Ilkeston Cam on Holiday
Part 05 - To Cheddar
w/e 23 August 2026
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Nikon D3300 camera.
One day whilst on holiday in Weston, we took a ride
out into the surrounding Somerset countryside and the Mendip
Hills.
Our first stop was in Burrington Combe, a valley in the hills
close to the more famous Cheddar Gorge.
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We stopped in a small car park at the side of the road where
a sign indicated that we were in the Mendip Hills National Landscape.
National Landscapes are designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (AONB) and are protected to preserve the land and enhance
its natural beauty by law, namely the Countryside and Rights
of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) .
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There was an information board close to the parking
area facing a cleft in the limestone cliff that is know as the
Rock of Ages.
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The board describes how the Revd. Augustus Toplady, curate at
nearby Blagdon, sheltered here during a thunderstorm whilst out
walking and was so inspired and thankful to God for His protection
that he wrote the hymn ‘Rock of ages’ - the name by
which the cleft has been known ever since.
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The name and its origin is now carved into the rock face to the
left of the cleft (see also previous image).
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After continuing through Burrington Combe we circled round to
descend and enjoy a pleasant ride down Cheddar Gorge to Cheddar
Village.
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It was still only mid morning but that meant it was coffee time.
We went into the 'Cafe Gorge' where this was the view back up
the gorge, and not only enjoyed our coffee but also the accompanying
cream 'tea'. Can we really call a serving of freshly made scones,
cream and jam a 'tea' in the middle of the morning? 'Tea' or
not, it was delicious!
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Cheddar Gorge and the village of course are tourist hot spots
and there are plenty of other cafes and restaurants to choose
from. One on the other side of the road in the building painted
pale blue is called The Lion Tea Rooms taking its name from the
so called Lion Rock behind. Look closely and you can see the
formation resembles the features of a lion.
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The Lion Tea Rooms boast a Terrace Garden, are dog friendly and
also offer a takeaway menu but I think the bike is purely decorative
as it has been parked in front of one of the doors for several
years.
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Directly across from the Lion
Tea Rooms is the Tourist Information Centre, complete with gifts
and souvenirs and a little further up the road another shop had
gifts for the more discerning visitor. The tiger's head sculpture
was one of many animals on display in the shop window and perhaps
was in competition with the Lion Rock for attention. At over
£300 though we decided against it - there wasn't room in
the car for it anyway.
Back to Part 04
- Forward to Part 06
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