enjoy the view

NOTES

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Burrington Combe and Rock of Ages

Burrington Combe
cliffs, swallets & caverns

Notes and points of interest

Bos Swallet - is an open hole lying in a depression on Black Down and leading down into a subterranean cave system. There is no sign of the stream that originally created it.

Burrington Combe - is the name of a small village and of the gorge that runs through the village and up towards the Mendip ridge near Beacon Batch.

Dolebury Warren - is a nature reserve and country park managed by the National Trust. It has a network of paths and a mixture of woodland and open spaces covering a ridge separated from the main Mendip escarpment by deeply cut stream valleys.

East Twin Swallet - the first sink-hole marked on the map of this route is, unfortunately not visible from the path and not easily accessible.

Goatchurch Cavern - has a wide entrance opening right onto the path. The cave can be easily entered and provides effective shelter.

Reads Cavern - lies at the foot of a cliff and swallows up a fair-sized stream in one of the cavern's twin entrances. Properly equipped pot-holers can penetrate into the cave system behind the cliff, but this is not a safe option in normal walking gear.

Rock of Ages - in 1762 and Anglican Vicar named Augustus Toplady was caught in a storm while he was walking in this area. After taking shelter in the cleft of a large rock at the side of the gorge, he mused on the event and composed the famous hymn, "Rock of Ages". The rock remains as a prominent and frequently visited feature on the opposite side of the road to the car park at Burrington Combe.

Rod's Pot - is a swallet hole on the heathland of Black Down, partly covered in by small trees and undergrowth.

Rowberrow Warren - this woodland is managed by the Forestry Commission and incorporates a network of paths and a number of hidden caves and swallets (sink-holes)

Sidcot Swallet - set into the bank beside the West Twin Brook, this narrow cavern once swallowed up the Brook, before it dropped to a lower level in its current gully. The swallet can be entered, but this is a job for properly equipped, experienced pot-holers. An ominous notice at the cave entrance gives emergency phone numbers to be called in the event of accident.