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Oak & Chestnut Visit Cheddar Gorge and caves!

30th January 2025

On Thursday 30th January 2025, Oak and Chestnut classes went to Cheddar Gorge and caves as part of their learning experience ‘History Rocks’. We arrived at Cheddar where we were met, at the museum of pre-history, by ‘a hunter gatherer from the stone age’. He showed us some stone age tools and explained how they had been made using pieces of flint and wood. He explained how stone age people used animal tendons to make string which they used to fasten tools. As it was a chilly morning, we enjoyed trying on reindeer skins to keep us warm. Next, we watched a demonstration of flint knapping to shape stone into useable tools with sharp edges. We also watched him demonstrate fire starting.

At Gough’s Cave, we saw the replica of Cheddar Man’s skeleton and listened to an explanation of why the stone age people would have lived in the daylight zone at the start of the cave. Upon exploring the cave, we were amazed by the rock formations created by the water and calcite.

Following the route through Cox’s Cave, we learnt how water has formed the landscape over thousands of years. Before returning to school, we climbed the 284 steps up Jacob’s Ladder and then enjoyed the amazing view from the lookout tower. It took an additional 48 steps to reach the summit!