UK Tourist & Leisure Attractions - Somerset

Early on the fifth day of our Somerset holiday we drove the fair distance to Cheddar Caves and Gorge, the deepest Gorge in Britain!  Ooo ar!

After an expensive coffee in the Explorers Café-bar we ventured into Gough's Cave armed with our Audioguide handset for the enlightening commentary.

Brrr!  It was pretty chilly in Gough's Cave and we were sure glad of our jackets.

After wandering through the various areas admiring all the amazing rock formations in Gough's Cave, we emerged into this large cavern with well illuminated stalactites and stalagmites.  Wow!  We thought it very well presented and well worth the visit.

Back out in the hot Somerset sunshine we next headed to the Cheddar Man and Cannibals Museum...

...following which Cox's cave beckoned.  Here we observed some striking reflections of the rock formations in the water and enjoyed an awesome light display to finish.  See our UK tourist resources for the Cheddar Caves and Gorge website.

Jacobs Ladder has 274 steps from the Gorge bottom to the cliffs top.  There's a number of rest areas on the way up with info boards along the way.  At the top we...

...had more climbing to do up the Lookout Tower where we enjoyed a grand view on this clear day across Cheddar Gorge and the Somerset Levels.

There's a three mile cliff-top Gorge walk through a nature reserve here; the walk was rather rocky in places but afforded stunning views of the fantastic Somerset countryside.  We spotted Glastonbury Tor in the distance, our intended destination the next day.

Phew!  Here's a puffed Mike on the way down Jacobs Ladder at Cheddar.  Well, it was a hot day.

After a cooling ice cream our final attraction at Cheddar Gorge was a typical tourist topless tour bus ride, complete with live commentary from the enlightening guide about all the spectacular landmarks, which we filmed with our new camcorder.  Our Caves and Gorge Explorer ticket cost £9.25 on our visit.

Our final day in Somerset was yet another hot one!  Here's Belinda about to climb the pathway up Glastonbury Tor after first enjoying a coffee in the nearby Rural Life Museum.  Strangely, St Michael's Tower on the top appeared to be only half way up, but is, in fact, at the very top of the 158 metres hill!

Glastonbury Tor, or the Isle of Avalon, is at the pinnacle of Somerset myths and legends, steeped in mythology and was very popular, many others were climbing up to the tower too.  Informative Glastonbury and Somerset websites are in our tourist resources.

Mike almost at the top of the Tor and...

...Belinda framed by the arch of St Michael's Tower.
See our Glastonbury Tor video clip.

At the Glastonbury Tor viewpoint we could see plenty of appealing countryside across the Somerset Levels and the plate here gave distances to landmarks to spot.  As it was such a clear day we spotted many, although it was pretty windy on top of the Tor.

After a picnic lunch on the way down from the Tor we next visited Chalice Well Gardens (entrance £3) in Glastonbury, and took time to chill in the relaxing beauty of this wonderfully peaceful place.

Our week in Somerset started off in the cool 20s and just got hotter and hotter as it went on, finishing up in the early 30s.  So we thought it time for a cool cider in a Glastonbury pub garden - ooo ar!

Finally, we visited Glastonbury Abbey (£4 entrance) - and here's the old ruins and the Abbey, which legend has as the burial place of King Arthur.

There were guided tours round the Abbey but we preferred to make our own pace through the 36 acres, the museum, and Abbey model in the visitor centre.

We took tons of pictures at Glastonbury Abbey, after which we returned to the holiday cottage and enjoyed another excellent meal at the local Indian restaurant...

...on our last evening.  However, our very final Somerset visit was to Sheppy's Cider Farm near Taunton the next day on our way back home (well, out of our way really, but worth the detour!)
So... we certainly had a wonderful week's holiday in Somerset and once again enjoyed some fine West Country weather - and cider!