No, sadly we're not talking about the end of the COVID crisis. We are talking about a real tunnel.

One of the lovely adventures to undertake whilst staying at Gorge View Cottage, or visiting Cheddar, is to cycle along the old Strawberry Line trackbed. From Cheddar is goes to Axbridge, and here is about the only stretch on road as you get routed through the centre of Axbridge (2.5 miles from Cheddar) through the medieval town square and past St John's Hunting Lodge. What follows is the only steep-ish bit, back up to the course of the old railway line. Thereafter, with the occasional well organised road crossings it is flat or a gentle gradient.

The next main stop is Winscombe (5 miles from Cheddar), on the north side of the Mendips at it is on this section that the tunnel comes in, as it cuts under the Mendip ridge. As you see from the photograph it is straight and you can always see the far exit. But at 165m long, in the middle it can seem very dark. Solar lighting put in seems flakey so best to take bike lights or a head torch.

If you still have energy (remembering you must return this way too) then the next main stop just 1.5 miles further on is Sandford. Here a stop is definitely recommended because as the route now jinks through the orchards of Thatchers Cider, you can stop at the recently renovated Railway Inn which as the Thatchers HQ "tap" serves a wide range of ciders, alongside great food. Or pop a tad further along the road to visit the Thatchers shop  - local produce and ... well, yes, ... more ciders to taste.

The really keen might want to go the whole way. That gets you the full 11 miles from the cottage to Yatton station, which is on the mainline, from Bristol to Exeter and beyond. The Strawberry Line Cafe at Yatton station is itself worth a stop, run as a community cafe and provides work experience and training to adults with learning difficulties.

The Strawberry Line (National Cycle Route 26) takes its name from the strawberries that were taken to London by train in vast quantities back in the very early 1900s. The rolling stock was especially gentle sprung to protect the fruit. This all came to an end with the Beeching cuts of 1962. There are plans to one day extend it through to Wells and Shepton Mallett, and spurs to Clevedon and to Wrington. Slow work but it will be magical when done.
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Guests at Gorge View Cottage are welcome to borrow a couple of reasonable 21-gear bikes, one for ladies and one for gentlemen. We have helmets and can provide lights if needed. If you are not cyclists then the other option is to bus out (First Bus route 126 towards Weston-Super-Mare) and walk back. The bus can drop you at Axbridge, Winscombe or the Railway Inn in Sandford. Cheddar Walking walk #4 describes this, from Winscombe to Cheddar.

Dateline: 19 March 2020

These are indeed extraordinary times. A global pandemic that is affecting people and countries around the world. Every day seems to see new developments in policy and guidance. We felt it important to update on where we stand at Gorge View Cottage. But to reassure: we are open for business.




Cleaning and hygiene
We are being scrupulous in the cleaning and turnaround of the cottage. We are firstly steam cleaning everywhere, followed by a cleaning of surfaces etc using a sanitising cleaner. And we finally clean door handles, the key and fob, and the TV control with Isopropyl alcohol. The cottage is only cleaned by Huw and/or Mary. We wash hands thoroughly every time before entering the cottage to clean, or carry on cleaning, and after leaving the cottage. We are fastidious about not touching our faces between entering and leaving. When you arrive we will be our usual welcoming and friendly selves but will be avoiding shaking hands or getting too close. And to be clear, neither of us has any symptoms that might suggest we have the virus, and we are certainly being careful ourselves with social distancing.

Shared space?
The cottage itself is wholly detached and independent. There are no shared spaces, it is entirely for you. In this respect we think it is a great place to continue any personal social distancing.

Food and supplies
Of course the cottage has everything you need to self-cater. You might want to bring all you own food and be completely self-contained. In Cheddar, within easy walking distance, there are convenience stores, specialist food stores, a Deli, and a Tesco Local and the main Sainsbury's store. As of today the Sainsbury's was generally well stocked and working normally, although of course they are asking that people limit shopping and don't mass-buy. The pubs are open at the moment, but naturally quiet which helps ensure social distancing if you should choose to go. Likewise the restaurants, but useful most restaurants do takeaway and some deliver. For Pizza, Chinese, Thai, Indian or Fish and Chips there are plenty of options, and all just two or three minutes away.
We also have a brilliant local grocery delivery company we've recommended and used for years: Somerset Local Food Direct. They deliver orders in Cheddar each week on Thursday or Friday - so you can order ahead online (before the Tuesday morning deadline) and have the food delivered to the cottage. They supply fresh vegetables and fruit, meats, dairy, grocery and deli goods, bakery items, ready meals and larder stock. Its pretty extensive and a lot of it is organic. If this is before you arrive we'll handle it and ensure it is stocked in the the cottage and if appropriate in the fridge/freezer, for your arrival. Currently they re finding they're getting a lot of extra traffic but seem to be coping: supplies are fine but manpower to deliver is stretching them and we and others locally are on hand to help.

What to do?
The obvious thing in these times is the walking. There are many lovely walks in and around Cheddar and we have maps and self-guide walking sheets for many of them. You can keep fit, stay socially distanced from anyone you pass, and enjoy this beautiful part of the world. Check out Cheddar Walking website for some ideas - walks ranging from 1/2 mile to 20 miles and everything in-between. Some on the flat, some up the hills. And we have the bikes if you should want to cycle off along the Strawberry Line old railway track and path.
The other options such as Cheddar caves are currently open but we suggest you check this and other visitor attractions online to be sure.

Stay safe, stay well
We hope this addresses some obvious questions, but if you are booked with us, or are thinking of booking, and have other questions then do please get in touch.

Huw and Mary

Last weekend, as we have done for many of the last years, we were able to pop down to South Somerset for one of the loveliest day festivals we know: The Green Scythe Fair. Even the 50 minute cross-country run to it is beautiful, across the levels and up over High Ham to Langport, the wonderfully named Huish Episcopi and through the village Muchelney to Thorney Lakes. The last miles of lanes via Mulchelney were made famous during the heavy flooding of the Somerset Levels back in 2014 - the tiny village was cut off with boats needed to ferry people in and out of the village for over a week.

The fair itself is set in one large grass meadowy field where the grass has been allowed to grow nice and long. The centre of the field is set aside for scything competitions and the wide edge is lined with all sorts of stalls selling green crafts, local foods, almost all of it with an environmental or ethical foundation. A couple of tiny stages host small fun bands, and they usually have a afternoon debate tackling subjects with strong emotions on both sides. Power is all solar generated, loos are composting toilets (and very nicely kept).

This year, for the first time, the success of the fair led to it being closed to entry for a couple of hours after midday as the visitors hit maximum (5,000!) and the car queuing in the approaching lanes got dangerous. Next year they'll think this through better. Of course the preferred option is to get there by environmental means and in the past we've part-cycled. This year we went electric vehicle of course and they even had solar car charging available!

Luckily every time we've been it has been warm, usually sunny and (critically for the scything) dry! And the scything lies at the heart of it all. Lots of competitions to scythe a fixed area in races, heats and finals. Semi-professionals and complete amateurs; men, women and even children having a go (but safely). Education and workshops on the different types of scythe, and of course you can buy them and the bits to maintain them at some stalls). In competition points are given not just for speed, but style and quality of cut.

This of course generates a lot of freshly cut grass and hay. So there are pitchforking competitions, hay stacking, hay sculptures, and the many kids have a  great deal of fun building hay dens or just throwing the stuff around. Probably the one type of person who might hate all of this is anyone with bad hay fever!

We'll be going next year, and if you wanted to go then you can camp at the site (there is a very tidy permanent camping site right beside the fair), or of course you could stay at Gorge View Cottage and pootle down yourself.

If you are staying at the cottage, whilst there is plenty to do within walking distance, the one "must do" day trip for guests is a visit to Wells - England's smallest city. Just 9 miles away it is either a short drive or there is an excellent bus service - the First Bus service 126 - taking less than 30 minutes and running hourly. Very fit souls might choose to cycle, and there is even a "bus out, walk back" option using a self-guide route using the West Mendip Way.

Not only do you have the cathedral which marks Wells as a city in the first place and the home of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, it also very compact. it is easy to wander from the cathedral green, along the oldest residential street in the UK (Vicar's Close) with stunning medieval architecture, across to the grounds of the Bishop's Palace, or through the often bustling market place to sample the many independent shops along the High Street and beyond.

Lovely eateries (The Good Earth being our favourite), a good range of pubs and cafes, and now a small micro pub (Just Ales). Good for charity shops too!

We go there often - usually to coincide with the Saturday or Wednesday markets. And almost everyone who does go enjoys it. For a good article on what to see and do check out this web article on the London-based Weekendr website: "24 Hours In: Wells".

A few days ago we heard about a new initiative in Frome, not that far away from us, that has a very strong and green-minded community. They've opened a "community fridge": a large fridge in an outdoor kiosk by the library. Anyone can deposit perishable food that they will not use before the use-by date and anyone is free to help themselves. It helps to reduce food waste, which is a massive issue for our society, with waste in all parts of the production chain including those who buy more than they need and it most often ends up in the bin and off to landfill. Hopefully it will be a success.
In the cottage we have had a similar problem. Many guests leave small amounts of excess food they don;t need or want to take home. If it is perishable we try and use it ourselves. But if it is non-perishable we have taken to leaving it on a shelf in the cottage labelled for further guests to use. So salt, pepper and herbs, condiments, and teas and sugar. That sort of thing. All good.
​The conundrum comes with the provenance of the food stuffs. We obviously like to promote that everything we provide in the cottage comes from local, ethical and ideally organic sources. But the bits and bobs left are often not so carefully selected. And that is fair enough, we're not trying to be green police, making people feel awkward or guilty. We prefer the subtle approach of 'by example'. A recent example was some body wash left in the bathroom; a good but not ethical brand. We would not use it ourselves, and body-wash is not something we normally provide as part of the self-catering cottage deal. Should we throw it away which is a waste given that it has been produced and is perfectly viable? Or should we leave it for guests to use if they have, for example, forgotten some shower gel of their own?
We have chosen to leave it there, as we do with the condiments in the kitchen which are not the sort we'd normally buy or supply. In doing so we risk people seeing us as lax in our green standards, not practising what we (gently) preach - we cannot put signs everywhere explaining what is, or is not, 'left-over'. We hope the risk is small and people will understand what we are doing and why.
Ultimately another example that trying to be green, sustainable and ethical, is never as black and white as we'd all like to think. Or should that be 'green and white'.

This is to celebrate Mary's up-cycling passion, applied to her even bigger passion for growing things. Firstly you need to know that Mary drinks a lot of water. Whilst at home she now drinks our own rainwater (quality filtered), however if we are away for a weekend she will not just buy a normal bottle of water but a big five litre job. They don't go to waste, they come home with us.
Now turn to the the garden and at this time of year Mary is planting out the baby veg plants she has grown from seed in the safety of the polytunnel. But it can be cold, and it can be windy. Not good for little delicate things like her small broad bean plants. So out come the water containers, bottoms already cut off, and they get well dug down in to the mulch layer. One pot over each plant giving them in effect their own little greenhouse. Of course if the sun shines a lot then off they have to come in case the plants fry, and back on for the night. But that's all in a days work for someone tuned in to all things growing, unlike Huw who seems to have a little blind spot at times!
[This blog updated as I struggle to get  auto-stare to Facebook]

One of the big local success stories in Somerset is Thatchers Cider. A family run affair they seem to have caught the wave of revitalised interest in cider as a refreshing and natural drink and are now very visible across the UK and increasingly abroad. Their HQ is just a few miles from us at Sandford, and if you come here and cycle the Strawberry Line towards Yatton you will pass right through their orchards (they helpfully allows a permissive path to join up a break in the railway line). Just up from the cycle path is their small but friendly shop selling all their wide range of ciders, barrel and bottle, and a lovely range of local produce like jams and chutneys.
Also here was an old and sad pub - the Railway Inn - which Thatchers bought and decided to seriously revamp as their "cider house tap". The beautifully restored and extended pub has finally - with much anticipation - open in the last few weeks and we were quickly there to check it out. And it is quite wonderful. Of course there is a wide range of ciders on tap and in bottles. But good ales, fine wine and quality soft drinks too. The interiors with lots of oak framing is airy and finished with lots of detail, and different areas have very different feel including a comfy sofas and armchairs area, and proper dining room, and a wonderful terrace which joins up with a grassy lawn with deck chairs out for those wanting to sit and soak up some sun with their apple-y brew.
Instantly popular we'd certainly recommend it if you're staying here. Oh - and quite fittingly the entrance porch is thatched! Check it out here: Thatcher's Railway Inn, Cider House and Kitchen.

As happens great little businesses come and go (don't worry we're certainly here to stay). But especially on the cafe/pub/restaurant front we keep getting delighted by new arrivals and saddened by old favourites shutting up shop.

Relatively new happenings are the Yeo Valley Canteen in Blagdon, the amazing new arthouse cafe in Cheddar (Cafe Sketch), a new cafe in the gorge (Cafe Gorge) and the refurbished Bath Arms gastro-pub in the village. Further afield the now fairly well established Sheppey Inn is doing well (need to book almost always). And there are new places to explore: the Wheatsheaf Inn in Stone Allerton was closed but new owners have set up a top notch smokery and have now re-opened the pub. And Thatchers (the local cider makers) have lovingly restored and refurbished the Railway Inn in Sandford and we're checking that out this weekend (ideally it is just by Strawberry Line so a perfect cycle destination).

But sadly some places have closed: The Sitting Room cafe in Cheddar run by two lovely ladies and completely vegetarian. Also vegetarian and closed after a very long run is Cafe Galatea in Glastonbury, and in Wells the fantastic up-market Old Spot restaurant has also closed. In Cheddar the old Kings Head pub has closed but we hope new owners may come and revitalise it.