Places to visit

Cheddar is often used as an overnight stop by people on their way to a holiday in Cornwall and Devon, but the whole Somerset area is a great holiday destination in its own right and too often overlooked when zipping through on the M5.

For most people in the UK, driving all the way down to Devon and Cornwall resorts takes two or three hours longer each way than just going to Somerset.

In Cheddar itself:

Cheddar Gorge and Caves 01934 742343.
Gough’s Cave, Cox’s Cave, the Crystal Quest, Jacob’s Ladder, the Clifftop Walk, “Cheddar Man and the Cannibals” exhibition and the open-top bus ride through the gorge. Everything on the right (south side) as you walk up the Gorge is part of the Longleat Estate, along with the Cox’s Mill and “Cannibals” buildings, and the land in the gorge on the north side is National Trust.

The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company 01934 742810.
Visit the dairy to see how Cheddar Cheese is made the traditional way, try and buy different varieties from the shop. Click here to hear an audio interview with John Spencer of the Cheese Company (link goes to “Here on Earth” Radio)

Plus many other smaller attractions such as:

• Cheddar Crazy Golf – a challenging 18 hole course
• Exhibition of Rocks and Minerals at Cloud 9, Queens Row
• See sweets being made at the Cheddar Sweet Kitchen
• Go back in time at the Toy Museum and Model Railway
• The Gorge Bear Company - a huge selection of teddy bears and soft toys
• South West Karting at Winchester Farm, kart and minimoto racing and also the venue for the enormous car boot sale every Sunday from 9am.

You can also use Cheddar as a base for touring the local area. Here are six ideas for great days out, offering something for everyone for a week’s holiday – and this excludes a day spent in Cheddar!

City of Bath	City of Wells
About 40 minutes’ drive north-east from us, up the gorge and over the Mendips is historic Bath. Spend a day browsing the specialist shops, and visiting the various Roman sites, plus much more besides.	Wookey Hole Cave is just 15 minutes’ drive away on the outskirts of Wells. You can also visit the paper mill and old-time amusement arcade here. Recently some new family attractions have been added such as a soft play area and dinosaur exhibit. Then drive in to Wells itself, England’s smallest City, to see the Bishop’s Palace and Cathedral.
Glastonbury & Clarks Village	Weston-Super-Mare
20 minutes’ drive to the south is Glastonbury, where you can climb the Tor and visit the Abbey, as well as browsing the various “alternative” shops in the town centre. The town of Street is right next door and is home to the vast Clarks Factory Shopping village.	20 minutes’ drive to the north west is Weston Super Mare – for all the traditional seaside resort attractions – acres of sand, donkey rides, miniature railway, aquarium, and the Ground Force memorial garden for Jill Dando – to name just a few. New pier in 2010.
West Somerset Railway to Dunster	Lynmouth, Tarr Steps and Dulverton
Just under an hour’s drive away is Bishops Lydeard, the start of the West Somerset Railway, running steam and heritage diesel services to the coast at Minehead. Leave your car, get on the train to Dunster and disembark for a 20-minute walk to see a wonderfully preserved example of a medieval English village complete with its own castle.	Head out of Bridgwater on the A39 (just 30 minutes down the motorway) and you are on the north Somerset coast road. Climb the notorious 25% gradient of Porlock Hill for outstanding car-window views. Do lunch at picturesque Lynmouth and experience the Cliff Railway, and return across Exmoor via Tarr Steps and chocolate-box Dulverton to regain the M5 at Taunton.

Other places of interest nearby include:

Banwell Caves and Tower

Tyntesfield House and Gardens