The plan today was to explore the town of Cheddar, which, as the name implies, is the origin of the well known cheddar cheese. After a quick breakfast at the Old Post Office, we loaded up the big van and were on our way!
As we struggled to figure out the directions, we went on a little bit of a wild goose chase, through one lane roads that were for traffic in both directions. Without an incident we finally got ourselves on the right track, thanks to Liz and the Bordcomputer! When we were about 10 minutes out Katie informed us that she felt like she was going to throw up. She does this a lot, so we told her to stop reading her book and look out the front window. Problem solved!
Or not. All of a sudden all of her breakfast was sitting on the middle row of our van. Juliette was completely scrunched up on the door to keep away from it. We had no napkins, we had no towels, and there was absolutely nowhere to pull off, because of that continuous stone wall 6 inches off the left hand side. Talk about feeling helpless.
Liz the navigator found a nearby Sainsbury’s, and soon we were there. Juliette sprung from the van, Katie gingerly made her way out, and the little guys wanted to know why we had stopped. Apparently they were completely oblivious to the spectacle going in front of them. Liz headed into the store to get some cleaning supplies and I headed into town to find a new outfit for Katie.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find a children’s clothing store in Cheddar, so we headed to Factory Bargains! They also don’t sell anything in Katie’s size, but I found a small display of athletic wear and I got her some yoga pants for the win! When we got back to the van, Liz, the MVP, had expertly cleaned up the seat. It’s almost as if she’s done this before…
Having tackled the first problem of the day we headed to Cheddar Gorge, where Britain’s oldest complete human skeleton was found. The entire complex has show caves, a museum, lovely little shops, and great hiking. We decided that we would do it all!
After losing her breakfast, Katie was hungry, so we headed over to the Costa to fill everyone up. After a tasty meal of prepacked sandwiches (an English staple) we headed into Gough’s Cave. With the help of an audio guide, we navigated the various rock chambers and viewed the cool formations. The most interesting portion of the cave is the spot where they age the cheddar cheese. Since at least the 12th century they’ve used the caves in the aging process due to the ideal humidity levels and temperature. Later in the day we would get to sample the cave aged cheddar, and it tasted like the cave smelled! In spite of the chilly temperatures, the entire crew was really engaged. Note to self – the Lillas like spelunking! Fun fact – Gough’s cave was J.R.R. Tolkien’s inspiration for Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers.
Once we exited the cave we entered the gift shop, where we were able to watch a short film about Cheddar Gorge. We then headed across the street to the Cheddar Man Museum of Prehistory, which we breezed right through. We went down the street a bit further and climbed Jacob’s Ladder, a 275 step path up the gorge. At the top of the steps is a watch tower, which we all climbed to check out the stunning views of the town below.
For our next trick we decided to complete the hike that would take us to the pinnacles on both sides of the gorge. The four mile loop lead us along the top of gorge, down to the valley below, and back up the other side. Everyone, except for Katie, was excited for the challenge, and by the end, Katie had changed her mind too, “I’m not saying that I like hiking, but I won’t complain about it so much.” My favorite part was breaking up into pairs over the course of the day. Charlie and I pretended to summit Everest, Sam told me all about how great her walking stick was (as she tripped and stumbled), and Katie and I chatted about what I think successful parenting looks like. I didn’t really talk to Juliette because she was about 100 yards ahead of blazing a trail!
Once we finished our walk we headed to the ice cream shop for the treat that I promised everyone. With everyone marginally satisfied we retrieved our van and went to the local pub in Cheddar, The Bath Arms. This time we enjoyed a charcuterie board where we sampled the cave cheese, the honey ham, and some delicious piccalilli. After dinner we drove back to The Old Post.
On our first day Ali (owner of the Old Post Office) had told the kids about a park in town. Katie was ready to settle in for the night but the other 3 begged to explore the park. As if they had not had enough physical activity Charlie and Sam climbed all the obstacles while Juliette kicked some goals. Liz on the other hand was ready for bed so finally dragged them back home for some rest!
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