Calling Rhiannon re: Ebbor Gorge

Ebbor Gorge 1

Image by moss

IronMan Mar 5, 2003 11:16:02

Hey Rhiannon - just read your weblog. Sounds like the kind of day out MrsIM and me end up having! That's how we ended up at Brean... I should really have mentioned the endless row of caravans there, but I got kind of carried away by Brean Down itself. Didn't you find the whole area quite strange? There's a house, like an upturned boat, just next to the steps leading up the down, which I really liked. There is certainly magic in the air round there, despite the static caravans!

My main reason for writing - Ebbor Gorge. I couldn't work out whether you'd actually visited or just passed it by and made a mental note to visit. If it's the latter then I really do urge you to get out there - from the top the view is amazing, we loved it last time we were there. The best thing is you can see Glastonbury Tor without having to endure all those cringe-inducing new-age shops. Fantastic! I reckon we'll get out to Ebbor soon, when I'm down in Bristol visiting MrsIM. If you do fancy a trek out there just let me know.

jimit Mar 5, 2003 11:32:03

Replying to IronMan

Used, and still do caving on the Mendips and Ebbor is a little jewel, almost un-discovered. Great views, un-uxplored nooks, beautiful flora and fauna and just past it on the way to Priddy on the left, a standing stone. Pete G told me what it was many posts ago but iv'e forgotten..sorree.

Rhiannon Mar 5, 2003 13:06:19

Replying to IronMan

Hello IM!

Glad you had such an enjoyable time on Brean Down! I was itching to climb up it but I'm sure we will go again. You're right about the caravans, they don't disturb you once you're right out there at the end. We walked right out on the beach along the rocks and it was silent (apart from the waves!) and empty and excellent.

No, by the time we got to Ebbor Gorge the man with his landrover was hanging about waiting to shut the gate for the night. So we didn't walk down to the gorge because we didn't know how far it was - thought we'd save it for another time. But we crossed the road to have a look at the view you mentioned - there was the tor in the mist and it looked amazing, took me back to a time when I didn't feel quite so disillusioned with glastonbury (the cynical new age shops, the buggers that ripped me off in the bookshop, the nonsense peddlars up on the tor etc etc - but I still love the chalice gardens and the tor really).

It's nice to go out with no particular aim in mind, you invariably find something great that you don't expect to find. It was a particularly nice day/evening on Sunday, but there's definitely something special about the edge of the Mendips there. Maybe it's because it's one of those 'liminal' spots, perching between earth and sky, and I guess the caves are one again, a door between above ground and the 'underworld'. Not to get too new-agey about it of course. But that must be unconciously something of its appeal?

So we marked Ebbor Gorge as somewhere to come back to, definitely. If you're down in Bristol regularly then perhaps we should all meet up sometime, that would be nice.