Cheddar Gorge is the largest gorge in the United Kingdom

Cheddar Gorge is the largest gorge in the United Kingdom, near the village of Cheddar in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. The gorge is the site of the Cheddar Caves, where Britain's oldest complete human skeleton at 9,000 years old, Cheddar Man, was found. Older remains from the Upper Late Palaeolithic era (12,000 - 13,000 years ago) have been found. Rock formations in the caves are indiscribably beautiful. Download high resolution version (750x1121, 114 KB)The cliffs and gorge at Cheddar. ... Download high resolution version (750x1121, 114 KB)The cliffs and gorge at Cheddar. ... A gorge is a narrow passage between steep mountains or hills. ... A gorge is a narrow passage between steep mountains or hills. ... Cheddar Village circa 1907 Cheddar is a village in the district of Sedgemoor in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the Mendip Hills nine miles north west of Wells. ... Cheddar Gorge The beautiful Mendip hills The Mendip Hills are a range of limestone hills (karst) situated to the south of Bristol and Bath in north Somerset, England. ... Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. ... Cheddar Man is the name given to the remains of a human male found in Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England. ... The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. ...

Jacob's Ladder is a public path of 274 steps, built up the side of the gorge. The gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a tourist site. A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. ... Tourist redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album) Tourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation and business, and the provision of services for this act. ...

The rocks of the gorge are Carboniferous Limestone on top of Old Red Sandstone. The river at the bottom of the gorge is the Cheddar Yeo, rising in the gorge in Gough's Cave. The maximum depth of the gorge is 113 m (370 ft). The Carboniferous is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... The Old Red Sandstone is a rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. ...

The gorge, which has no river for most of its length, has near-vertical sides and shows characteristics of a river-formed valley. The lack of water is expected since limestone is permeable (it is pervious - allows water through its cracks, but is non-porous - doesn't have any holes.). The gorge was formed in the ice age when any water in the limestone froze, making the rock temporarily impermeable. Torrents of melt water gradually eroded the rock away to form the gorge. After the ice age the limestone thawed and became permeable again so that any water on the surface seeped into the rock, leaving behind a dry valley.

Tourism

Cheddar Gorge is spectacular. Gough's Cave & Cox's Cave are tourist attractions. They are popular both for the spectacular geology of the caves and for the exhibitions, which are entertaining and educational. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, Cheddar Gorge was named as the second greatest natural wonder in Britain (surpassed only by Dan yr Ogof caves). A tourist attraction is a place where tourists, foreign and domestic, normally visit. ... Opinion polls are surveys of opinion using sampling. ... Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ... Dan yr Ogof is a 15km long cave system in south Wales, and is the main feature of a show cave complex (advertised as The National Showcaves Centre for Wales) which is claimed to be the largest in Europe. ...

Tourists are recommended to try some authentic Cheddar cheese, known as, 'West Country Farmhouse Cheddar'. Local cheddar cheese is incomparably better than the mass produced version of the cheese. Country of origin England Region, town Somerset, Cheddar Source of milk Cows Pasteurized Frequently Texture hard/semi-hard Aging time 3-4 months depending on variety Certification No Cheddar cheese is a pale yellow, sharp-tasting cheese originally made in the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset. ...

See also

• Geology of the United Kingdom
• Seven Natural Wonders

Geological map of Great Britain. ... Seven Natural Wonders is a television programme that aired on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. ...

Reference

• Cheddar Caves & Gorge
• Cheddar Caves and Gorge