Mendip Hills | The Cheddar Gorge Walk

[Music] folks I am in the men dips more specifically cheddar no not the cheese but the village in fact I'm about to head out and explore thee the cheddar gorge walk a very popular walk about four miles through cheddar gorge if you don't know cheddar gorge what are you doing following me over the next 20 minutes and you will know cheddar gorge because it's said to be the second greatest natural wonder in the UK it's 137 meters deep in places and a real haven for climbing for walking for exploring the limestone caves there's museums there's shops there's even a year-round Christmas shop folks you have to come and visit this place if you've never been before but I'm about to head out and do this little circular walk I really really love this walk I'm quite tight on time today I'll be honest with you so we're gonna march on round and I'll show you all the awesome stuff but follow me it's gonna be a great journey it's minus 4 so you also get to witness me being cold probably from a very warm place we've got gusts of 40 to 50 mile an hour winds to contend with which I had no idea where forecast today so go me on my weather reading skills so I'm just gonna wrap up warm get my boots on change hats probably because this one might blow away and we'll go three two one go oh my word it's cold right I'm kids it up and we're headed out but it's such a glorious day I really cannot complain I'm really also very excited because as you can see sort of not really I'm trying out the Osprey Asia backpack today so 38 litres also comes in 48 and it's a new release for this year 2018 a women's specific backpack for day walks and multi-day walking so we're gonna get a bit ago so I parked down at the bottom of the village and now I'm just walking up through you're going to just walk up park through the gorge until we hit the footpath and then from there we'll climb up the top and do the walk basically that's the plan this here is the main carpark which you could use it gets very full in the summer so if you want to park in this car park one hour's ATP but probably you want four hours really or all day so you're looking at just over a fiver so it's a chunk but at least you don't need to worry about time it's warm enough already this is the smaller car park for cheddar gorge itself you can pay for the caves and like tours up through the gorge here's some prices but of course just check out their website best thing dogs are welcome can't go wrong people even if you don't fancy doing the walk that we're going to do today cheddar itself is just such a great place to wander around it is such an awesome atmosphere it's got the River through the middle and there's so many little shops to visit still working our way up to the actual footpath but I have to show you this and the view behind of the Gods is pretty awesome the gorge is the largest to the UK and has been the center of human settlement since the Neolithic times nowadays though it's a pretty major tourist attraction bringing in over half a million visitors each year many checking out the famous caves which were the inspiration behind tokens the two towers the Lord of the Rings okay so directly off of it the Kafe gorge and the National Trust Center is this little track here and this is the way we're going so we follow this just a little bit further and then we'll turn to the right actually yeah definitely up then we have the steepest time of the entire walk say it's just a very long sharp climb up to the top of the good but it's so so worth the effort and even just walking through the woods is a really rewarding experience because there's like caves where the lime stones and like whales of water that's eroded away the rock and you can even keep your eye open for the mountain gates around here so there's a lot going on let's just get to this footpath anyway just in case you are wondering it is true that the village gave its name to cheddar cheese which just so happens to be the most popular cheese in the UK change of heart felt essential we've got this climb gonna work up a sweat I thought I need to breathe so let's get rid of gate and get climbing [Music] so you see around me as I climb the sprawl rocks and boulders that are just clinging to the side of the hill and basically it's all just been washed down by rain and further down the valley just there it was quite muddy and actually this time of year this walk does tend to get pretty muddy just because it usually just doesn't get a chance to dry out and there's quite a heavy foot haul oh man so need to breathe and whine you go yeah as they climbed I couldn't help but feel a deep appreciation for the timeless landscape around me and kept my eyes open for fossils edged into the limestone rock steps Oh a lot of them up we go oh hey the top the view stretched as far as the eye could see across Somerset and the levels it sure looked flat compared to my viewpoint there's actually quite a few different paths you can take up here but it's not a part I'm interested in talking about right now is the actual environment so this sort of scrubby heathland here's an amazing habitat for slow worms and grass worms and adders and a whole load of different floor as well it's a really precious area and that's why it's so protected so it's owned partly by the National Trust and also by the long meat estate and I'm so thankful for this area he's protected not just for the environment the views aren't half bad either from this point the gorge really does look like an epic scar in the landscape but the sheer cliffs actually provide nesting space for buzzards peregrine falcons kestrels and many other species here's such a beautiful day really loving this light even the wind is not half bad the scrubby landscape on the top of the gorge is dynamic in ever changing with the seasons and is home to a handful of endemic species of flora like the cheddar pink which literally only grows wild in the gorge I think I can still talk my face is a little bit frozen but basically what we're doing is we're just working our way along this side of the court and then we're gonna drop down meet the road and then your option now is to follow the road back through to the village back down or what we're gonna do is climb back up the other side and walk along there wave to our shadows over here and then work our way back down into the village so it's just a lovely lovely walk and as we'll see over there the views get even better it's hard to really but it's true you stretched out ahead over the vended hills part of which has been specifically designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty giving it a level of protection comparable to that of a national park we have a sign so he's encouraging isn't it 2.7 kilometers back to cheder that way cheddar caves they found the oldest complete remains of a human skeleton from about 9,000 years ago and if you just imagine miss land being used by our ancestors there's such a rugged area so wild even though it's tamed and I just love that I really enjoy coming here here we are at the bottom then we've got this sign that's the way we're going to the road and that way there takes us to some disused mines and quarries it goes all the way to an adventure center actually and it's quite a nice little Valley but as I say we're heading this way through the gate to the road and back up the other side little frosting of snow Oh heaven right there this is quite useful sign actually it's got a little flier saying about the cheddar complex which basically it's broken down into three different nature is s and they're shown here well and showing that we're here and it shows all the different areas that we can go for the different footpaths but this is the stuff I want to just talk to you about it's just the wildlife how treasured this mag scape is and exactly why it's protected because of all the rare species that live here it's pretty awesome that you can come and wander around it so freely crust over heading up the other side this lining that they've done at the pot we're taking a lot of hard work by Regis and volunteers but I think it's just trying to control the traffic keep everyone on the same path and just prevent erosion which is obviously really really important to consider when someone like this is so popular to walk in here we are then pretty much at the top on the other side and I'm so stoked because I know that just a little bit further along here the view give it a 4 now we had to see the other side of the gorge and it is just absolutely stunning incredible mind bleh awesome or inspiring get it thesaurus folks I need to swallow it is all of those things and more but we got to get there first I have not shrunk me oh I can't wait for you there oh oh I did you guys can't quick come through oh yeah here we go just reading through this gnarly massive boulders ah blip did you Batman whoa that is a decent view Thanks there's cheddar reservoir well the climb sometimes it feels impossible to capture the wonder of a scene so I'll just let the landscape do the talking I'll try and maintain my center of gravity because I want to show you this down there that's chatty good that's pretty great I always really enjoy being up here just the air in the space how it opens out it's quite a contrast to the other side where it's wooded and I love all of the gnarly cliff places that like stick out of the gorge and you can potter over right to the edge you gotta be careful today this is a pretty cool spot you can see down into the village and you can actually see the way we came so there's the main carpark actually in the gorge itself say there's the hotel and off at path comes up through these woods and then obviously up around the other side but that view gosh never gets old this really is such a simple walk to follow it literally is just up down up down so that's it for our art pills we're just working down now and it just it it really doesn't feel very strenuous because the climbs are so short and yes they're sharp but they really don't take very long and you can just paste that out and there's lots to look at as you go up the scenery here it's just absolutely fantastic now just walking down it's really quite leisurely the unique conditions created over the gorge for millions of years by natural and man-made processes have created the limestone grassland rich in wildlife is rare in Europe in the UK which is why it's a triple si the Site of Special Scientific Interest plant life thrives on the shallow lime rich soils there's 40 species of flowering plants that can be found in one square meter of lowland calcareous grassland Wow it is being called the European equivalent to a tropical rainforest gosh that's quite impressive what does this sign say life on the cliff edge wait look at this Chetty Gorge is the largest in Britain and almost 400 feet deep and three miles long it began to form a million years ago between ice ages where meltwater scree and boulders caused the cheddar river to carve out the rock deepening the gorge over time Hey look to my left and boom there it is Glastonbury Tor pretty impressive sight just sitting there on the horizon silhouetted against the sky a very very iconic view so the final point of interest before we head back down into the village is Jacob's Ladder 275 steps that take us right back down to that National Trust Store and there's the lookout tower as well that hopefully will be open because they're really great to go out there and just show you the view one final time before we head back down back for your giant gate oh okay there it is there's the watchtower let's Jacob's Ladder very much had locked going up there today never mind the first Tower was built here in 1908 later to be replaced by another one in 1936 right 275 steps Jacob's Ladder there's one two three four five six sixty-six 366 368 1901 to do go up I goes little viewpoint don't lose count doctor 237 50 51 52 53 54 69 72 I got 270 they're mine what's the mr. Z anywhere at the bottom now and look what we have found Cox's cave Cox's cave was discovered in 1837 by George Cox and alongside coughs cave is part of the cheddar experience where it's been traumatized into a walk through educating about prehistory okay okay go through this thing here we are then back on the road so all the way up there is the gorge who just come from and we're just gonna work our way back down now through the village to the car simple as that so if you wanted to explore the actual visitor center that's up there as well but as I said earlier I am quite type of time however my heart is just skipped a beat it stickers my shop so in February no we're not yes we are last day of every happy February this is the year around Christmas shop got a visitor Christmas time before reaching the car I decided to pop into the cheddar cheese shop I'm not a big fan of cheese but it felt like an essential part of my visit to the village a lot of cheese oh gosh Hellfire so there's this Hellfire kind of chutney and I'm gonna put it on a note he says only for the brave please note very hot that's the most I'm gonna try [Music] yeah that's all no it's very hard there was a lot of cheese and very very hot chili I'm heading right down through the village to the car now obviously I really didn't spend any time at all exploring cheddar itself especially the touristy area so there's the museum there's the tourist center obviously the National Trust site as well the building there I mean and the cafe is just such a great place to visit but really what I wanted to do today with the time that I had which is to whip up and do that walk and I know it was a bit of a whirlwind tour but I just had to show you those views so if you ever down south near Somerset definitely definitely you have to stop over here come to makeout cheddar good I like yourself a whole day if you can and hopefully later on in the season and probably around March time the all the stores and stuff will be open up again because it was just shut down right now but still definitely do it make this the year the Explorer tell you good it's well worth it until the next video folks enjoy your adventures stay wild [Music]

Channel: Abbie Barnes / Spend More Time In The WILD

Views: 11,892

Rating: 4.9537573 out of 5

Keywords: Abbie, Barnes, Song, Thrush, Productions, Adventure, Tips, hiking, walking, national, park, Outdoor, gear, trails, Gear, Reviews, Wildlife, Expedition, Backpacking, cheddar cheese, cheddar gorge, winter walk, summer walk, cheddar caves, cox's cave, jacobs ladder, gorge walk, gorge walking, exploring, longleat, national trust

Id: AXmu7w_e3MQ

Length: 19min 54sec (1194 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 05 2018