Cheddar

We've visited Cheddar together a few times and we both have been over the years with friends and families, so it's familiar territor...

We've visited Cheddar together a few times and we both have been over the years with friends and families, so it's familiar territory. 

Today we thought we'd actually go into the caves - something we've not done since childhood. We did the two main caves - Cough's Cave and Cox's Cave. 

Stepping into Gough's Cave is to descend into a subterranean world of staggering scale and ancient history. Carved by the River Yeo dissolving the limestone rock over half a million years, its vast chambers feel almost cathedral-like. It was first explored and opened to the public in the 1890s by retired sea captain Richard Gough, who must have been stunned by what he found. The cave is famous not just for its towering stalactites and stalagmites, but as the discovery site of 'Cheddar Man' in 1903, Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, dating back around 10,000 years. Even more grisly, archaeologists have found evidence of cannibalism from even earlier inhabitants, making a walk through this beautifully illuminated cavern a journey through both geological time and the darkest parts of our human story. Of course, Cheddar gave its name to the cheese that was produced here and left to mature in the caves - there is still just one producer that does that!

If Gough's Cave impresses with its grandeur, then the adjacent Cox's Cave enchants with its intricate, jewelled beauty. Discovered by chance in 1837 by local mill owner George Cox, this is a much more intimate experience. The smaller passageways twist and turn, revealing crystal-encrusted grottos and calcite formations coloured with rich mineral oxides, creating a fantasy-like atmosphere. What makes Cox's Cave a truly unique visit today is the 'Yeo's Journey' multimedia experience. Projections dance across the uneven cave walls and tells the story of how the iconic caves were formed and evolved through the ‘Power of Water’ - the River Yeo. It’s a cool blend of natural wonder and modern storytelling, transforming the cave from a simple geological exhibit into an immersive and quite moving journey back to the Stone Age.