Gorge and Caves

Cheddar Gorge is home to a stunning mosaic of dramatic cliffs and awe-inspiring rock formations — crowned by two of Britain’s oldest showcaves. This is England’s largest gorge, where the iconic Pinnacles rise high above winding paths and hidden chambers below.

From its breathtaking natural beauty to its rich geological history, this extraordinary landscape is a true national treasure — ready to be explored.

This spectacular immersive multimedia experience tells the captivating story of how our iconic caves were formed and evolved through the ‘Power of Water’. The caves were created over hundreds of millions of years and Yeo is the river that flows through them.

As you walk through Cox’s Cave, your virtual guide ‘Yeo’ takes you on a journey through time where you will be immersed in a fascinating adventure that celebrates one of Britain’s natural wonders.

With a history stretching back over hundreds of thousands of years, many artefacts of great historical importance that shed invaluable light on our ancestors and how they lived have been found in Cheddar Gorge and its caves.

The museum tells the story of how our ancestors lived through a 40,000 year struggle for survival during the last Ice Age. The Museum of Prehistory brings together the findings from past excavations and shows how they fit into the bigger, global history of our species. Some of Britain’s leading archaeologists, palaeontologists and anthropologists have helped us interpret this information in a way that is fun and informative for all!

You can get an up close view of the incredible flint tools our forebears made and an array of objects they used in their everyday life. There’s also plenty of information about the world-famous Cheddar Man, the oldest complete human skeleton ever found in Britain, which was discovered in Gough’s Cave in 1903! And the hands-on cave art painting and demonstrations by our very own hunter-gatherers will delight the young and the young at heart.

Excess energy? You’ll soon burn that off climbing the 274 steps which make up Jacob’s Ladder, and there are 48 more to get to the top of our unique Lookout Tower.

The climb is well worth the effort. You’ll be rewarded with magnificent views of the Mendips and beyond. To the south you’ll see the flat, lush water meadows of the Somerset Levels and to the north you'll see the windswept plateau that runs for over 22 miles east to west! If the ascent up Jacob’s Ladder sounds a little daunting to you don’t worry; there are 4 strategically placed breaks in the steps so that you can stop and catch your breath if needs be.

Once you’ve conquered Jacob’s Ladder and the Lookout Tower, you can continue on the Cliff-top walk; taking in a bird's eye view of the captivating natural landscape and its geographical features.

Get ready to see the Gorge from a brand new perspective and take a virtual tour of one of the most iconic landscapes in Britain. Take a seat in front of a state of the art 270-degree screen but feel like you’re flying through the Gorge!

Your journey starts from the heart of Cheddar village itself, discovering how it’s been transformed over the years before taking you up through the Cheddar Gorge itself and the ice-age river bed. The tour finishes by climbing over 450ft to the very top of the Gorge where you’ll enjoy breathtaking, panoramic views of the plateau and learn about the special wildlife that lives amongst this stunning scenery.

The stunning footage is enhanced even further with visual and audio interpretations of interesting buildings and landmarks throughout, truly bringing the landscape and history of Cheddar Gorge to life