Dog-Friendly Mendip Hills & Cheddar Gorge (2026)

Cheddar Gorge clifftops, Ebbor Gorge, Crook Peak and the old mining valleys - the best dog-friendly walks in the Mendips.

The limestone cliffs of Cheddar Gorge in the Mendip Hills, a dramatic dog-friendly clifftop walk
Updated
By Rob Griffiths18 June 2026 · 9 min read

The Mendip Hills are Somerset's great limestone upland, a breezy plateau of dry-stone walls, old lead-mining valleys and dramatic gorges rising above the Somerset Levels south of Bristol. You can stand on the rim of Britain's biggest gorge in the morning, walk a wooded ravine alive with birdsong in the afternoon, and finish in a dog-friendly pub in the smallest city in England. It is a designated National Landscape and working farmland, so the lead comes out near the sheep and on the clifftops, but the welcome for dogs is genuine. Here is where to go.

Are the Mendip Hills dog-friendly?

Yes, and they are an easy, uncrowded escape from Bristol, Bath and the M5 corridor. The clifftop walk above Cheddar Gorge is one of the most dramatic dog walks in the West Country, the open Mendip ridge gives breezy striding with sea views, and the wooded gorges and old mining valleys offer shade and quiet. The villages and the little city of Wells are full of dog-friendly pubs and cafes.

The things to plan around are livestock and the cliffs. The hills are grazed by sheep, so a lead is essential near stock, and the unfenced edges above Cheddar Gorge demand a lead for any dog that might pull. The show caves at Cheddar and Wookey Hole do not admit dogs, so plan an outdoor day. The woodland valleys are the most relaxed walking on a hot afternoon.

What are the best dog-friendly places in the Mendips?

Mendip Hills dog-friendly highlights

CHEDDAR · GORGE

Cheddar Gorge Editor's pick

Britain's biggest gorge from the clifftops

  • Dramatic clifftop walk
  • Big views
  • Village base
  • Type Limestone gorge
  • Dog access On-lead on clifftops (not in caves)
  • Terrain Steep steps, clifftop path
  • Highlight The gorge-rim circular walk
Cheddar Gorge is the headline act of the Mendips, the largest gorge in Britain, where limestone cliffs rise nearly 140 metres above the road. The classic Cheddar Gorge clifftop walk, a strenuous circular via Jacob's Ladder and the National Trust land on the northern rim, gives heart-stopping views down into the ravine and out over the Levels. It is a superb but demanding dog walk: keep your dog on a lead throughout for the sheer, unfenced edges. The show caves do not admit dogs, but Cheddar village has dog-friendly cafes for afterwards.

WOOKEY · WOODED RAVINE

Ebbor Gorge

A quiet, wooded national nature reserve

  • Wooded ravine walk
  • Shade and birdsong
  • Quieter than Cheddar
  • Type Wooded gorge (NNR)
  • Dog access On-lead, steep rocky path
  • Terrain Woodland, rocky scramble
  • Highlight The narrow rocky ravine
Ebbor Gorge, a National Nature Reserve tucked into the hills above Wookey Hole, is the quiet alternative to Cheddar: a steep, wooded limestone ravine alive with birdsong and rich in wildlife. A circular walk drops into the gorge and scrambles up through the rocks, with a longer loop onto the open hill and a view over the Levels to Glastonbury Tor. It is a lovely shaded dog walk on a hot day, though the rocky sections suit a sure-footed dog. Keep your dog on a lead to protect the reserve's sensitive wildlife.

AXBRIDGE · RIDGE

Crook Peak & Wavering Down

An open ridge with Bristol Channel views

  • Open ridge striding
  • Sea and Levels views
  • Breezy walking
  • Type Open limestone ridge
  • Dog access On-lead near grazing sheep
  • Terrain Grassy ridge, rocky summit
  • Highlight The rocky summit of Crook Peak
At the western end of the Mendips, Crook Peak and Wavering Down form a fine open ridge of National Trust downland with a distinctive rocky summit and huge views over the Somerset Levels and across the Bristol Channel to Wales. A breezy ridge walk from the village of Compton Bishop or the A38 gives easy striding on grassy paths with the sea always in sight. The down is grazed to keep its limestone flowers, so keep your dog on a lead near the sheep. It is a brilliant, airy walk that feels far higher than it is.

BURRINGTON · COMBE & HILL

Burrington Combe & Black Down

A rocky combe below the highest Mendip hill

  • Combe scramble
  • Heathland hill
  • Hidden caves
  • Type Limestone combe & moor
  • Dog access On-lead near stock & ponies
  • Terrain Combe path, open heath
  • Highlight Beacon Batch, the Mendip summit
Burrington Combe is a miniature Cheddar, a rocky limestone cleft (and the spot that supposedly inspired the hymn Rock of Ages) with walks up onto Black Down, the highest point of the Mendips. Black Down is open heathland grazed by sheep and sometimes ponies, with the summit of Beacon Batch giving a 360-degree view. The combination of the wooded combe and the open moor makes a varied dog walk. Keep your dog on a lead near the livestock and ground-nesting birds on the heath, especially in spring and summer.

CHARTERHOUSE · MINING VALLEY

Velvet Bottom & Charterhouse

Easy walking through old lead-mining valleys

  • Easy valley walks
  • Industrial history
  • Nature reserve
  • Type Old mining valley
  • Dog access On-lead near stock, valley paths
  • Terrain Level valley track, grassland
  • Highlight The gruffy mining ground
Around the hamlet of Charterhouse, the old Roman and Victorian lead mines have left a fascinating landscape of grassy hummocks and quiet valleys that now form a nature reserve. The walk down Velvet Bottom, a dry valley running towards Cheddar, is easy, level and shaded in places, perfect for a relaxed dog walk with a touch of history underfoot. It links to the GB Gorge and the wider Mendip paths for longer outings. Keep your dog on a lead near the conservation grazing and respect the reserve's fragile habitats.

WELLS · CITY

Wells & the Mendip scarp

England's smallest city below the hills

  • City and cathedral
  • Scarp-edge views
  • Dog-friendly streets
  • Type Cathedral city
  • Dog access On-lead in city, scarp paths
  • Terrain City, parkland, hill scarp
  • Highlight The cathedral and Tor Hill
Wells, the smallest city in England, sits right under the southern scarp of the Mendips and makes a lovely base. The medieval city is a pleasure to wander with a dog, and Tor Hill and the scarp paths just above the cathedral give a quick climb to a fine view over the city and out to Glastonbury Tor. The city has plenty of dog-friendly cafes and pubs, a market square and the moated Bishop's Palace grounds nearby. It is the perfect end-of-walk town for the southern Mendips.

Can you walk a dog at Cheddar Gorge?

Yes, on the clifftops. The Cheddar Gorge clifftop walk, a strenuous circular along both rims including National Trust land, is dog-friendly and spectacular, but the edges are sheer and unfenced, so keep your dog on a lead throughout. Dogs are not allowed inside the Cheddar show caves, so this is an outdoor day. The walk involves steep steps at Jacob's Ladder and rough ground, so it suits a fit dog and good footwear. Cheddar village at the foot has dog-friendly cafes for afterwards.

Tips for visiting the Mendips with a dog

Lead up on the clifftops and downs

The unfenced edges above Cheddar Gorge and the grazed downs at Crook Peak and Black Down need your dog on a lead, for safety and to protect the sheep and chalk-flower grassland.

Choose the wooded valleys on hot days

Ebbor Gorge and Velvet Bottom give shade and easier walking when the open ridges are baking and exposed.

Plan an outdoor day at Cheddar

Dogs cannot go inside the Cheddar or Wookey Hole show caves, so build your visit around the clifftop walk and the village rather than the attractions.

Base yourself in Wells or Cheddar

Wells is a characterful small-city base under the southern scarp; Cheddar sits at the foot of the gorge. Both have dog-friendly cafes and pubs.

Carry water on the ridges

The open Mendip tops have little shade and few safe streams. Pack water for the dog, especially for the exposed Crook Peak and Black Down walks.

Frequently asked questions

Q01Are dogs allowed at Cheddar Gorge?
Yes, on the clifftop walks. The circular gorge-rim walk, including National Trust land, is dog-friendly and dramatic, but the edges are sheer and unfenced, so keep your dog on a lead throughout. Dogs are not permitted inside the Cheddar show caves, so plan an outdoor day around the clifftops and village.
Q02Where are the best dog walks in the Mendip Hills?
The standouts are the Cheddar Gorge clifftop circular, the wooded ravine of Ebbor Gorge, the open ridge of Crook Peak and Wavering Down, and Burrington Combe up onto Black Down. For an easy, shaded option, walk Velvet Bottom through the old mining valleys near Charterhouse.
Q03Can dogs go in the Cheddar caves?
No. Dogs are not admitted to the Cheddar show caves or to Wookey Hole, so the Mendips are best enjoyed with a dog as an outdoor walking day. The Cheddar Gorge clifftop walk above the caves is dog-friendly, as are the ridges, combes and wooded gorges across the hills.
Q04Are the Mendips good for an off-lead dog?
In the wooded valleys, yes, for a well-behaved dog: Ebbor Gorge and Velvet Bottom are away from the cliffs. On the open downs and clifftops, keep your dog on a lead because of the grazing sheep and the sheer, unfenced edges above Cheddar Gorge.

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