Cheddar: Our gorge-ous village

By Tim Lethaby

21st Jan 2020 | Local News

Cheddar Gorge is one of the many attractions in the village
Cheddar Gorge is one of the many attractions in the village

Cheddar Nub News is about to be two months old. To mark this occasion, we wanted to write an article that celebrated all things Cheddar.

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Think of Cheddar and two things spring to mind – the Gorge and cheese.

Visitors have been marvelling at Cheddar's limestone Gorge for centuries. Cheddar Gorge can be viewed from the road running through the ravine or by footpaths along the top of the cliffs where you can enjoy amazing views of the Mendip Hills.

Formed more than a million years ago during the last Ice Age, the Cheddar Caves are home to prehistoric findings including Britain's oldest complete skeleton, the Cheddar Man.

The gorge has nature, unsurprisingly, at its heart being a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation, and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

However, it's not just the landscape that puts Cheddar on the map - Cheddar cheese is world famous and the traditional method of cheese-making can still be seen in the village.

The Lower Gorge and Cheddar village itself feature riverside walks, tearooms, restaurants and cafés.

Cheddar boasts ancient architecture including the remains of a saxon palace, the old market cross and gift shops, a toy museum and the ever-popular crazy golf course.

Nearby Cheddar reservoir is a great place to spot wildlife or take a bike ride or run around the outside.

If you're looking for a longer cycle route, there is the Strawberry Line's 10-mile path from Cheddar to Yatton.

The former railway line opened in 1869 and was essential for transporting famous Cheddar strawberries, as well as passengers.

When we asked Cheddar residents to sum up the village in three words, one person hit the nail on the head with artistic, community and supportive.

The chairman of Cheddar Parish Council, Peter Colton, agrees and said: "Having lived in Cheddar for more than 40 years I think there are lots of great things about the village.

"First of all the countryside around Cheddar: it is stunning with the Mendip Hills and our fabulous gorge, rightly designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

"I love the community too. Even though our population is around 6,000 it still has a village feel to it - you can't rush a trip to the shops, because you always meet people you know and there are so many community-minded individuals running clubs and doing good things for the village.

"And people are friendly. That's important.

"There's so much going on in Cheddar too and so many activities for all folks, including youngsters.

"Aren't we lucky to have such good sports facilities, opportunities for music and a good range of local shops?"

Like many other communities, Cheddar is not without issues. When asked what the biggest problem was in the village, residents overwhelmingly said the lack of infrastructure development to go alongside the growth in housing.

"The biggest single problem facing Cheddar is the growth in housing without any improvements to infrastructure or increase in facilities," said chairman Peter.

"More housing development impacts on everything else - more cars, more traffic congestion, but no more parking.

"More people, but no more employment locally, more children but very little capacity in local schools, more pressure on doctors, dentists and vets.

"The planners have to consider the effect of their policies on communities and force developers to match building with appropriate infrastructure to avoid disharmony and chaos in places like Cheddar."

     

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