A Cheddar Circular Walk Via Velvet Bottom & Long Wood, Part II 'Black Rock' by Sheila, Nov  4th 2020
Channel: semw52
Date: 2020-11-08

During the hike down hill heading for Black Rock I encountered very muddy and slippery conditions and I slipped---fortunately on the grass and not on the rocky pathway----I never brought my hiking stick on this occasions and they do assist  in such conditions and when going downhill---anyway although a little covered in mud I carried on towards the Black Rock old quarry area and eventually  Velvet Bottom---the latter will be shown in  Part III...Its a beautiful Autumn day and many trees in the Black Rock area  have a kaleidoscope of colours brightening up this darker area of the walk...The quarry  looked smaller than usual and erosion is happening  with more larger chunks falling---a few years ago I came across a memorial  plaque dedicated to a dog who had run off the top of this rocky outcrop to his or her death---there are no warning signs here and people continue to climb up and picnic  right under the  loose boulders-----Film sets have used this location e.g. a  tv drama called Poldark has filmed  here over the recent years----cows also  do  graze here  at times------I always feel as if I am going back in time when I walk here---it retains its history and mystery-----------Next---'Velvet Bottom'--so named from the remains of black glistening  slag that lines the route--evidence left  from the Roman and Victorian times here when Lead was mined....