Wells and Cheddar Gorge

Wells Cathedral - the West front from the Green

Wells Cathedral Quire

Cloisters

Glastonbury Tor

Morrisons Bridgewater Distribution Centre

Cheddar Gorge

Speed sightseeing is a family trait and the trip back from Cornwall after Aileen's birthday was a typical example. We had just two and a half hours for the 95 miles from Exeter after dropping Eva at the station to get to Bristol airport to drop off Gregor. We added 30 miles to the mileage by deciding to take in Glastonbury, Wells and Cheddar Gorge. We managed it with a couple of stops at Wells and Cheddar Gorge and food on the move in Wells.

The only blight on the journey was driving past the new Morrison's distribution depot on the M5 in Somerset. It must be one of Britain's ugliest buildings and hopefully not a symbolic harbinger of what will happen with England's new development-friendly Planning Laws.

It is the fallow year at Glastonbury although, unlike other festivals that have fallen on hard times, the zest for Glastonbury amongst its acolytes seems undiminished. The decision to forego a year must be hard on local businesses if not the landscape.  We sailed through the festival country below the iconic chapel which sits on the tor above Glastonbury.

Wells is an idyll town which on a day such as this could easily fool you into believing that you are in an urban paradise. It is, in fact, England's smallest city but probably the most perfectly formed with a population of just 11,000. The high street is full of local independent shops. The smattering of banks and chain shops that have been required to fit into the indigenous streetscape without flaunting their presence with pre-packaged shop fronts - good planning. On a scorching day, we had a hot pastie, probably the best I have ever tasted. We ate in the green facing the West Front of the cathedral and then had 15 minutes to charge round the cathedral and cloisters. The new interpretation centre functioned well and there were knowledgeable volunteer guides.

But Easyjet waits for no man so we drove on to the Mendip AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) above Cheddar Gorge. It is a limestone plateau complete with drystone walls, copses of ash and dotted with hundreds of ancient monuments. It is one of my favourite landscapes. We descended the cliff gorge which was surprisingly free of traffic and tourists. We took out 5 minutes to run up the paths that climb steeply up from the gorge and take some photos. Cheddar itself is one of those tourist-focused villages with tat and ice creams that make you want to press on.  We did and to our surprise, we made Bristol airport on schedule to drop off Gregor who had work tomorrow. 

The next objective was getting through Bristol before the rush hour began. Driving through the Clifton gorge brought back memories of spending several happy days climbing there with Tim Crouch in 1971 and 1972. The queues for the Severn Bridge were beginning to tailback but we made it to Wales in time for an early evening refreshment in the square in Monmouth. All we had to do now is decide where to head for next and to find a place to stay. I thought we should give Ludlow a try, the casual uncertainty of  travelling has always had an uplifting appeal for me, the birthday girl is less enamoured by this way of travelling.