The Mendip Hills rise twenty minutes inland from our cottages, a long limestone ridge of gorges, caves, open heathland and small villages. Mendip Hills walks range from flat rail trails to steep rocky scrambles, and the best of them are surprisingly short. These six are the ones we send first-time visitors to, with rough distances and where to park.
In this guide
Why the Mendips are perfect for Mendip Hills walks
The hills are a National Landscape, which means protected countryside with well-kept paths, plenty of car parks and free route maps from the Mendip Hills National Landscape. They are not high, with Black Down topping out at 325 metres, but because they rise straight out of the flat Somerset Levels the views feel enormous. On a clear day you can see Wales, both Severn bridges and Glastonbury Tor.
1. Crook Peak and Wavering Down (5 miles, moderate)
The dramatic western end of the ridge, and our favourite. Park at Kings Wood near Cross, climb through the trees to the rocky summit of Crook Peak, then follow the ridge east over Wavering Down and back. The peak itself is a small scramble that children love, and the views along the coast towards Weston are the best in the hills. About twenty minutes from the farm.
2. Cheddar Gorge cliff-top loop (4 miles, strenuous)
A circular walk around both rims of Britain’s biggest gorge, starting with the 274 steps of Jacob’s Ladder from the village. Steep in places and slippery in the wet, but the views straight down into the gorge are worth every step. Finish with cheese from the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company. Our Cheddar day trip guide has the full plan.
3. Burrington Combe and Black Down (4 miles, moderate)
Park in Burrington Combe, a smaller gorge on the northern edge of the hills, and find the Rock of Ages, the cleft in the rock said to have sheltered the hymn writer Augustus Toplady. From there a steady climb leads onto Black Down, the highest point of the Mendips, with open heathland, Bronze Age barrows and views across to Bristol. It is exposed on top, so bring a layer.
4. Ebbor Gorge (2 miles, moderate)
A quieter, wilder alternative to Cheddar near Wookey Hole. This National Nature Reserve has woodland trails that lead down into a narrow, mossy gorge with no road, no shops and very few people. The paths are steep and rocky in places. Forty minutes from the farm, and easy to combine with Wookey Hole Caves or Wells.
5. The Strawberry Line (any distance, flat and easy)
Not a hill walk at all, but the best way to see the Mendip foothills with a buggy, a bike or an older relative. The old railway line runs traffic-free from Yatton to Cheddar through orchards, wetlands and the pretty village of Axbridge. Walk as far as you like and turn round. The Strawberry Line website has maps.
6. Dolebury Warren (3 miles, easy to moderate)
Above the village of Churchill, Dolebury Warren is a large Iron Age hillfort on a limestone ridge, now a nature reserve full of wildflowers and butterflies in summer. The circular walk from the village is gentle, the ramparts are impressive and the views over the Bristol Channel and the Chew Valley are wide open. Fifteen minutes from the farm.
Getting to know the Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills run for about thirty miles from the coast at Weston-super-Mare east towards Frome, a plateau of limestone rising to 325 metres at Black Down. Most of the ridge sits between 200 and 300 metres, high enough for big views but low enough that a walk is never a mountain day. Water disappears into the limestone and reappears in springs at the foot of the hills, which is why the plateau is dry and the gorges are so dramatic. Underneath is one of the most important cave systems in Britain.
The western end near Weston is the most walked, with Crook Peak, Cheddar Gorge and Burrington Combe all within a few miles of each other. The eastern Mendips around Wells and Priddy are quieter and more remote.
Mendip Hills villages worth stopping in
Axbridge has a medieval market square with a Tudor merchant’s house that is now a museum. Cheddar is the busy one, with cafés and shops at the foot of the gorge. Priddy, high on the plateau, is the highest village in Somerset and has a green with a sheep fair that has run for centuries. Wells, at the southern foot of the hills, is England’s smallest city with a cathedral to match anywhere. Winscombe and Sandford are on the Strawberry Line, and Sandford is home to Thatchers cider.
Things to do in the Mendip Hills beyond walking
- Caving and rock climbing sessions in Cheddar Gorge, run by outdoor centres for beginners upwards.
- Skiing on the dry slope at the Mendip Activity Centre near Churchill.
- Cycling the Strawberry Line and the quiet lanes across the plateau.
- Cider and cheese tasting at Thatchers and the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company.
- Stargazing: the Mendip Hills have some of the darkest skies in the south of England.
- Birdwatching at Cheddar Reservoir and on the Levels below the hills.
Mendip Hills walks with children
Crook Peak is the one children talk about afterwards, because the summit is a proper rocky top that feels like a mountain. The Strawberry Line suits buggies and scooters. Burrington Combe has the Rock of Ages to find and Black Down has the barrows. Cheddar Gorge is better for older children because of the steps and the drops. Bring snacks, because there are no shops on the tops, and finish in Cheddar or Axbridge where the cafés are.
Mendip Hills walks with dogs
Dogs love the hills, and most of the routes above are on open access land where they can run once you are clear of the livestock. Sheep and cattle graze Crook Peak, Black Down and Dolebury Warren, so leads are needed there, and the cliffs in Cheddar Gorge need care. The Strawberry Line is the easiest dog walk of all, flat and enclosed. Back at the farm, our cottages are dog friendly with enclosed gardens for the muddy aftermath.
Planning a Mendip Hills day from the coast
From our cottages in Kewstoke, most of the western Mendip Hills are twenty to thirty minutes by car. A good day is a morning walk at Crook Peak or Burrington, lunch in Axbridge or Cheddar, an afternoon in the gorge or on the Strawberry Line, and cider at Sandford on the way home. Our Cheddar day trip plan and days out guide have more.
Practical tips for Mendip Hills walks
- Limestone gets slippery after rain. Save Cheddar and Burrington for dry days and do the Strawberry Line when it is wet.
- The tops are windy and colder than the coast. A windproof layer is worth carrying all year.
- Cattle and sheep graze most of the hills. Keep dogs close and shut gates behind you.
- Cheddar, Axbridge and Winscombe all have cafés and pubs for afterwards, and Thatchers cider farm at Sandford is on the way home.
- Mobile signal is patchy in the gorges, so download a map before you set off.
Mendip Hills: quick answers
How high are the Mendip Hills?
Black Down is the summit at 325 metres. Most of the ridge sits between 200 and 300 metres, so the walks are hilly rather than mountainous.
Where is the best view?
Crook Peak for the coast and the Levels, the top of Jacob’s Ladder for Cheddar Gorge, and Black Down for the whole ridge and Bristol beyond.
Are there buses into the hills?
Yes, from Weston to Cheddar, Axbridge and Winscombe, with less frequent services on Sundays. Check timetables before relying on them.
How far are the Mendip Hills from the coast?
Twenty minutes by car from our cottages in Kewstoke to Crook Peak or Burrington Combe, and twenty-five to Cheddar.
Coast one day, hills the next
Our cottages sit between the Bristol Channel and the Mendips, which makes it easy to walk Sand Point in the morning and Crook Peak in the afternoon. All of them are dog friendly with enclosed gardens for tired legs. See the cottages, and browse our best walks near Weston-super-Mare for the coastal routes.