The Mendip Hills - a world carved in limestone

The limestone slopes and plateau of the Mendip Hills in Somerset provide a distinctive local landscape. They overlook the beautiful lakes of the Chew Valley and the tiny city of Wells, and are dotted with caves and subterranean passageways, which are attractive to potholers. Within the Mendips lies the impressive Cheddar Gorge.

The western section of the Mendips runs from the Bristol Channel at Uphill near Weston-super-Mare, in places affording fine views over the much flatter and lower Somerset Levels. After the central Mendip plateau, the Hills lead down to the spectacular Cheddar Gorge (home of the famous cheese) before forming the setting for the beautiful city of Wells. On towards Frome, on the eastern section, the landscape changes, with deep secluded valleys the dominant feature.

Walkers can take in much of this scenery by following the Mendip Way (49 miles overall), running from Uphill to the Georgian town of Frome. Historic Wells boasts its Cathedral and Bishop's Palace.

Parts of the plateau are surprisingly extensive, so that a walker can, for a while, forget that they are up in the hills. Coming across the deep ravine of Cheddar Gorge can thus be something of a surprise.

As well as walkers, the Mendips are popular for potholing, for caving. Ordinary visitors will find much to enjoy in the area, from the high and lonely village of Priddy (which boasts two pubs) to Cheddar Caves and the nearby cave system of Wookey Hole, used by humans for around 45,000 years, demonstrated by the discovery of tools from the Palaeolithic period, along with fossilised animal remains.

The Romans mined tin up here, and some relics remain.