Post Cheddar Update

So Cheddar - I've been asked for a post visit round up, so here it is, sorry it has been a bit late, I've had a busy week at work, combined with an overnight visit from Marco, a bbq, a dinner party and Tino's last day at Cheyne since we got back.

Anyway, I should explain why we went to Cheddar first. My passport is currently with the home office getting my visa extended, thanks to the UK distaste for anything they are required to do to meet EU regulation this process could take up to 6 months (!!!) which means that we were faced with the prospect of a long weekend without being able to go abroad. Neither Tino or I have travelled much in the UK, travelling in the UK is either expensive, very time consuming or both. Want to go to Cornwall - it's faster to fly to Vienna, including airport time. Want to go to Manchester - it's cheaper to fly to Rome, including airport transfers, you get the idea.

So, a year or so ago, Tino and some of the guys did a 3 day cycle race called the Tour of Wessex, of which one day including a tour around the Cheddar area in Somerset. He remembered it being really pretty and less than four hours drive, so it sounded perfect.

We set off at 7am on Saturday to miss the bulk of the traffic - okay, so you know I'm not a good moring person, but I managed to get up and going without too much hassle. As for the traffic - we started off okay but as we aproached Stonehenge we hit it, our 3 hour tour hit rough seas and we were stuck in a traffic jam which took about an hour to get about 10kms. Feeling a little like Gilligans Crew we arrived after 4.5 hrs feeling tired, in desperate need of the loo and a little grumpy.


Determined not to let anything get us down we headed into Cheddar and Cheddar Gorge. I bit my tongue all weekend wanting to say it, and didn't but I will now.

Cheddar itself - Cheesy!!
Cheddar Gorge - Gorgeous!!

Okay so now that is out of my system, I'll elaborate. Cheddar is really cheesy, it's very touristy, but really naff. It is overrun with Chav's and a ticket to the caves etc is very expensive. The town itself is quite pretty, but the main street is full of stores selling various types of esoterica. It's a shame but I guess they are catering to a market.

We headed up Jacobs ladder, a staircase with 246 odd steps, each representing a million years in evolution. It's a really interesting way of representing the passage of time, every few million years (steps) there was a sign telling you what was happening to the UK during that period. It was really good and I guarantee that the kids reading them learnt more from them than from any science class. The top of the ladder brings you out at the top of the Gorge and we walked along the top edge for about 1.5 hrs, it's really stunning up there. Cheddar Gorge is the largest Gorge in the UK, and really stunning. We walked back along the road which runs along the bottom of it, Tino cycled it last year, so he really enjoyed being able to look above him and around him a bit!

After the Gorge came the cheese factory!! After our 1.5hr walk I was feeling very virtuous and ready to feast my face with cheese!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh (there are those angels again)

The factory was great, we saw most of the tour and learnt a bit about the cheese making process. Cheddaring is the process which make cheese a cheddar (not suprisingly!) Basically, the curds are squeezed over and over removing as much whey as possible which creates a cheddar.

The tastings in the shop were brilliant, I think they had about 25 different types of cheddar, from mild to extra mature, blue cheddar and flavoured cheddars. I think my favorites were the smoked, tomato and onion, port and basic mild cheddar. We ended up just buying the tomato and onion and a block of mild, too many choices.

They also sell a load of different types of pickles, again I restrained myself a little, if only because we have a small fridge and I can't keep a lot, but we did buy a jar of caramelised onions which will be great in sandwiches or with bangers and mash or lamb roast.

Coutler and Harriett were also in Somerset we met them for lunch at a nearby town pub on Sunday, then went our own ways again, we went driving around two lakes to the north west of Cheddar, Blagdon lake and Chew Valley Lake, there's some stunning scenery around there, it was really beautiful.

Oh, the town we met Coulter and Harriett in was called Priddy - insert your own pun here............