The Effects of Tourism in Cheddar

... s is because the river is so wide, and there is no space for lots of shops. If you continue up the gorge, you get to where the river comes out of the rock. After this point, there are many shops, as there is no river to block valuable space - although if you go on far enough, the gorge narrows again.

But why are these two sites here? Well, the shops at the foot of the gorge are obvious: there are situated at the first place you see, as a tourist. You come to Cheddar, and when you see loads of souvenir shops, you feel you have to buy something. Here, you can also buy tickets for the gorge bus, which includes admission for the showcaves. Further on up the gorge, the shops whittle out as the river takes over. Then shops re-appear at the first opportunity - this is near Gough's cave. As many people come this far up the gorge to see the caves, they may also spend some money here. This spot is also passed by walkers who walk past the shops and right into the upper gorge.

As well as up the gorge, some choose to scale Jacob's ladder and walk along the top of the gorge (Jacob's ladder is in the lower gorge). There are footpaths, but over the years, many walkers have eroded the footpaths, as they are not marked clearly. Although there is a general line of absent grass where people have walked, the footpath has no sides as such, like low railings e.t.c. This would be a good idea, as it would mean people kept to the path and also a low boundy (perhaps a foot high) would mean that it would not be visible to anyone looking from anywhe ...