Top 16 Natural Monuments around Compton Bishop

Stunning views across the plains of Somerset. can see for absolutely miles on a clear day. Don't be fooled in to thinking it's an easy route I have made. It really isn't. Proper footwear and even poles are recommended. Bring waterproofs as back up shelter, as there are not many places out of the gorge to shelter. Download the route to device also, there is no phone coverage the further in to the gorge you go.

Black Down Hill or Beacons Batch is the highest hill in the Mendip Hills at 325m, Somerset, in south-western England. Black Down lies just a few miles eastward of the Bristol Channel at Weston-super-Mare, and provides a view over the Chew Valley. It has a trig pointed summit and is a UK designated Marilyn with a prominence of over 150m.

A great climb! Very long, but nice and steady for the most part.

Classic Mendip climb. Just ride it!

This is a challenging 5 mile (8km) route along paths. Several stiles and kissing gates, rough walking in sections and some steep climbs. It is not advisable to attempt this walk in foggy or very windy weather. Good footwear and fitness is required. Safety in Cheddar Gorge: Please do not stand under cliffs as small rocks may fall at any time. Use only footpaths signed for the gorge walk at the top and bottom of Cheddar Gorge – it is dangerous to depart from these paths. Find the Mendip Hills AONB walking route here https://www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/121201-Mendip-Hills-Cheddar-Gorge.pdf

This special site is designated as a Site of Special Scientific interest for its valuable wildlife habitats and is a nationally important site for its archaeology from the late Stone Age and Bronze Age through to the Second World War. Black Down provides the largest area of open access on the Mendip Hills at over 400 ha. Black Down, like most heathlands, is formed through a combination of factors– soil type, rainfall and human activity. The underlying Old Red Sandstone rock together with high rainfall created a waterlogged and acidic soil. The removal of tree cover by our Bronze Age ancestors 2,000 years ago helped to make sure that the soil stayed damp and acid. Only certain plants can survive in this type of ground. The key species include heather or ling, bell heather, bilberry, purple moor grass and European gorse, along with mosses and lichens. Now the bracken is managed by harvesting and grazing by cattle and wild ponies to allow the heathers and grasses to flourish again. Black Down supports a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates.

This special site is designated as a Site of Special Scientific interest for its valuable wildlife habitats and is a nationally important site for its archaeology from the late Stone Age and Bronze Age through to the Second World War. Black Down provides the largest area of open access on the Mendip Hills at over 400 ha. Black Down, like most heathlands, is formed through a combination of factors– soil type, rainfall and human activity. The underlying Old Red Sandstone rock together with high rainfall created a waterlogged and acidic soil. The removal of tree cover by our Bronze Age ancestors 2,000 years ago helped to make sure that the soil stayed damp and acid. Only certain plants can survive in this type of ground. The key species include heather or ling, bell heather, bilberry, purple moor grass and European gorse, along with mosses and lichens. Now the bracken is managed by harvesting and grazing by cattle and wild ponies to allow the heathers and grasses to flourish again. Black Down supports a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates.

Black Down is the highest area of the Mendip Hills and affords wonderful views across the Bristol Channel into Wales, over Weston-super-Mare, the Chew Valley, the Quantocks and beyond. There are many Bronze Age burial sites dotted around. You might also see the wild ponies strutting their stuff.