Walk this route yourself in 3D!
The Video is a 3D walk through of this route, it will give you a unique sense of having walked through the route before you start.
I have created 3D Videos of my adventures and have shared them with the OutdoorActive community as well as my walking community.
Cheddar Gorge Cliff-Top Circular Walk, Jacob's Ladder & Lookout Tower overlooking the Mendips - 3D VideoCheddar Gorge has so much to offer, we walked the ‘Cliff-Top Circular Walk‘, had magnificent views of the Mendips & Somerset and beyond, climbed the ‘Lookout Tower, descended Jacobs Ladder‘ then enjoyed ice cream, shopping and some beautiful water gardens in ‘Cheddar Gorge‘ town, which is nestled between the gorge cliff sides.
It was the summer holidays and we visited early on a Sunday morning, which turned out to be a great idea, as it did get very busy, and parking will be a problem eventually. But the town had a great atmosphere with its variety of shops, food places and the caves and rock climbing which you can do, and there is also the ‘Museum of Prehistory‘.
Getting There: Directions, GPX and App Link
The Hiking app I use to plan the walks and to aslo guide me around is the ‘Outdooractive App‘, which has a free a Pro and a Pro+ version, the Pro version will allow you to download the routes to your phone, and use them without using up your data.
The reason I mention it is that if you were to download a route, they are FREE and you can find this link to this route in my hike listings. You can then follow the arrows and voice on your mobile, as most of these walks are a bit tricky to explain.
- There are plenty of car parking facilities in the area, but the one we choose to park at is on the other side of the town on a bend heading through the gorge. It is on the left (Cliff Rd, Cheddar BS40 7XU) here and you will need to pay.
- It is on the B3135, get there early especially on school holidays.
Navigation Aids:
- Follow this route on the Outdooractive App, it is FREE, and it will guide you around safely.
- Download my hand crafted *GPX file, and use it on your own guidance devices.
- If you’re not sure what a GPX file is, I have put an explanation post together here that will hopefully explain it in plain words. It’s worth considering as well as mobile app navigation, as they will make your hikes better & safer.
Hike Map
Hike Profile
- Distance: 4m / 6km
- Duration: 3 hours
- Highest point: 833ft / 254m
- Difficulty: Moderate, due to some steep short climbs, some loose terrain, a few rocks to walk over or around.
- Route conditions: Well-worn pathways most of the way around, good walking shoes are a must.
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Hike Description & Pics
The car park we started at was the other side of the town on the left as you make your way around the first bend. There seems to be plenty of car parks around the area, and it seemed they are all park and pay. We got there early on a Sunday during the summer holidays, and found plenty of spaces to park, but after 2-3 hours it got very busy.
As you make your way down, on your right is a large cottage and this is the ‘Museum of Prehistory’, then a little further you cross over the road, to the start of the ‘Cliff-Top Circular Walk’, which is a narrow stone public footpath that leads up behind the shops and houses, into the woods.
Following the signs for the ‘Gorge Walk via clifftops’ you will hike up a pretty steep hill that takes you through the woods. It’s a lovely walk very peaceful, but I want to point out that it is quite steep, but once at the top you will see a wall in front of you and a sign that actually points to the left.
We did go to the left, but I have changed the route in the gpx that’s attached, simply because you can go right here and walk to the edge of the gorge on this side, then join back up with the path. I noticed this once we were over the other side looking over.
Once at the top you will start to get some beautiful views of the Mendips & Somerset, and all you need to do is follow the very well-worn path around. Most of the time you will follow a stone wall on your right.
The path continues around this side of the gorge, following the landscape around to the right mostly. After a while you will start to head down to the road via some wooden steps, and once at the bottom you will need to cross over.
You have a choice how you make your way up the other side, the shorter route as always is the harder route, whilst you can walk 200 meteres up the road to take an easier walk up to the other side. We took the shorter, harder route and again it was pretty tough and steep, but it’s not for long, and then you are at the top and you can follow the gorge on your right, and at times walk out to the cliff edges to see the road below.
We had a little break at the top, before heading on and following the path along whilst popping to the edges to look over at various points and doing a bit of exploring. The views in front of you as you walk back are stunning, you get to see the wide planes and the various historic mounds in the distance, including the Glastonbury Thor.
Next up is the ‘Lookout Tower’ then to its side ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ a staircase with an interesting history which takes you back down to the town, and the good news is that by going down you don’t have to pay, which you have too when walking up 😕!
You are then back in the town, and like we did you will probably enjoy looking around the shops, having something to eat, or even paying to go into the caves there. It’s a really interesting town, with a huge amount of history and the water gardens really add to its character.
The car park is then back up the road, and you are back where you started. I have added some pics below of the town and what it has to offer, we enjoyed the cheese, the ice creams and the coffee, really finished it off for us.
That’s it, you’re all done, back at the car and hopefully the weather has been good, and you have had a great experience.
It is worth downloading this route onto your outdooractive app, it’ll re-assure you time wise and that you’re not heading in the wrong directions. There is so much space up there and lots of alternative paths you could accidently join.
Hope you enjoy this walk, and I’d love it if you could share this post either with the social media buttons that follow you down the screen on your left, or below in the footer. Also, comments are very welcome, I love meeting new people and talking and you never know we could meet up on one of our walks.
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