Cheddar Gorge & Caves
Cheddar Gorge & Caves
Cheddar Gorge is one of England's most iconic and spectacular landscapes. We are really proud to own the north side of this spectacular gorge and we hope that you will enjoy exploring it in a way that suits you.
At almost 400 feet deep and three miles long, this is England’s largest gorge, and with its weathered crags and pinnacles, one of our most spectacular natural sights. The gorge would have begun forming about one million years ago during the last Ice Age when water from melting glaciers formed a river, which over time started to carve into the limestone rock creating the steep cliffs you see today. The Cheddar Yeo River gradually made its way underground, creating the famous Cheddar Caves.
These include the famous Gough's cave, which was discovered in 1890 by Richard Cox Gough (1827-1902). It is a prehistoric cavern with chambers containing a variety of stalactites, stalagmites and rock formations, extending some 2.1km (1.3 miles) at a depth of 90m (295ft).
You can also see a carving of a mammoth and the skeleton of Cheddar Man, Britain's earliest known human remains, dating back some 7,150 years, have been found in the cave.