Cheddar - A Cheesy Place

Laura and I had awoke in the country manor that we called home for the weekend. It was a beautiful day, a bit chilly, and a few clouds, but nothing that would dampen a visit to a Cheese Town. Now we have already visited another famous Cheese Town, namely Edam, so we knew today was going to be good. 

Quick breakfast and we were off. Having studied the map we had a fair idea of where we were heading. A mix of small villages, hedge-rowed country lanes, and even smaller villages made up the bulk of the drive. Quaint is probably the best word to describe the English Countryside - it might be a bit overused, but when you are almost literally driving through the set of a Postman Pat episode one can't help but conjure up clichés. 

We knew we were getting closer to our destination when the rolling fields started to become more and more rocky. Suddenly they began to rise up around us, trees began to encroach on the road, and the rock became more prominent and dominant. A sign; Cheddar Gorge. 

Both Laura and I grew up with hundreds of trips to Tauranga, and hold the Karangahake Gorge in a special place of our hearts, but the Karangahake would swallow Cheddar a dozen times over. Now that's not to say that the Cheddar Gorge isn't amazing - it is.

Looking Gorge'ous

The narrow road, with barely enough room for two-way traffic, wound it's way far below the now all encompassing canyon. Mountain Goats bounding around the steep rock faces, constantly threatening to come down on your car roof. The camber and seal of the road made the driving experience a delight. Twisting and turning, it was hard to keep your eyes on the road and ignore the intensity surrounding you, that beckoned your gaze. 

Slowly we began to see more and more cars, precariously parked on the narrow shoulder. Rock climbers began to dot the steep cliffs, and the road became more inclined towards vertical, our little car (me now engine braking) doing its best job at keeping us under control. 

Suddenly we were surrounded by tiny buildings, and the town itself lay ahead, out of the gorge proper. 

Here is a tip: it costs £5 to park in the Gorge, and the system for parking works thusly - you leave your car and walk all the way to the cave entrance ticket hall, inform them of your number plate, they radio the parking warden with the details, you pay for parking, then walk all the way back up to your car to collect the parking ticket to be displayed on your dashboard. Another thoroughly inefficient British system... At least thats what we gathered from overhearing a description of the process. 

This did not affect us anyway, as we wanted to park down in the town and walk up. There are a number of paid parking spots, BUT if you continue through the streets, past the 'no parking' signs, you do get to some smaller roads where you can park, only a few hundred metres from where you want to be, and who's to know you aren't visiting Aunt Mable. 

Visiting Aunty Mable

The small town of Cheddar is adorable, slightly touristy, but adorable none the less. We made our way straight to the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company, the only place that actually makes cheddar in Cheddar. The shop of course does free tastings. Not the classic free for all through, you have to ask to try each one, but they have got a great selection. One half of the room is traditional, the other half various spices and flavours. 

The specialty is the Cave Aged, which is what makes this place special. Deep in the Gorge there are the caves that have been used to age cheese for hundreds of years. 

Out the back of the shop is the actually factory, £2pp gets you an all day ticket to come back as many times to watch the seven hour process of making the cheese. I love watching cheese being made. It's crazy that something so wonderful comes from only one ingredient (plus a bit of rennet).

Small town, no need to frown

After we'd had our fill we continued to walk back up through the Gorge. Considering we had been to some amazing caves not two weeks prior we decided to skip going in as the main attraction aside from the cheese caves is all about Prehistoric Britain. 

Along with the cheese, the caves, and the cute shops, there are loads of little cafes and heaps of walks to do. Cheddar might be small, but there is enough there to keep anyone occupied for hours. Or at least until they've coma'd on cheese!

Say 'Cheese'