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Beacon Batch summit trig point – Velvet Bottom Nature Reserve loop from Gough's Cave

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Hiking trails & Routes

Beacon Batch summit trig point – Velvet Bottom Nature Reserve loop from Gough's Cave

Moderate

4.8

(22)

hikers

Beacon Batch summit trig point – Velvet Bottom Nature Reserve loop from Gough's Cave

04:35

15.6km

390m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: July 9, 2026

Tips

Temporary access restrictions

Includes segments with temporary access restrictions.

After 2.26 km for 120 m

Customers only

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

1.02 km

View of Cheddar Gorge and Cheddar Reservoir

Highlight • Viewpoint

Impressive gorge with climbing possibilities.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

1.53 km

View of Cheddar Gorge and Cheddar Reservoir

Highlight • Natural Monument

At almost 400 feet (122 m) deep and 3 miles (5 km) long, this is England’s largest gorge and, with its weathered crags and pinnacles, one of our most spectacular natural sites. It plays host to a varied community of specialised plants and wildlife. It has been named the ‘finest example of a limestone gorge in Britain’ by the British Geological Survey. It is one of the special qualities of the Mendip Hills Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Cheddar Gorge is Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for wildlife and geology, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) with five sites of national archaeological importance designated within the Gorge.

Tip by

1.58 km

Feral Goats of Cheddar Gorge

Highlight • Natural

If you like goats there are lots here

Tip by

2.57 km

Cox's Mill Pond

Lake

7.98 km

Black Down Summit and Wild Ponies

Highlight • Natural

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.

Tip by

8.73 km

WWII bombing decoy complex

Archaeological Site

9.21 km

Beacon Batch summit trig point

Highlight • Viewpoint

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.

Tip by

12.0 km

Blackmoor Nature Reserve

Highlight • Natural

Blackmoor Nature Reserve is part of the wider Cheddar Complex Sites of Special Scientific Interest which is a network of nature reserves on the Mendip Hills. Each
reserve has its own unique character and wildlife. All of the nature reserves are Sites of Special Scientific Interest which provide protection to the plants and animals found there.

The industrial history of the site is part of what makes it so special. Blackmoor was mined for lead as far back as Roman times, with more recent mining by the Victorians leaving the buddle pits (circular washing pits to separate lead ore), dams and settling beds that can still be seen today. The whole of the reserve is scheduled as an Ancient Monument to protect the Victorian lead workings.

The high concentration of lead in the soil prevents most plants from growing, so the flora of the site is unusual, with only specially-adapted plants able to survive. A significant area of reserve is part of the Charterhouse lead works Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Please clean up after your dog as to not damage the rare habitats at this special nature reserve.

Tip by

12.7 km

Velvet Bottom Nature Reserve

Highlight • Natural

Velvet Bottom is part of the wider Cheddar Complex Sites of Special Scientific Interest which is a network of nature reserves on the Mendip Hills. Each reserve has its own unique character and wildlife. All of the nature reserves are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, which provide protection to the plants and animals found there.

This nature reserve lies on the floor of a dry river valley and is long and narrow in shape. Most of the reserve can be seen from the main path. The 42-acre (17 ha) reserve is mostly rough grassland with small areas of woodland and scrub. The reserve has a long history of lead mining and there is still much evidence to be found of the site’s industrial heritage. Velvet Bottom has been managed by Somerset Wildlife Trust since 1975 and was purchased from the former owners, Bristol Water, in 1998.

Please clean up after your dog on sites on the Mendip Hills AONB to help protect the wildlife and stop grasslands becoming polluted.

Tip by

13.5 km

Velvet Bottom Nature Reserve

Nature Reserve

14.8 km

Black Rock Limestone Outcrop

Highlight • Natural

Black Rock is a limestone outcrop above Cheddar Gorge. There are a few climbing routes here and old lime kilns. This area is owned and managed by the National Trust and part of a nature reserve.

Tip by

15.6 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

6.43 km

4.83 km

2.66 km

1.70 km

Surfaces

6.15 km

3.39 km

3.35 km

2.36 km

266 m

122 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (320 m)

Lowest point (40 m)

Weather

Friday 17 July

26°C

14°C

11 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 18.0 km/h

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Beacon Batch summit trig point – Velvet Bottom Nature Reserve loop from Gough's Cave

View of Cheddar Gorge and Cheddar Reservoir

View of Cheddar Gorge and Cheddar Reservoir

Feral Goats of Cheddar Gorge

Black Down Summit and Wild Ponies

Beacon Batch summit trig point

Blackmoor Nature Reserve

Velvet Bottom Nature Reserve

Black Rock Limestone Outcrop

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