Caves Studies Series

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Walks around the Caves and Karst of the Mendip Hills
by Andy FARRANT

FARRANT, Andy (1999). Walks around the Caves and Karst of the Mendip Hills [Cave Studies Series 8]. Buxton: British Cave Research Association. £2.50 plus postage. ISBN-0-900265-21-3. 40pp, A5, with maps and photos.

A guide to walks illustrating the karst landforms and some accessible caves within the Mendip Hills

Although a relatively compact area, the Mendip Hills contain a wide variety of rock types and landforms. The distinctive feel of the landscape is enhanced by the marked contrast between the flat alluvial Somerset Levels to the south, the bleak rugged upstanding limestone plateau with its dry valleys and gorges, and the heather clad sandstone summits such as Blackdown and North Hill.
The Mendip Hills lie 20 km south of Bristol and extend for some 50 km from the coast at Weston-super-Mare, inland to Frome in the east. Unlike all of the other major karst areas in Britain, the Mendips lay beyond the southern limits of the known glacial advances of the Pleistocene, the last million years or so. Thus, there are none of the bare rock pavements or glacially scoured 'U' shaped valleys that are so characteristic of the Yorkshire Dales and South Wales karst areas.
Through a series of excursions, this guide is intended to highlight and explain some of the lesser known karst features in the area, as well as providing more information on the better known tourist sites. All of the excursions are fairly short and can be covered by a reasonably fit person in a less than half a day. Several of the excursions overlap and so can be amalgamated or altered to suit individual taste or requirements