Day 2 - Short Trip to Bath, Cheddar Gorge and Wells Somerset

Feeling refreshed from a great night's sleep we set off for Cheddar Gorge, one of the Wonders of England. 

The winding road cuts through the dramatic 450ft limestone cliffs.

Impressively created by flood water from thawing ice ages over a million years ago, we felt very small as we marvelled the towering rocks.

We watched some people rock climbing, which looked great fun. Maybe next time....!  

There is an Open-Top Bus Tour but as we were wanting to stretch our legs, we decided to walk the three mile Cliff Top Gorge Walk in the 360 acre Nature Reserve. 

It is private land and there is a fee of £5 per person at the entrance, which we thought was a bit of a rip off. 

We later saw other savvy walkers unofficially starting further along the walk and therefore joining the path for free. 

To begin with there is a climb of 274 steps up to The Lookout Tower, which I counted in between gasps for air!  

The Lookout Tower

Made it! 

There are some great views from the top.

Cheddar Reservoir

We happily spent an hour hiking and chatting away through some fab scenery but word of warning - it is not an easy stroll and can be very muddy and slippy in places, especially after a drop of rain.  At the end of the hike my clothes were testament to that!

We only had one afternoon left so gave Cheddar Cave a miss and made our way to medieval Wells, the smallest city in England.

It was a wonderful surprise. 

The Cathedral is amazing for such a small place! It's almost as grand as Bath Abbey.

There is a charge to take photos in the Abbey and the architecture will blow you away. There are free informative tours lasting about an hour.

Another unmissable, historic building nearby is the moated Bishop's Palace.

The Bishops of Bath and Wells have resided here for over 800 years and their front door is an imposing gatehouse with portcullis and drawbridge! 



Inside the grounds it is so peaceful and lovely to sit and relax after a day's explorations.

Here's an interesting fact for you. Wells gets its name and origin from springs that bubble up into the gardens of the Bishop's Palace!

Finally, we nipped across to Vicars' Close built in 1360s. It is a medieval cobbled street and is said to be the oldest continually occupied street in Europe. 

Stepping into it and you go right back in time. Magical. 

Its purpose was to give the men of the quire accommodation away from the temptations of the town and is linked to the Cathedral by a bridge! 

...and the town is very tempting! Lots of independent shops, restaurants and quaint tea rooms but once more we had run out of time. 

Our history filled, jam packed, fun couple of days finished with a super meal on the way home in the Cotswolds, but that's another story.