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Cheddar
is unique. Its distinguishing feature is the natural
phenomenon of Britain's largest Gorge. The Cheddar
Yeo in Gough's Cave is Britain's biggest underground
river, and the Gorge Cliffs are Britain's highest
inland limestone cliffs. The
Gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
because of the calcareous grassland, Karst limestone
buttresses and Horseshoe Bats. Peregrine Falcons
nest on the cliff face and Soay sheep keep the
scrub in check.
Gough's
Cave is an internationally famous archeological
site because of its Late Upper Paleolithic finds
(12-13,000 years old) and contained Britian's
oldest complete skeleton (9,000 years old). It
lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
and is a candidate for Special Area for Conservation
status.
Popular
tourism began with the opening of Cheddar Valley
Railway in 1869/1870, which provided workers from
towns with the opportunity to enjoy a day's outing
for the first-time as a Bank Holiday. The railway
was also popularly known as the Strawberry Line,
because it passed close by the many strawberry-growing
fields in the largely south-west facing slopes
on the Cheddar side of the valley. "Strawberry
Special" trains ferried the fruits by rail
to all parts of the country, until the line was
axed in 1965.
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