Cheddar Gorge

Cheddar Gorge Facts

The somewhat attention-grabbing term of Cheddar Gorge serves as the only generally used title for this wonder of geological processes. While what it’s called might be a source of a small amount of humor, there’s nothing at all funny about its abundance of natural marvels.
The distinctive title use herein derives from its close proximity to a village, naturally named Cheddar, sitting nearby. It also holds a certain distinction for items found within its confines. Perhaps chief among these is the oldest complete human skeleton discovered in the region.
Of course, being colloquially named the Cheddar Man, these discovered remains date back to approximately 9,000 years ago. Partial remains of even older humans were also discovered inside the confines of the stunning gorge. These date back around 12,000 – 13,000 years ago.
The fabulous formation now forms part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest understandably called the Cheddar Complex. It’s thus fully appreciated for both its beauty and its place in history. A 2005 poll named it the second greatest natural wonder in the country it lies in.
Unfortunately, though, that presents a serious problem for Cheddar Gorge. Due to its great popularity, it’s now a major tourist attraction in its region. Because of this, it receives about 500,000 visitors every year. This continually makes maintaining its pristine state difficult.

Cheddar Gorge Physical Description

The breathtaking Cheddar Gorge clearly captures the imagination of those fortunate visitors with its beauty. There’s simply no denying this fact. Yet it also merits appreciation for certain other aspects. That’s because, while not as large as similar features around the world, it’s still respectable.

This creation of Nature, geological processes, and time extends for approximately 3 mi (4.8 km). It’s not exactly straight, however. On the contrary, this wonder of creation tends to wind circuitously through the surrounding terrain. It additionally varies in width quite significantly along its path.

Its impressive statistics don’t simply end there, though. The indisputably eye-catching structure also boasts a moderate depth across it entire stretch. At its deepest part, it measures roughly 449 ft (137 m) in depth. Combined with its extreme tendency to twist, this makes for an amazing view.

The underlying rock strata of captivating Cheddar Gorge consists primarily of a precise combination of three distinct types of stone. Those include Black Rock slate, Burrington Oolite and Clifton Down Limestone. These many layers also contain numerous ooliths and fossils from various periods.

On the northern side of the visually impressive canyon, steep grassy slopes predominate. To the south, however, it’s bounded by an almost vertical cliff face. Yet it also holds self-contained marvels. Numerous caverns also appear within its boundaries, including two beautiful show caves.

Cheddar Gorge Location, Formation, and Ecology

The beautiful Cheddar Gorge formed in a part of the world already highly renowned for its vast natural beauty. The precise region of the globe it sits in, though, might surprise some of you. That’s true despite that the fact that it lies within the boundaries of what’s now known as Europe.

Inside of that greater area, though, this wonder of geology formed in a region that’s quite distinct in its own right. That’s true since it sits inside the borders of the country of England. Its location places it in the Mendhip Hills. That’s a range of hills situated lightly south of Bristol, in Somerset.

The mesmerizing site formed over a lengthy period of time believed to total about 1.2 million years. Its formation occurred due to the actions of meltwater flooding during multiple glacial periods. As the ice melted at the end of each period, the resulting runoff inexorably carved out the gorge.

That same water flow also ran under the ground, as well. Its actions aided in the carving out the various individual caves found within its limits. That creation mainly occurred because of the high percentage of limestone contained in the strata. This permeable stone allowed for easier erosion.

The marvel of Cheddar Gorge is accentuated even further by the presence of a fully thriving ecosystem. Many animal species live there, including several types of mice and snakes. Several rare varieties of butterfly also appear there. Still other animals present include falcons and ravens.

Local flora includes several species that actually love the high chalk content present locally. This includes wild thyme. One perennial herb appearing within its confines even grows nowhere else on earth! Other floral varieties present include poppies, in additon to several other rarely seen plants.