Virtual tour panorama showing the outside of the Cheddar Man museum and the National Trust shop with the Cheddar Gorge visitor centre just up the road. Picture taken in April 2011 after walking along the top of the cliffs.

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

Cheddar Gorge in Somerset is is the longest gorge in England and considered one of her Natural Wonders. The limestone gorge, carved by met water between the ice ages, is famous for Cheddar cheese, which used to be matured in the caves. It is also famous for Cheddar Man, the oldest human skeleton to be found in the UK and various other Neolithic finds.

Most people, however, associate Cheddar Gorge with either climbing, walk along the clifftops or the show caves. There are various paid tourist attractions, all managed by Cheddar Caves & Gorge, which attract large numbers of visitors in the summer. Towards the western end of the gorge, nearest to village, there are numerous shops, cafes and pubs to cater for the tourists.

CHEDDAR GORGE - CHEDDAR CAVES & GORGE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Cheddar Caves & Gorge, which are part of Longleat Enterprises Limited, manage all the paid attractions within Cheddar Gorge and also the paid parking places nearby. All the attractions are covered by one entrance ticket and include access to:

• Gough's Cave - showcaves and home to Greater and Lesser horseshoe bats.
• Cheddar Man – Museum of Prehistory with remains of various cave finds.
• Cox's Cave & The Crystal Quest - with various exhibitions designed for children.
• Open-top Gorge Tour Bus - round trip up and down Cheddar Gorge.
• Jacob's Steps - 274 steps to the Lookout Tower at the top and access to the cliff top trail.
• Cheddar Gorge Cliff-top Trail - 3 mile trail along the top of the gorge with stunning views over the surrounding area.
• Caving and Climbing - extra activities for which an additional fee is charged.

Cheddar Gorge - Other Attractions

Land on the northern side of Cheddar Gorge is owned by the National Trust and access to it 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.

Cheddar Gorge - Climbing

Cheddar Gorge is very popular for climbing, with about 350 ascending the 27 cliffs named and graded climbing routes listed 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