Great British Grub
Max goes in search of some iconic British delicacies, and ends up at the lush pastures, deep gorges and hilltop moors of Cheddar – and yes, there’s cheese
WHERE ARE WE?
CHEDDAR, SOMERSET
Cheddar lies in the Mendip Hills AONB, a range of limestone hills in North Somerset to the south of Bristol and Bath, covering an area of 200km². www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
YOUR GUIDE
MAX DARKINS
Max loves travelling up and down the country, searching for the best routes for you to ride. He’s the man behind www.roughrideguide.co.uk
This issue I was tasked with producing some great MTB rides in areas known for their classic British foods. One that immediately sprang to mind was Bakewell in the Peak District – known, of course, for its Bakewell tart – which has some great riding straight from the town. The iconic pastry makes for a delicious trail snack for a flagging MTBers, too.
With sweet food on my mind, I was drawn to another trail refreshment that I find difficult to cycle past when on a ride, too – the wonderfully British cream tea. The origin of this required a bit of digging because they’re served all over the UK, but certainly seem to have roots in the South West. With some evidence to suggest that the tradition of having bread with cream and jam existed at Devon’s Tavistock Abbey in the 11th century, I decided to base a route around this town, to enjoy the wild and remote trails of Dartmoor National Park, followed by a civilised cream tea. It’s not certain when the bread became a scone, or whether you need to put the jam or the cream on first (the Cornish believe it’s jam first, while Devonians insist it’s the other way around). The only solution, therefore, is to order two scones and try each method!
For our Big Ride, though, I decided we’d have to visit Cheddar in Somerset. With its cheese being one of the most consumed worldwide, and the most popular in the UK, accounting for over half of all national sales, it’s a food staple we can all relate to. Its origins are in no doubt, either, dating back to the 12th century in this villlage at the foot of the Mendip Hills. From the pastures where the cows could graze on wild flowers, to the caves that provided the perfect humidity and steady temperature to mature the cheese, conditions were perfect. The cheese’s robust characteristics enabled it to spread across the globe, and while it traditionally had to be made within 30 miles of Wells Cathedral to be called Cheddar, it’s now made worldwide. Oh, and by the way, the riding isn’t half bad around there, either.
“CHEDDAR’S CHARACTERISTICS ENABLED IT TO SPREAD ACROSS THE GLOBE… OH, AND BY THE WAY, THE RIDING ISN’T HALF BAD AROUND THERE, EITHER“
Climbing the grades
We start the ride out beside Cheddar Reservoir, where parking is a little quieter. This area is home to a great little pump track, which only officially opened in April 2022. It provides a fantastic way to warm up your muscles and brain before setting off along the Strawberry Line – a multi-user trail that runs through Cheddar, along the converted railway route. There are plans to extend the cycle path past Yatton to Clevedon on the coast, and also inland to Shepton Mallet, along the route where the railway used to run, to provide around 50km of traffic-free trail. It became known as the Strawberry Line because it carried so many locally-grown strawberries from around the area to Yatton junction and on to the London markets.
Skirting the reservoir and the well-surfaced and flat cycle path, we quickly cover the first few kilometres and warm up our legs, passing the picturesque medieval square of Axbridge to the start of the 165m-long Shute Shelve Tunnel. We turn off just before entering it, though, to cross over the A38, leaving the smooth, flat-surfaced trail behind to climb up Hale Combe on a steep and rough bridleway. This proves a good challenge, especially after the recent heavy rain, but we’re all still smiling (and riding!) at the top, as it becomes tarmac that leads us on to Rowberrow Warren.
This privately-owned woodland is managed by the Forestry Commission, and the Ride Mendips charity have been able to secure permission to develop and maintain some official mountain bike trails here. The North-East trail is made up of the Pump Track, Lumps & Bumps, Twins or The Chippy and Yeehaw sections, while the South-West trail consists of Christmas Trees, Happy Valley (or Pig Pen) and Vicious Valley. There are information boards at the trailheads to help you navigate. We’ve approached on the west side, so we join the Christmas Trees section, plunging into the dark, dank shade of the evergreen woods on a lively trail that wriggles its way between trunks and over a tangle of roots that creep out of the ground. It certainly earns its red grading, with further small jumps and rocks as it dives down into the woodland leading to the next section, Happy Valley (or Pig Pen). By the end of either of these trails, you should know whether you want to continue on the blackgraded Vicious Valley to finish.
Gorgeous
We make our way back up the hill in search of the other manmade trails now, for the blue run known as Pump Track, which offers a faster and more flowing ride, and then a choice of either The Chippy or The Twins. We choose The Chippy, following this lovely fast singletrack trail that finishes with Yee Haw, before it’s back up the fireroad once more. Delivering us back to the trailhead, we’re tempted to have another run and check out The Twins, but we’ve still got a way to go, so decide to save that for another day. We head out of the woods and onto Black Down, the highest hill in the Mendips, at 325m. Crisscrossed with bridleways, it offers a choice of routes and fantastic views in all directions. There’s more good riding just to the north of here, around Burrington Combe, where, in spring, the forest floor is carpeted in bluebells and well worth a detour. We’re sticking to Black Down today, though, traversing it and then dropping down and along the northern foot of the hill, on the fun Limestone Link bridleway. After crossing the two brooks, we climb the hill again and enjoy a fast and rocky track on the far side, heading south. The route passes the Mendips Raceway, which hosts banger and caravan racing, and can be busy and noisy if you’re there when an event is on. We’ve got a race of our own today, though, banging and bashing for pole position as we pelt downhill on a fun, rocky descent back to Cheddar. Just remember to watch out for the gate halfway down!
Cheese dreams
Back in town there’s a bit of tarmac riding while we discuss whether to stop for refreshments now or after a lap of Cheddar Gorge. I’m always up for a refreshment stop, but my riding partners aren’t keen on stopping when they see the long queues outside the cafes, so we crack on up the gorge. The road climb is stunning so I’m able to ignore my rumbling stomach as we gaze around and grind our way up. After a comical scramble up the slippery bank – laughing at Russell struggling with his heavy e-bike – we finally make it to the top and collapse on the ground as we take in the fabulous view overlooking Cheddar and the reservoir beyond.
Watching the cows munch on the grass, we consider their key role in starting the process that ends up with the cheese that’s still stored in some of the caves we’re sitting above right now. With all this thought of food, I can hear my stomach rumbling again, so I insist it’s time for refreshments, and we remount our bikes and head back down to town. It’s an awesome descent – a fast blast to start, becoming a more technical rocky affair – and although it’s a popular path, with it now being the end of the day, we have a clear track ahead, so make the most of it.
Back at the bottom, in Cheddar, I proclaim that we haven’t officially finished the ride until we’ve got a cheese trophy to show for our efforts, and perhaps some local Somerset cider. Luckily, we don’t have far to go to make this a reality. And, as I tuck into my melted Cheddar and onion panini, I reflect happily on the incredible selection of national delicacies that this island affords us, and the trails that lead to them!
“IT’S AN AWESOME DESCENT – AFAST BLAST TO START, BECOMING A MORE TECHNICAL AFFAIR – AND ALTHOUGH IT’S A POPULAR PATH, WE HAVE A CLEAR TRACK AHEAD, SO MAKE THE MOST OF IT”
BEST EATING
Lillypool Farm Cafe is on the route, but comes early on, so if you require a quick caffeine hit or breakfast it’ll be perfect (01934 741244, www.lillypoolcafe.co.uk). Otherwise, there’s nothing until you drop back down into Cheddar, where you have a host of options.
Cafe Gorge is very good, as its gold ‘Taste of the West’ award confirms, with high-quality homemade food served up in a relaxed and contemporary licensed cafe (01934 741985, www.cafegorge.co.uk). It’s also right next door to
The Original Cheddar Cheese Co shop, for your edible souvenirs.