheddar Man – Museum of Prehistory with remains of various cave finds.
• Cox's Cave & The Crystal Quest - with various entertaining exhibits not of caving origin.
• Open-top Gorge Tour Bus - taking visitors on 2-mile round trip up and down Cheddar Gorge.
• 274 Steps to the Lookout Tower - access to the lookout tower at the top of 'Jacobs Ladder' steps.
• Cheddar Gorge Cliff-top Trail - 3 mile trail along the top of the gorge with stunning views over the surrounding area.
• Caving and Climbing - provided for an extra fee in addition to the usual ticket.

Cheddar Gorge - Unpaid Attractions

Access to the National Trust owned side of Cheddar Gorge is free. Here there are plenty of opportunities for walking, rambling and climbing. On the southern side, the path from Jacob's Ladder continues 3 miles along the cliff tops before coming back down to the bottom of the gorge about a mile west of the tour bus's turning circle. Visitors can access the southern cliff tops from this point and then walk back east, without paying the Jacob's Ladder entrance. You end up walking down the steps coming out near the visitor's centre where there are numerous restaurants, shops and cafes.

Cheddar Gorge - Climbing

Cheddar Gorge is very popular for climbing. There are around 350 officially graded climbing routes on the 27 cliffs that make up Cheddar Gorge. Each of the named routes are included in the British Mountaineering Council guidebook. Climbing on the northern side is available most of the year, but climbing on various parts, especially the highest parts, of the southern side are restricted during the peak tourist season.

Cheddar Tourist Information Centre
The Gorge,
Cheddar,
Somerset BS27 3QE
Phone: +44 (0)1934 744071

Car: Cheddar Gorge is about a mile from Cheddar on the B3135. It is 20 miles south of Bristol, 13 miles east of Weston-super-Mare and 25 miles west of Bath.
Train: Weston-super-Mare Rail Station
Flight: Bristol International Airport