Editing Cheddar Gorge

{{short description|Valley in Somerset, England}}
{{About|a geographical feature in Somerset, England|the game|Cheddar Gorge (game)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

[[File:Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, UK - Diliff.jpg|300px|thumb|alt=Exposed limestone cliffs on either side of a road with cars on it.|Cheddar Gorge]]
{{Location map |United Kingdom |label=Cheddar Gorge |lat_dir=N |lat_deg=51 |lat_min=16 |lat_sec=56.67 |lon_dir=W |lon_deg=2 | |lon_min=45 |lon_sec=55.66 | position=right |mark=Red pog.svg |caption=Location in the United Kingdom}}
'''Cheddar Gorge''' is a [[limestone]] [[Canyon|gorge]] in the [[Mendip Hills]], near the village of [[Cheddar, Somerset]], [[England]]. The gorge is the site of the Cheddar show caves, where Britain's oldest complete [[human skeleton]], [[Cheddar Man]], estimated to be 9,000 years old, was found in 1903.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/naturescalendar/summer/honeypots/cheddar/cheddar_gorge.shtml | title= Tourist hotspots&nbsp;– Cheddar Gorge | work= [[BBC]] | access-date= 12 August 2007 | url-status= live | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081216135459/http://www.bbc.co.uk/naturescalendar/summer/honeypots/cheddar/cheddar_gorge.shtml | archive-date= 16 December 2008}}</ref> Older remains from the [[Upper Paleolithic|Upper Late Palaeolithic]] era (12,000–13,000 years ago) have been found.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/10398 | title = Somerset Historic Environment Record | work = Somerset County Council | date = January 1983 | access-date = 12 August 2007 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161003095252/http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/10398 | archive-date = 3 October 2016}}</ref> The caves, produced by the activity of an underground river, contain [[stalactites]] and [[stalagmites]]. The gorge is part of a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] called [[Cheddar Complex]].<ref name="sssi">{{cite web | title=The Cheddar Complex | work=English Nature | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003940.pdf | access-date=17 July 2006 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013121743/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003940.pdf | archive-date=13 October 2006}}</ref>

Cheddar Gorge, including the caves and other attractions, has become a tourist destination. In a 2005 poll of ''[[Radio Times]]'' readers, following its appearance on the television programme ''[[Seven Natural Wonders]]'' (2005), Cheddar Gorge was named as the second greatest natural wonder in Britain, surpassed only by [[Dan yr Ogof]] caves.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/4735935.stm | title = Caves win 'natural wonder' vote | work = [[BBC]] | date = 2 August 2005 | access-date = 12 August 2007 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060627113044/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/4735935.stm | archive-date = 27 June 2006}}</ref>
The gorge attracts about 500,000 visitors per year.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1843 | title = Access Q&A: Cheddar Gorge | work = British Mountaineering Council | year = 1999 | access-date = 12 August 2007 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928020333/http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1843 | archive-date = 28 September 2007}}</ref>

== Geology ==
[[File:cheddar gorge from aircraft arp.jpg|thumb|alt=Looking down into the gorge with a road with cars on it running from the top to the bottom of the picture. To the left are less steep slopes covered in vegetation.|Aerial photograph, showing the cliff faces to the south (right hand side of picture) and the slopes to the north]]
Cheddar Gorge is located  on the southern edge of the [[Mendip Hills]],<ref name="naturescalendar">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/naturescalendar/summer/honeypots/cheddar/cheddar_gorge.shtml|title=Tourist hotspots&nbsp;– Cheddar Gorge|work=Natures Calendar|publisher=BBC|access-date=10 September 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216135459/http://www.bbc.co.uk/naturescalendar/summer/honeypots/cheddar/cheddar_gorge.shtml|archive-date=16 December 2008}}</ref> with a  maximum depth of  {{convert|137|m|ft|0|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iknow-somerset.co.uk/tourist_information/central_somerset/cheddar/cheddar_gorge_showcaves.htm|title=Cheddar Gorge and Caves Jacobs Ladder Tourist Information|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605224323/http://www.iknow-somerset.co.uk/tourist_information/central_somerset/cheddar/cheddar_gorge_showcaves.htm|archive-date=5 June 2009|access-date=10 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2008/10/20/cheddar_gorge_feature.shtml|title=Cheddar Gorge and Caves: the natural wonder home to everyone|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110502151807/http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2008/10/20/cheddar_gorge_feature.shtml|archive-date=2 May 2011}}</ref> a near-vertical cliff-face to the south, and steep grassy slopes to the north. The [[B roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme|B3135 road]] runs along the bottom of the Gorge.

The area is underlain by Black Rock [[slate]], Burrington [[Oolite]] and [[Clifton Down Limestone]] of the [[Carboniferous]] [[Limestone]] Series, which contain [[Oolite|ooliths]] and fossil debris, on top of [[Old Red Sandstone]] and by [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomitic]] [[Conglomerate (geology)|conglomerate]] of the [[Keuper]]. Evidence for [[Variscan orogeny]] is seen in the sheared rock and cleaved [[shale]]s. In many places weathering of these [[Stratum|strata]] has resulted in the formation of immature [[calcareous]] soils.<ref name="sssi" />

The gorge was originally formed 225 million years ago, during the [[Triassic Period]], when the [[Mendip Hills|Mendip]] [[Carboniferous Limestone|Carboniferous limestone]] stood as a series of  "[[Roche moutonnée|whalebacked]]" hills.  At that time Britain had a warm [[Desert climate|arid climate]], not dissimilar to [[North Africa|northern Africa]] today. Occasionally [[flash flood]]s cause huge volumes of water to run off the hills, forming ''[[wadi]]s'' — an Arabic term for the steep-sided [[ravine]]s characteristic of intermittent streams. Cheddar Gorge and its near neighbour, [[Burrington Combe]], are [[Exhumation (geology)|exhumed]] ''wadis''. They were originally filled with Triassic rocks that may have been eroded out by [[Meltwater|glacial meltwaters]] at the end of the last [[Ice age|Ice Age]]. Parts of Burrington Combe still have these Triassic rocks, forming an [[unconformity]] with the Carboniferous limestones along their sides and bottom.

During the Ice Ages, [[permafrost]] blocked the caves with ice and frozen mud, making the limestone impermeable. When this melted during the summers, water was forced to flow on the surface,  carving out the softer Triassic rocks, exhuming the ''wadi''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/localities/cheddar.html|title=Cheddar Gorge|publisher=British Geological Survey|access-date=10 September 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216141100/http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/localities/cheddar.html|archive-date=16 December 2008}}</ref> During warmer periods, the water flowed underground through the [[Permeability (fluid)|permeable]] limestone, creating the caves and leaving the gorge dry, so that today much of the gorge has no river until the underground [[Cheddar Yeo]] river emerges in the lower part from [[Gough's Cave]]. The river is used by [[Bristol Water]], which  maintains a series of dams and ponds  supplying  the nearby [[Cheddar Reservoir]],<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bristol-water.co.uk/pdf/environment/w2008/WRP%202010%20v1.1%20D%20REP.pdf | title= Draft Water Resource Plan | pages= 21 | publisher= [[Bristol Water]] | date= 18 April 2008 | access-date= 10 September 2008 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090319215844/http://www.bristol-water.co.uk/pdf/environment/w2008/WRP%202010%20v1.1%20D%20REP.pdf | archive-date= 19 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/cheddar-info.asp |publisher=[[Bristol Water]] | title=Cheddar Reservoir Introduction |access-date=10 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325204405/http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/cheddar-info.asp |archive-date=25 March 2010 }}</ref> via a {{convert|137|cm|in|0|adj=on}} diameter pipe that takes water just upstream of the [[Rotary International|Rotary Club]] [[Sensory garden|Sensory Garden]], a [[Urban park|public park]] in the Gorge opposite Jacob's Ladder.

The gorge is susceptible to flooding. In the [[Chew Stoke flood of 1968]], the flow of water washed large boulders down the gorge, damaging the café, the entrance to Gough's Cave<ref>{{cite news|title=40 years since the Great Gorge Flood|url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/40_years_since_the_great_gorge_flood_1_321776|access-date=24 February 2011|newspaper=Western Mercury|date=10 July 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929011254/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/40_years_since_the_great_gorge_flood_1_321776|archive-date=29 September 2011}}</ref> and washing away cars.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Chew Valley floods of 1968|url=http://www.publow-with-pensford-pc.gov.uk/pub/backlook/env_agency_leaflet.pdf|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=24 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716144901/http://www.publow-with-pensford-pc.gov.uk/pub/backlook/env_agency_leaflet.pdf|archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref> In the cave itself, the flooding lasted for three days.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Donovan|first=D.T.|title=Gough's Cave, Cheddar, Somerset. Quaternary Stratigraphy|journal=Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelæological Society|year=2006|volume=24|issue=1|pages=17–35|url=http://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol24/UBSS_Proc_24_1_17-35.pdf|access-date=24 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721000148/http://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol24/UBSS_Proc_24_1_17-35.pdf|archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> In 2012 the [[B3130 road|B3135]] road through Cheddar Gorge was closed for several weeks following damage to the road surface as a result of extensive flooding.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Cheddar-Gorge-road-remains-closed-following/story-17514991-detail/story.html | title=Cheddar Gorge road remains closed following floods | publisher=This is Somerset | access-date=18 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611094323/http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Cheddar-Gorge-road-remains-closed-following/story-17514991-detail/story.html|archive-date=11 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-20637358 | title=Flood-hit Cheddar Gorge road to remain closed | publisher=BBC | access-date=18 December 2012 | date=7 December 2012 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210070457/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-20637358 | archive-date=10 December 2012}}</ref>

== Ownership ==
The south side of the gorge is owned and administered by the [[Marquess of Bath]]'s [[Longleat]] Estate. The cliffs on the north side of the gorge are owned by [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|The National Trust]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1843|title=Access Q&A|publisher=British Mountaineering Council|access-date=10 September 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002115151/http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1843|archive-date=2 October 2008}}</ref> Every year, both of the gorge's owners contribute funds towards the clearance of scrub, bush and trees from the area.

Most of the commercial visitor activity in the gorge is on the Longleat-owned south side, including access to the two main commercial show caves and the visitor centre, which is operated by Longleat-owned company Cheddar Gorge and Caves Ltd.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}. Because visitors to the show caves have decreased from 400,000 a year in the 1980s to 150,000 in 2013, [[Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth]], who runs the Longleat estate on behalf of the family trust, proposed the installation of a {{convert|600|m|adj=on}} 18-gondola [[Aerial lift|cable car]] at an estimated cost of £10m, which would take visitors from the entrance area to the caves directly to the top of the southside cliffs. The National Trust opposed the proposed development, stating that it would spoil the view and cheapen the experience, creating a "fairground ride" that would make the area feel more like an amusement park. [[Planning permission]] was planned in Spring 2014, which would have meant that operations would start in Spring 2016.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/countryside/10410815/Marquess-of-Bath-clashes-with-locals-over-plans-for-cable-car-through-Cheddar-Gorge.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Theo | last=Merz | title=Marquess of Bath clashes with locals over plans for cable car through Cheddar Gorge | date=29 October 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102011815/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/countryside/10410815/Marquess-of-Bath-clashes-with-locals-over-plans-for-cable-car-through-Cheddar-Gorge.html | archive-date=2 November 2013}}</ref> In 2015 the financial feasibility was still being investigated.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Robinson|first1=Sarah|title=Bosses still exploring cable car viability|url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/bosses-still-exploring-cable-car-viability-1-3926347|access-date=28 December 2017|work=Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury|date=23 January 2015|archive-date=3 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803135518/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/bosses-still-exploring-cable-car-viability-1-3926347|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Ecology ==
[[File:Cheddar Gorge goat.JPG|thumb|A goat in the gorge]]
Notable species at the gorge include [[common dormouse|dormice]], [[Yellow-necked Mouse|yellow-necked mice]], [[Anguis fragilis|slowworms]] and [[Vipera berus|adders]] and the rare [[large blue butterfly]] (''Maculinea arion''),<ref name="ind">{{cite news | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/the-best-places-to-watch-wildlife-in-britain-425636.html | title= The best places to watch wildlife in Britain | date= 24 November 2006 | work= [[The Independent]] | access-date= 12 August 2007 | location= London | url-status= live | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081216135101/http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/the-best-places-to-watch-wildlife-in-britain-425636.html | archive-date= 16 December 2008}}</ref> and [[small pearl-bordered fritillary]] (''Boloria selene'').<ref name="sssi" />

A wide variety of wild birds may be seen in Cheddar Gorge including [[peregrine falcon]], [[common buzzard|buzzard]], [[common kestrel|kestrel]], [[common raven|raven]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/datewithnature/sites/cheddargorge/index.asp|title=Cheddar Gorgeous birds|publisher=RSPB|access-date=18 September 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504065154/http://www.rspb.org.uk/datewithnature/sites/cheddargorge/index.asp|archive-date=4 May 2009}}</ref> and [[common grasshopper warbler|grasshopper warbler]].<ref name="sssi" />

The flora include chalk grassland-loving species such as [[marjoram]] and wild [[thyme]].<ref name="ind" /> The Cheddar pink, ''[[Dianthus gratianopolitanus]]'', also known as firewitch,<ref name="naturescalendar" /> only grows in the wild in the gorge.<ref name="curio">{{cite book |title=Curiosities of Somerset |last=Leete-Hodge |first=Lornie |year=1985 |publisher=Bossiney Books |location=Bodmin |isbn=0-906456-98-3 |pages=21–22 }}</ref> It was once common in the gorge but declined after being picked by collectors. It is also home to unique species of whitebeam.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6969783.ece | newspaper= The Times | title= Three new species of tree identified in Cheddar Gorge | access-date= 14 November 2010 | location= London | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110604220820/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6969783.ece | archive-date= 4 June 2011}}</ref>
The nationally rare [[Geranium purpureum|little robin geranium]] (''Geranium purpureum''), and [[Galium fleurotii|Cheddar bedstraw]] (''Galium fleurotii'') and the nationally scarce species include [[Vicia tenuissima|slender tare]] (''Vicia tenuissima''), [[Cerastium pumilum|dwarf mouse-ear]] (''Cerastium pumilum'') and [[Sedum forsteranum|rock stonecrop]] (''Sedum forsteranum'') also occur in the gorge.<ref name="sssi" /> It is one of the few localities in England with native populations of the Welsh poppy ''[[Papaver cambricum]]''.<ref name=Valtueña>{{cite journal |last1=Valtueña |first1=F.J. |last2=Preston |first2=C.D. |last3=Kadereit |first3=J.W |date=2011 |title=Evolutionary significance of the invasion of introduced populations into the native range of ''Meconopsis cambrica'' |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=20 |issue=20 |pages=4318–4331 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05273.x|pmid=21923776 |bibcode=2011MolEc..20.4318V |s2cid=54827 }}</ref> It is one of the very few areas in southern Britain where the [[lichen]]s ''[[Solorina saccata]]'', ''[[Squamaria cartilaginea]]'' and ''[[Caloplaca cirrochroa]]'' can be found.<ref name="sssi" />

The gorge is also an important site for [[whitebeam]]s and in 2009 a survey was carried out by botanists from the Welsh National Herbarium as part of a nationwide survey of whitebeams. Among the eight species identified were three new species previously unknown to science. Nineteen specimens with oval-shaped leaves were named the "Cheddar whitebeam", ''Sorbus cheddarensis'', fifteen specimens with roundish leaves and greyish brown bark were named the "Twin Cliffs whitebeam", ''Sorbus eminentoides'', and thirteen with long, narrow leaves were named "Gough’s Rock whitebeam", ''Sorbus rupicoloides''.<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6902489/New-tree-species-discovered-in-Cheddar-Gorge.html|title=New tree species discovered in Cheddar Gorge|last=Anon|date=29 December 2009|work=telegraph.co.uk|publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited|access-date=21 February 2010|location=London|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107100151/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6902489/New-tree-species-discovered-in-Cheddar-Gorge.html|archive-date=7 January 2010}}</ref><ref name="Times">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6969783.ece|title=Three new species of tree identified in Cheddar Gorge|last=de Bruxelles|first=Simon|date=29 December 2009|work=The Times|publisher=Times Newspapers Ltd.|access-date=21 February 2010|location=London|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604220820/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6969783.ece|archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref> The Cheddar whitebeam, which has evolved as a cross between the [[common whitebeam]] and the grey-leaved whitebeam, is unique to the gorge, but its survival is threatened by the goats that were introduced specifically to keep down the growth of new trees and encourage the proliferation of rare plant species such as the Cheddar pink. Cuttings have been taken from the trees to be grafted and grown on at the Welsh National Herbarium.<ref>Country File, Produced by Andrea Buffery, Babara Lewis and Andrew Tomlinson: Broadcast 22 February 2010: BBC Television</ref>

Longleat Estate has fenced off a large part of its land and has introduced [[goat]]s, as part of a programme to encourage the [[biodiversity]] of the area; the goats were intended to replace the [[sheep]] that grazed in the gorge until the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2006/11468378167.html | title= Research news | date= 5 May 2006 | work= [[Bristol University]] | access-date= 12 August 2007 | url-status= live | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080929233626/http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2006/11468378167.html | archive-date= 29 September 2008}}</ref> The National Trust announced in March 2007 that it plans to release a flock of sheep on its side of the gorge for the same purpose, but will first consult local residents and interested parties on whether to fence off the gorge or introduce [[cattle grid]]s to prevent the sheep from straying. There is already a small flock of feral [[Soay sheep]] in the gorge.

== Caves ==
[[File:Goughscave.jpg|alt=Dark brown cave interior with water. A white vertically hanging stalagmite shown above a brown mound on the cave floor.|thumb|[[Stalagmite]]s and [[stalactite]]s in [[Gough's Cave]] ]]
The two main caves open to the public are on the southside of the Gorge, owned by Longleat Estate. The extensive [[Gough's Cave]] and the smaller [[Cox's Cave]] are both named after their respective discoverers. Both are known for their [[geology]], and it has been suggested that the caves were used for maturing [[cheese]] in prehistoric times.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.archaeologyonline.org/Documents/FoodDrink.pdf | title=Food and Drink in European Prehistory | work=archaeologyonline.org, published by Saveock Water Archaeology | access-date=12 August 2007 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922235551/http://www.archaeologyonline.org/Documents/FoodDrink.pdf | archive-date=22 September 2007}}</ref>

Gough's cave, which was discovered in 1903,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://piclib.nhm.ac.uk/piclib/www/image.php?search=cave&getprev=73539 |title=Gough's Cave excavation site |access-date=15 August 2007 |work=Natural History Museum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216141738/http://piclib.nhm.ac.uk/piclib/www/image.php?search=cave&getprev=73539 |archive-date=16 December 2008}}</ref> leads around {{convert|400|m|yd|0|abbr=on}} into the rock-face, and contains a variety of large rock chambers and formations.
Cox's Cave, discovered in 1837,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birminghamuk.com/cheddar.htm |title=Cheddar Caves and Cheddar Gorge |access-date=15 August 2007 |work=BirminghamUk.com }}</ref> is smaller but contains many intricate formations. In 2016 Cox's cave was turned into "Dreamhunters", a multimedia walk-through experience with theatrical lighting and video projection.<ref name="Dreamhunters">{{cite web|title=Dreamhunters – The Adventures of Early Man|url=http://www.amusementparksnews.com/dreamhunters-the-adventures-of-early-man|website=Amusement Parks News|date=19 April 2016|access-date=5 May 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115022029/http://www.amusementparksnews.com/dreamhunters-the-adventures-of-early-man|archive-date=15 January 2017}}</ref>

The Gorge's many caves are home to colonies of [[Greater Horseshoe Bat|Greater]] and [[Lesser Horseshoe Bat|Lesser]] horseshoe bats.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1999.tb01041.x |hdl = 1893/303| url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=0FDDAEB00B899ED1E506A093BD4F8287.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=41519 | last1=Park | first1=Kirsty J. | last2=Jones | first2=Gareth | last3=Ransome | first3=Roger D. | title=Winter activity of a population of greater horseshoe bats | journal=Journal of Zoology | year=1999 | volume=248 | pages=419–427 | publisher=Cambridge University Press  | issue=4 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210812/http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=0FDDAEB00B899ED1E506A093BD4F8287.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=41519 | archive-date=3 March 2016| hdl-access=free }}</ref>

In 1999, the [[Channel 4]] television programme ''[[Time Team]]'' investigated Cooper's Hole in an attempt to find evidence of [[Palaeolithic]] human activity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/timeteam/archive/cheddar.html|title=Cheddar Gorge, Somerset|work=Time Team|publisher=Channel 4|access-date=10 September 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725165621/http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/timeteam/archive/cheddar.html|archive-date=25 July 2008}}</ref>

These caves are the inspirations for the glittering caves of Aglarond situated in the White Mountains behind Helm's Deep in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Two Towers]]'', which was later founded as a new kingdom of Durin's Folk by Gimli after the War of the Ring.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hammond|first1=Wayne G.|author-link1=Wayne G. Hammond|last2=Scull|first2=Christina|author-link2=Christina Scull|title=The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion|year=2005|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|isbn=0-00-720907-X|page=420}}</ref>

Several of the caves have been scheduled as [[ancient monument]]s as nationally important archaeological sites including: Gough's Old Cave,<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Gough's Old Cave|num=1012064|access-date=13 December 2014}}</ref> Great Oone's Hole,<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Great Oone's Hole|num=1010906|access-date=13 December 2014}}</ref> Saye's Hole,<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Saye's Hole, Cheddar Gorge|num=1011916|access-date=5 January 2015}}</ref> Soldier's Hole<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Soldier's Hole, Cheddar Gorge|num=1011914|access-date=5 January 2015}}</ref> and Sun Hole.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Sun Hole, Cheddar Gorge|num=1011915|access-date=5 January 2015}}</ref>

== Recreational use ==
[[File:cheddargorge01.jpg|thumb|alt=Exposed limestone cliffs with vegetation above white buildings with large windows.|Exposed limestone cliffs above visitor centre and restaurant]]
Cliff Road (B3135), which runs through the Gorge, offers a popular climb for bicyclists and has a maximum gradient of 16%.<ref>{{cite book|last=Warren|first=Simon|title=100 greatest cycling climbs : a road cyclist's guide to Britain's hills|year=2010|publisher=Frances Lincoln|location=London|isbn=978-0-7112-3120-7|pages=175}}</ref> The ascent featured in stage 6 of the [[2011 Tour of Britain]].<ref>{{cite web|title=2011 Tour of Britain|url=http://www.tourofbritain.com/_ns_history/history_2011.asp|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504064001/http://www.tourofbritain.com/_ns_history/history_2011.asp|archive-date=4 May 2012}}</ref>

There are about 590&nbsp;graded rock climbing routes on the South side of the gorge,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=240|title=Cheddar Gorge South|date=21 June 2019|publisher=ukclimbing.com|access-date=29 August 2019|archive-date=9 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209190129/https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/cheddar_gorge_south-240/|url-status=live}}</ref> which are generally open to climbers between 1 October and 15 March each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thebmc.co.uk/download.aspx?id=1732|title=Cheddar Gorge Climbing Access|date=1 January 2019|publisher=thebmc.co.uk|access-date=29 August 2019|archive-date=9 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209190115/https://www.thebmc.co.uk/Handlers/DownloadHandler.ashx?id=1732|url-status=live}}</ref> The North side of the gorge has about 380 climbing routes and the land is predominantly owned by the National Trust and mapped as Open Access land which give a right of access for climbers all year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=2280|title=Cheddar Gorge North|date=21 June 2019|publisher=ukclimbing.com|access-date=29 August 2019|archive-date=19 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719103011/https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=2280|url-status=live}}</ref> Each of the routes is named and included in the [[British Mountaineering Council]] guidebook. Although the majority of the climbs are "trad" or "traditional", which means that the leader places protection as they go up, there are also some "sport" routes where bolts are left in place. Climber [[Chris Bonington]] was the first to scale the ''Coronation Street'' route in 1965.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=1200|title=ExWeb Special: The Life and Climbs of Chris Bonington, part 3|work=ExplorersWeb|publisher=mounteverest.net|access-date=7 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116180907/http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=1200|archive-date=16 January 2008}}</ref>

Visitors to the gorge have experienced a number of accidents.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6490889.stm | title= Man injured in Cheddar Gorge fall | date= 24 March 2007 | work= BBC News | access-date= 15 July 2007 | archive-date= 23 May 2023 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230523024440/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6490889.stm | url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6100820.stm | title= Woman rescued from gorge cliffs | date= 30 October 2006 | work= BBC News | access-date= 15 July 2007 | archive-date= 11 July 2020 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200711204242/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/6100820.stm | url-status= live }}</ref> Rescue services, including local [[mountain rescue]] and [[cave rescue]] groups, frequently use the gorge to stage exercises. It is also used as a training location for military rescue helicopter pilots.

The '''Cheddar Man Museum of Prehistory''' inspired by the discovery of ancient hominids such as [[Cheddar Man]] contains information about the caves and their [[paleontology|palaeontological]] development. Exhibits include original [[flint]] tools and human remains excavated from the caves. The Visitors' Centre and Restaurant is an important [[Modern architecture|Modernist]] design by [[Geoffrey Jellicoe]], dating from 1934.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.architecture.com/image-library/RIBApix/image-information/poster/the-caveman-restaurant-goughs-cave-cheddar-gorge/posterid/RIBA2578-11.html|title=The Caveman Restaurant, Gough's Cave, Cheddar Gorge|publisher=Royal Institute of British Architects|website=RIBApix|access-date=29 August 2020|archive-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020022906/https://www.architecture.com/image-library/ribapix/image-information/poster/the-caveman-restaurant-goughs-cave-cheddar-gorge/posterid/RIBA2578-11.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Jellicoe was commissioned by the [[Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath|fifth Marquess of Bath]], and created a two-block structure with a rooftop pool. He drew inspiration from [[International Style (architecture)|International Modernist]] buildings, including the [[De La Warr Pavilion]]. The integrity of the building has been greatly compromised. In the 1960s, the glass roof to the restaurant, and the pool set above it, were removed to increase seating capacity, and it has since been re-clad in poor quality materials. Michael Spens, in his comprehensive study, ''The Complete Landscape Designs and Gardens of Geoffrey Jellicoe'', writes that it is "now barely recognizable as a pioneer construction of the modern period".<ref>{{cite book|last=Spens|first=Michael|title=The Complete Landscape Designs and Gardens of Geoffrey Jellicoe|year=1994|publisher=Thames & Hudson|location=London|isbn=978-0-500-01596-4|pages=44–47}}</ref>

There is a clifftop walk from Jacob's Ladder along the crest of the gorge and back to the road, with views of the gorge. A [[caving]] experience is offered within Gough's Cave. There is a path of 274&nbsp;steps, built up the side of the gorge, known as [[Jacob's Ladder (Bible)|Jacob's Ladder]] after the [[Bible|Biblical]] description of a ladder to the [[heaven]]s. A [[watchtower]] at the top provides a 360–degree view of the entire area and village. An open-top bus tour operates during the summer. [[Cheddar cheese]] is made in the lower part of the gorge.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

[[File:360ViewOfCheddarVillageAndGorge.jpg|alt=Hills covered with green vegetation. To the left in the distance are houses and water. Ahead is exposed rock.|thumb|600px|center|View of [[Cheddar, Somerset|Cheddar]] Village, [[Cheddar Reservoir|reservoir]], [[Batts Combe quarry]] and gorge taken from the watchtower at the top of Jacob's Ladder]]

==In popular culture==
In 1916, a location scene for the movie ''[[Just a Girl (film)|Just a Girl]]'' was filmed at Cheddar Gorge. The heroine, played by [[Daisy Burrell]], had to fire a revolver while riding a pony, which bolted. Burrell clung on grimly, and filming had to be abandoned for the rest of the morning.<ref>"Daisy Burrell: Heroine of Filmland Gives a Few Hints to Would-be Cinema Stars", ''The Picture Show'', Vol. 2, no. 29, Monday 15 November 1919</ref>

Gough's Cave and Cox's Cave were cited by author [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] as the inspiration for the Glittering Caves of [[Helm's Deep]] in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (disambiguation)|The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]. Tolkien and his wife, [[Edith Tolkien]], took their honeymoon in [[Clevedon]], 10 miles northwest of the gorge.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tolkien |first=J. R. R. |title=The letters of J. R. R. Tolkien |last2=Tolkien |first2=Christopher |date=2000 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-618-05699-6 |editor-last=Carpenter |editor-first=Humphrey |edition=1. paperback |location=Boston}}</ref>

The British artist, drag performer, academic, and [[RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 4]]´s runner-up Michael John Atkins, was inspired by the landmark’s name (which they have visited several times during their childhood) to call their drag persona [[Cheddar Gorgeous]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cheddar Gorgeous - RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 4 Meet the Queens |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EujaK0Ip5_E |website=Youtube |publisher=WOWPresents |access-date=7 November 2022}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Geology of the United Kingdom]]
* [[List of National Trust properties in Somerset]]

== References ==
;Notes
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External ==
{{Commons category|Cheddar Gorge}}
* [http://www.cheddargorge.co.uk/ Cheddar Caves and Gorge], a commercial company operating some of the tourist attractions at Cheddar Gorge, Somerset
* [http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/localities/cheddar.html British Geological Survey information about Cheddar Gorge]
* [http://www.beautifulworld.com/europe/england/cheddar-gorge Cheddar Gorge] at Beautiful World

{{Mendip Hills}}
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[[Category:Landforms of Somerset]]
[[Category:Mendip Hills]]
[[Category:Canyons and gorges of England]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Somerset]]
[[Category:National Trust properties in Somerset]]
[[Category:Thynne family|**]]
[[Category:Iron Age sites in Somerset]]
[[Category:Cheddar, Somerset]]