and the South West
What to see at Cheddar Gorge
Stunning views and cathedral-like caves await you at England’s largest gorge, where the country’s oldest complete skeleton was discovered in 1903. Find out how the Cheddar Man used to live 10,000 years ago.
Cheddar Gorge took shape during the last Ice Age, when melting glaciers formed a river that slowly cut into the limestone rock.
Making its way underground, the water also created the famous Cheddar Caves where, from around 13,000 years ago, our ancestors once lived. It’s in one of these caves that Britain’s oldest complete skeleton was found, known as the Cheddar Man.
Discovered in 1903, the Cheddar Man was a Mesolithic hunter-gatherer and had dark skin and light eyes. Cave burials were common in his day, but as he was interred on his own – rather than with other members of his family – he was likely special.
Today, Cheddar Gorge is a great place to go walking and take tours of the caves, including Gough’s Cave, where the Cheddar Man’s remains were first discovered.
There’s also the Museum of Prehistory, where you can step back hundreds of thousands of years and see how our ancestors once lived, using basic tools, clothes and shelter.
