What carved the gorge?

Meltwater during Ice Age periods

Cheddar Gorge Quiz: Somerset Caves and Cheddar Man

This Cheddar Gorge quiz climbs the limestone cliffs of the Mendip Hills in Somerset. Play 10 interactive questions on how Ice Age meltwater carved the gorge, its depth, Gough's Cave and Cox's Cave, Cheddar Man found in 1903, what 2018 DNA studies suggested, cheddar cheese matured in caves, feral goats and Soay sheep on the cliffs and rock climbing.

Start Cheddar Gorge Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

County
Which county is Cheddar Gorge in?
Record
What is special about Cheddar Gorge in England?
Carved
What carved the gorge?
Rock
Which rock forms the cliffs?
Cave
In which cave was Cheddar Man found?
Man
What is Cheddar Man?
Found
When was Cheddar Man found?
DNA
What did a 2018 DNA study suggest about him?
Cheese
Where is some Cheddar cheese still matured locally?
Goats
Which animals graze on the gorge cliffs?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which county is Cheddar Gorge in?
Answer: Somerset
It cuts through the Mendip Hills.
Q2: What is special about Cheddar Gorge in England?
Answer: It is the largest gorge
Cliffs rise about 137 meters.
Q3: What carved the gorge?
Answer: Meltwater during Ice Age periods
Rivers later flowed underground.
Q4: Which rock forms the cliffs?
Answer: Limestone
Caves formed as water dissolved it.
Q5: In which cave was Cheddar Man found?
Answer: Gough's Cave
Its chambers are open for tours.
Q6: What is Cheddar Man?
Answer: Britain's oldest complete human skeleton
He lived about 10,000 years ago.
Q7: When was Cheddar Man found?
Answer: 1903
Workers found him while digging.
Q8: What did a 2018 DNA study suggest about him?
Answer: He likely had dark skin and blue eyes
The study drew headlines.
Q9: Where is some Cheddar cheese still matured locally?
Answer: In the caves
Steady cave temperatures help.
Q10: Which animals graze on the gorge cliffs?
Answer: Feral goats and Soay sheep
They help control scrub.

Ice Age Meltwater, Caves and Cheddar Man

Cheddar Gorge cuts through the limestone Mendip Hills in Somerset and is the largest gorge in England, with cliffs about 137 meters high. During cold periods of the Ice Ages, meltwater rushing over frozen ground carved the gorge, and later the river sank underground.

Water dissolving the limestone created caves such as Gough's Cave and Cox's Cave. In 1903 workers in Gough's Cave found Cheddar Man, Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, about 10,000 years old. A 2018 DNA study suggested he likely had dark skin and blue eyes.

The village of Cheddar gave its name to the world's best-known cheese, and some cheddar is still matured in the steady cool of the caves. Feral goats and Soay sheep graze the cliffs, helping control scrub, while rock climbers tackle the steep limestone walls.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

How the gorge formed
Which caves to visit
Who Cheddar Man was
How cheese links to the caves
Which animals live on the cliffs

Did You Know?

A cliff-top walk offers views over the gorge.
Rare plants like the Cheddar pink grow on the rocks.
Bones found in the caves show signs of ancient butchery.
The road through the gorge winds along the bottom.
Wookey Hole caves are nearby.