Velvet Bottom & Beacon Batch loop from Black Gate — Mendip Hills
Velvet Bottom & Beacon Batch loop from Black Gate — Mendip Hills
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Velvet Bottom & Beacon Batch loop from Black Gate — Mendip Hills
03:15
12.0km
170m
Hiking
Embark on a moderate 7.4-mile (12.0 km) hike through the Mendip Hills, gaining 560 feet (171 metres) of elevation over approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes. This loop from Black Gate takes you through the varied landscapes of Velvet Bottom and up to Beacon Batch. You will experience woodlands, open moorland, and pastures, with the path in Velvet Bottom traversing a dry river valley. As you ascend towards Beacon Batch, the terrain becomes more challenging, leading to the highest point in the Mendips.
When planning your visit, be aware that paths in Velvet Bottom can be wet and muddy, especially after rain. The ascent to Beacon Batch also involves some short climbs and potentially loose terrain and rocks. The Mendip Trail sections can be very muddy in wet conditions, so appropriate footwear is essential. This route is generally considered moderate, requiring good fitness, but it offers easily accessible paths for most hikers.
This trail offers a unique blend of natural beauty and industrial history. Velvet Bottom, now a nature reserve, reveals a landscape shaped by extensive lead mining from Roman times through the Victorian era, with visible remains of dams and buddle pits. From Beacon Batch, the highest point in the Mendip Hills at 325 meters (1066 feet), you can enjoy spectacular 360-degree panoramic views that can stretch to the Bristol Channel and South Wales on clear days. The area is also rich in wildlife and home to Bronze Age round barrows.
Last updated: April 23, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through a protected area
Please check local regulations for:
Waypoints
Start point
Parking
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590 m
Black Rock Limestone Outcrop
Highlight • Natural
Tip by
2.72 km
Velvet Bottom Nature Reserve
Highlight • Natural
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
3.35 km
Blackmoor Nature Reserve
Highlight • Natural
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
6.17 km
Beacon Batch summit trig point
Highlight • Viewpoint
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
End point
Parking
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
5.62 km
3.20 km
1.42 km
910 m
824 m
Surfaces
5.13 km
3.69 km
2.25 km
844 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Monday 1 June
17°C
13°C
75 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 33.0 km/h
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This route was planned by komoot.