A Patch Wilder

A Patch Wilder sits just outside Cheddar, a proper limestone village that most people race through on their way to the Gorge. This is exactly the sort of place you stumble upon when you've got an afternoon to kill and the weather's decent.

It's a small wild area - think woodland and open ground rather than formal gardens or manicured paths. The appeal is straightforward: you can wander about, spot whatever wildlife's about that day, and get a genuine sense of what the Somerset landscape looks like when nobody's spent money tidying it up. Kids find it interesting enough if they're the type to poke around looking for insects or climb on fallen trees. Adults who like a quiet walk away from the Gorge crowds will appreciate it more.

There's no entry fee that I'm aware of, and you can spend anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour here depending on how thorough you want to be. It's not a destination in itself - more a useful addition to a Cheddar day if you're staying at Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa up the road and fancy breaking up the time between bigger attractions.

The real value is as a breath of actual nature between the tourist infrastructure. If you're the type who finds the main Gorge a bit heaving with visitors and ice cream vans, this offers a genuinely different experience. Just don't expect facilities or signage. Bring decent shoes and go with realistic expectations about what a wild patch actually is.