All aboard one of our "historic" double-decker buses for a sightseeing tour of Cheddar Gorge. They have a maximum of 43 seats on the "open" top deck, 13 feet above the road, from where you get a much better view. The Driver and the Guide welcome you on board at Lakeside for a voyage up a dry, prehistoric riverbed past mill-ponds, now fed by underground rivers, through famous Horseshoe Bend and underneath The Pinnacles, three slender fingers of rock 450 feet high pointing at the sky, before returning to disembark outside Gough's Cave. Please see Cheddar Gorge Map.
The Guide points out where the mill-stream once powered seven grist and powder-mills, for grinding grain and gunpowder before the adoption of steam power during the Industrial Revolution, and now the mill-ponds are home to a colony of water voles, just like "Ratty" in "The Wind in the Willows". In the late 18th century the Romantic Movement inspired visitors to view with awe the gothic splendour of these "age hewn" cliffs, where now Peregrine falcons, in a dive or "stoop" at 245mph the fastest animals on earth, rear their chicks and experienced climbers test their nerve and skill on Knight's Climb, Paradise Lost, Edge of Eternity and Spacehunter – to name just a few of the 300 world class climbs in Cheddar Gorge.
Our open-top double-decker buses are "historic" vehicles because they are both venerable British Leyland "Titans" and over 25 years old. Our CPC Transport Manager cossets two of them in our modern Bus Depot, with a comprehensive maintenance and servicing schedule, including his own weekly and VOSA's regulation 6 weekly vehicle inspections, in order to ensure that one is "available for service" every day.
A Gorge Tour Bus operates every day during the February Half Term, at weekends only until Easter, then every day until the end of September, at weekends again until the end of October and then every day during the October Half Term. It does not operate at all during November, December and January and, as it is an open-topper, it does not operate when it is actually raining. Also it stops for half an hour at lunchtime for the driver to have a regulation rest break. Finally, on busy days, at busy times of day, you may have to queue for the bus. We do apologise!
However it you don't get to ride the bus on your first visit, unused parts of your ticket are valid for 10 years – so you can come back on another day to do anything you missed the first time.
Schools & Colleges – The Gorge Tour Bus can be booked as an optional extra for School & College visits.
Please see Safety & Accessibility | Please see Duration of Visit | Please see Cheddar Gorge Map
The Guide points out where the mill-stream once powered seven grist and powder-mills, for grinding grain and gunpowder before the adoption of steam power during the Industrial Revolution, and now the mill-ponds are home to a colony of water voles, just like "Ratty" in "The Wind in the Willows". In the late 18th century the Romantic Movement inspired visitors to view with awe the gothic splendour of these "age hewn" cliffs, where now Peregrine falcons, in a dive or "stoop" at 245mph the fastest animals on earth, rear their chicks and experienced climbers test their nerve and skill on Knight's Climb, Paradise Lost, Edge of Eternity and Spacehunter – to name just a few of the 300 world class climbs in Cheddar Gorge.
Our open-top double-decker buses are "historic" vehicles because they are both venerable British Leyland "Titans" and over 25 years old. Our CPC Transport Manager cossets two of them in our modern Bus Depot, with a comprehensive maintenance and servicing schedule, including his own weekly and VOSA's regulation 6 weekly vehicle inspections, in order to ensure that one is "available for service" every day.
A Gorge Tour Bus operates every day during the February Half Term, at weekends only until Easter, then every day until the end of September, at weekends again until the end of October and then every day during the October Half Term. It does not operate at all during November, December and January and, as it is an open-topper, it does not operate when it is actually raining. Also it stops for half an hour at lunchtime for the driver to have a regulation rest break. Finally, on busy days, at busy times of day, you may have to queue for the bus. We do apologise!
However it you don't get to ride the bus on your first visit, unused parts of your ticket are valid for 10 years – so you can come back on another day to do anything you missed the first time.
Schools & Colleges – The Gorge Tour Bus can be booked as an optional extra for School & College visits.
Please see Safety & Accessibility | Please see Duration of Visit | Please see Cheddar Gorge Map
Website contents © Cheddar Caves & Gorge Copyright 2009