Cheddar Gorge

Cheddar Gorge is a deep limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills near the village of Cheddar in Somerset. The cliffs rise to 137 metres and the gorge runs for about three kilometres. It was carved by meltwaters at the end of the last Ice Age from Triassic rocks once buried inside softer Carboniferous limestone. The gorge walls show folded black slates and pale limestones weathered into steep slopes. An underground river, the Cheddar Yeo, still flows beneath the gorge and emerges near Gough’s Cave. The gorge is recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its geology and fossils. The gorge holds Britain’s oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, dated to about 9,000 years ago. Older tools and bones from 12,000–13,000 years ago have also been found in the caves. In 2005 readers of Radio Times voted Cheddar Gorge the second greatest natural wonder in Great Britain. The caves contain stalactites, stalagmites and calcite formations shaped over millennia. The gorge attracts around half a million visitors each year to its caves, cliffs and paths. Visitors walk along cliff-top paths with wide views over the gorge and surrounding hills. The two main show caves, Gough’s Cave and Cox’s Cave, lie on the south side and extend deep into the rock. Gough’s Cave stretches about 400 metres and Cox’s Cave is smaller but rich in flowstone features. The gorge is home to rare plants such as the Cheddar pink and three newly identified whitebeam trees. Peregrine falcons and ravens nest on the cliffs, while dormice and adders live among the slopes.