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Cheddar
is unique. Its distinguishing feature is the natural
phenomenon of Britain's largest Gorge. The Cheddar Yeo
in Gough's Cave is Britain's biggest underground river,
and the Gorge Cliffs are Britain's highest inland limestone
cliffs. The
Gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because
of the calcareous grassland, Karst limestone buttresses
and Horseshoe Bats. Peregrine Falcons nest on the cliff
face and Soay sheep keep the scrub in check.
Gough's
Cave is an internationally famous archeological site
because of its Late Upper Paleolithic finds (12-13,000
years old) and contained Britian's oldest complete skeleton
(9,000 years old). It lies within an Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty and is a candidate for Special Area for
Conservation status.
Popular
tourism began with the opening of Cheddar Valley Railway
in 1869/1870, which provided workers from towns with
the opportunity to enjoy a day's outing for the first-time
as a Bank Holiday. The railway was also popularly known
as the Strawberry Line, because it passed close by the
many strawberry-growing fields in the largely south-west
facing slopes on the Cheddar side of the valley. "Strawberry
Special" trains ferried the fruits by rail to all
parts of the country, until the line was axed in 1965.
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