Cheddar Gorge? Anyone ridden it?

Hi all,

I'm in Bristol to see a dive doctor on 28/03 and thought on the way home I could take in cheddar gorge, is it worth the detour? is there somewhere else which is better on the way to Milton Keynes?

[rictus01]

it can be fun before it gets clogged with tourists, nice cafe at the far end and lovely little shop sells 5ltr containers of scrumpy.

Cheers Mark.

[_Stretchie_]

At this time of year watch out for the stones on the roads especially up the top end of the gorge and the little goats aprt from that yeah, do it. Burrington Coombe used to be good too and next to it but it's all 50 mph now.

Originally Posted by rictus01

it can be fun before it gets clogged with tourists, nice cafe at the far end and lovely little shop sells 5ltr containers of scrumpy.

Cheers Mark.

Which end is the cafe? bristol end or leading out?

Leading out as you head away from Bristol I think....if I'm thinking of the same one as rictus. That is, if you start from the top of the gorge up on the mendips ie blagdon/chew valley way.

It's arguably more fun starting from the bottom and heading up though. You're on the throttle a bit more and can enjoy coming out of the bends more I reckon.

[Jayneflakes]

Originally Posted by _Stretchie_

At this time of year watch out for the stones on the roads especially up the top end of the gorge and the little goats aprt from that yeah, do it.

As soon as you get to spring though they tend to sweep them up a bit, but the road clogs up with grockles. The goats can wander along fairly aimlessly, but they are very sweet.

Originally Posted by _Stretchie_

Burrington Coombe used to be good too and next to it but it's all 50 mph now.

I regularly ride up Burrington Coombe, head across to Velvet Bottom and then drop down through Cheddar, although I tend to stop off to admire the classic Bonington Climb Coronation Street. It is a classic route and rather dangerous even today.
Sadly they totally *%^#ed up Burrington Coombe when they resurface it with gravel chippings and tar. It means that in the corners you can suddenly slip off the road on a pile of loose chippings. Then where the cars of been, the gravel has been worn away and the old surface has poked through in places.

This is the cafe at the bottom of the gorge.

A lovely shot of the gorge.

I have no idea what I was up to here!

And, for the rest of your way home, you can then turn left at the top of the Gorge, hit the A39 to Bath, then jump on the A4 to until it meets the M4 west of Reading.

[widepants]

Those goats and sheep are a bloody pain.Im sure it was Wideboy that ended up with bits of wool wrapped around his knee sliders

I'm not sure that was from biking.