...Peregrine falcons nest on the cliff face and where Horseshoe Bats live in large numbers. Climbers are often seen tackling the perilous sheer cliffs either side of the road that winds tortuously through the gorge and Soay sheep will frequently descend from the cliffs to slow down the traffic. The gorge cliffs are the highest inland limestone cliffs in Britain.
Cheddar caves are amazing. Gough's Cave is an internationally famous archeological site because of its Late Upper Paleolithic finds (12-13,000 years old). This is where Britain's oldest complete skeleton (9,000 years old) was discovered. Our ancestors were living here 40,000 years ago.
Gough's Cave is Britain's first known cannibal site and there’s an excellent exhibition of the lives of our ancestors who lived in the gorge thousands of years ago. Gough’s is the largest cave, so large it’s referred to as ‘cathedral-like’, and is an incredible subterranean experience.
Cox’s Cave is much smaller and beautifully coloured, sculpted by an underground river over a million years. There are narrow passages, awe-inspiring calcite formations and pools like glass.
The more adventurous can enjoy some real caving with an expert guide, exploring caves that the public never see.
The village of Cheddar was famous for making cheese as early as 1170AD, which contributed to its wealth for centuries after. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, watermills in the gorge ground corn and made paper, and there’s still a paper mill at the entrance to the gorge.
Other places to visit in Wiltshire include Bath, Bowood House, Bradford-on-Avon, Caen Hill Locks, Calne, Chippenham, Corsham Court, Devizes, Lacock,
Longleat Safari Park, Stonehenge, The Cotswolds, Wookey Hole
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