Well that has now changed, because we found a useful web-service that provides what we needed - a simple availability calendar which can also show basic tariffs. After a little re-arranging of the website pages you can now find it under the "Booking" tab. We trust that in the future everyone will find this useful.
In this first half-year of operation we have been leaning a lot. Keeping this website up-to-date and expanding on it has been one thing. Yet when it came to enquiries we had not found a simple way to show current availability: interested parties had to email us in the hope that a given slot was free, and while we try to be very quick to respond that cannot always be the case (our access to the internet is not ubiquitous). Very frustrating for those hunting for a place to stay if they had to wait maybe overnight only to find the cottage was not after all free.
Well that has now changed, because we found a useful web-service that provides what we needed - a simple availability calendar which can also show basic tariffs. After a little re-arranging of the website pages you can now find it under the "Booking" tab. We trust that in the future everyone will find this useful. ![]() Photo by Nigel Mykura One of the joys of the area is cycling. Quietly and healthily you can amble (or power) your way along and get that much further and faster than just walking. And you take in so much more than by car. Best of all it is a very sustainable form of transport. But you don't have to be a pointy-helmeted, lycra-clad type to enjoy cycling around here (unlike the photo which is the Tour of Britain charging up the Gorge road). Certainly up and around the Mendips are some fine but hilly cycle rides. But we are also lucky to be on the edge of the Somerset Levels which, as their name suggests, are pretty flat with many lovely and quiet lanes crossing the fields and peat moors. Running right to and through Cheddar is the "Strawberry Line" cycle path, so named as it follow the path of the railway line of the same name which famously took strawberries from the Cheddar slopes to London at the turn of the last century. Good for cyclists and walkers, it follow the path of the old railway line all the way to (and of course from) Yatton, where there is a mainline station with links to Bristol and the North, and Taunton, Exeter and the South West. There is also a lovely new community-run cafe in the old station building. A ten-mile almost wholly off-road and fairly flat route, it has a few notable features including a good tunnel as it cuts through the Mendips near Winscombe (it is now lit), and a part of the path wends through the apple orchards of Thatchers the local cider makers (and yes, they have a small shop for tasters and purchasing). The line originally went on from Cheddar to Wells along the foot of the Mendips, and efforts are under way to complete the path to Wells, but that will not be for some time yet, although you can plot a reasonable route on lanes that avoid the main road. And talking about plotting routes, I have just come across a very useful web site called Bikehike. It lets you plot any cycle route on Google Maps or OS maps and then get a gradient/elevation mapping which shows you exactly what you might be letting yourself in for. A bit fiddly to understand the first time but fairly straightforward after you learn the ropes. If you are encouraged to cycle, but don't have your own bikes (or cannot bring them) then either you can hire bikes in the village (Cheddar Cycle Store) or we are happy you lend you a couple of adult bikes that are fine for an amble (but not state-of-the-art) and are not professionally maintained - you get what you see! ![]() Well we did have some glorious sunny days. The summer might have felt like it never happened but the micro-climate on the south face of the Mendips (part of the reason it is famous for strawberries) means that we do get surprisingly better weather than many places (and for sure some good rain). Anyway, the point is that sitting out on the cottage patio, looking over to the garden and catching the warm sunshine from the end of the day, it is the perfect time to crack a cold beer, or open that chilled white wine and enjoy some Mediterranean moments. Yiamas! |
Gorge View Cottage DiaryGorge View Cottage is a characterful and environmentally renovated self-catering cottage, with stunning views Archives
August 2021
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