Cheddar Gorge clifftops, Ebbor Gorge, Crook Peak and the old mining valleys - the best dog-friendly walks in the Mendips.
Updated
By Rob Griffiths12 July 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
📍TypeLimestone gorge
🐾Dog accessOn-lead on clifftops (not in caves)
🥾TerrainSteep steps, clifftop path
⭐HighlightThe 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
📍TypeWooded gorge (NNR)
🐾Dog accessOn-lead, steep rocky path
🥾TerrainWoodland, rocky scramble
⭐HighlightThe 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
📍TypeOpen limestone ridge
🐾Dog accessOn-lead near grazing sheep
🥾TerrainGrassy ridge, rocky summit
⭐HighlightThe 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
📍TypeLimestone combe & moor
🐾Dog accessOn-lead near stock & ponies
🥾TerrainCombe path, open heath
⭐HighlightBeacon 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
📍TypeOld mining valley
🐾Dog accessOn-lead near stock, valley paths
🥾TerrainLevel valley track, grassland
⭐HighlightThe 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
📍TypeCathedral city
🐾Dog accessOn-lead in city, scarp paths
🥾TerrainCity, parkland, hill scarp
⭐HighlightThe 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
01
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.
02
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.
03
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.
04
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.
05
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.
Live prices and availability for stays that genuinely welcome dogs.
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