Why you need to visit Cheddar Gorge in Somerset
If you are in England you may have found that it's going to be a little difficult to visit Europe from 2021, but England still has many natural wonders that you can explore such Cheddar Gorge in Somerset.
What is Cheddar Gorge?
Cheddar Gorge is a spectacular example of Englands natural spaces people should look to explore if they want to experience the sights of Engalnd away from the normal city sites. Located in Somerset, Cheddar Gorge is a must visit for those in the area or anyone who wants to experience the stunning views available.
The gorge itself is almost 400 feet deep and a crazy three miles long. This makes Cheddar Gorge, England’s largest gorge, and one of the most spectacular natural sights.
The formation of it would have started millions of years ago during the Ice Age, with a river from melting glaciers carving the gorge and famous caves of the limestone rock that makes Cheddar Gorge what it is.
What to do in Cheddar Gorge
Hiking to the Cliffs
The most obvious thing to do in Cheddar Gorge is to make your way up the Cheddar Gorge Cliff Top Walk which is about 3 miles depending where you start from. This is something that can be done for FREE but be aware that you should wear appropriate footwear and clothing as it can be slippery and muddy so you should be prepared. Parking is free in certain areas of the gorge so do your research ahead of the drive so you know where you need to park before your hike.
Rock Climbing
For those experienced with rock climbing there is the opportunity to do some rock climbing at Cheddar Gorge with a range of routes to choose from. It honestly looks like a great location for it but definitely not something for beginners.
Caving
This is a paid activity which was unfortunately closed when I went but it costs around £20 for the experience. If you don't mind dark caves then this will be one for you. Appropriate clothing and footwear is again a must.
Bonus activity
Find the goats
There are a herd of wild goats that occupy the area and scramble up and down the gorge. I was lucky enough to spot more than a few as well as capture them on camera but they blend into the beautiful scenery so easily it's unreal.
When should you visit Cheddar Gorge?
Ideally you should try to visit the gorge when the weather is good as acitivities obviously can be a bit more dangerous with wet and windy weather making it more slippery etc.
For my trip that I did not plan, I just tagged along with some friends who were heading there already, we went for sunset and it was definitiely a good choice in order to capture some wonderful light to go with the already amazing view. That being said, heading down with lower light was a little more difficult than it was coming up. With this in mind if you are going for sunset, do take a headtorch so your hands are free when heading down and you can catch yourself if you slip/trip.
What camera equipment should you take to Cheddar Gorge?
This is completely down to what you have available to you, what you want to capture and how much you want to carry bearing in mind where it is you'll be going.
For my shots I took my Olympus EM1 MKiii which I had 2 lenses for with me but only used the 12-40mm as I wanted to take everything in. Then I had this on a tripod and utilised the live ND filter that's built into it.
For the overhead shots I used my DJI Mavic Mini 2 which I have only recently got so this was my first real in action flight trying it out to shoot...over a cliff. It could have gone completely wrong but luckily it didn't and I got some really great photos and videos.
