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Wednesday 10 September 2008

Chedder Gorge

The Entrance to Gough's Cave

What is the village of Cheddar famous for? Cheddar cheese of course. But there is more than cheese of interest in this area. The surrounding limestone Cheddar Gorge has been home to the early cave dwelling man who lived here in caves over 30,000 years ago, and it was here where the bones of the famous Cheddar Man were found.

Limestone Formations
We collected our audio guides which told the story of Gough's cave, the largest and most beautiful in the gorge. Richard Gough was in his 60s when he began digging and blasting through the cave. He discovered two great chambers full of glorious flowing stalactites which look just like the old Pink and White Terraces of New Zealand. The complete skeleton of the world famous Cheddar Man was discovered in this cave in 1903 and carbon dating shows that the bones are 9000 years old.


Chedder Man & Limestone Formation
After we explored the caves and the adjacent museum we boarded the Open Top Bus for a tour of the gorge. The bad weather didn't put the guide off from sitting upstairs and she tried to get all the passengers to join her in the rain. Robin gave in to her while Jenny sat nice and dry downstairs. The towering cliffs of the gorge made a dramatic statement as the double decker bus lumbered along the narrow road.

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