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Read the stories behind our lodge names.
Table of Contents
The story behind our Burrington Lodge
Named after Burrington Combe, located 10 miles from the park, it is a fabulous day out exploring.
Burrington Combe is a circular walk in the Mendip AONB Hills and is a fine example of a typical Mendip Gorge. Made from Carboniferous Limestone rocks, the oldest rocks are exposed in the East and West Twin valleys draining Blackdown.
There is also an Iron Ages univallate hill fort known as Burrington Camp and a variety of plants to look out for including Rock-rose, Wild Thyme and Wood Sage. Look out for the mountain goats on the precarious cliff edges. The goats were introduced to the area to help reduce scrub and unwanted plants.
You can start your walk at the car park next to the Rock of Ages on the east side of the Combe. You then climb east across the site reaching a height of nearly 700ft. From the high points there are magnificent views over the Mendips.
The little village of Blagdon where there are a few good options for post walk/activity refreshments. The New Inn (BS407SB) is a classic rural inn overlooking a fishing lake, serving real ales and pub grub with leafy beer garden. It’s a nice place to relax outside on a summer day. Also great options are the Queen Anne and Seymour Arms.
If walking and food takes your fancy then is for you. Why not then, come rest your feet and bellies in our Burrington Lodge, enjoying the view of our orchard from your Hot-tub or sofa.
Cheddar Pink lodge is one of our newest lodges on the park.
Built in 2018 was named after the flower that grows predominantly on Cheddar Gorge.
The flower is called a Dianthus Gratianopolitanus. The flower was first found on the gorge over 300 years ago. The Cheddar Pink flower, also known as firewitch, is a low-growing perennial with narrow, greyish-green leaves. The flowers smell like cloves.
The Cheddar Pink wildflower is normally found on dry and sunny limestone rocks. It grows in several places in the Mendip Hills, but no where more profusely than the original site at Cheddar Gorge.
Another fun fact about the Cheddar Pink, is that it is a protected species in the UK and has a vary restricted range. It used to be targeting by collectors.
So there is the story behind our Cheddar Pink lodge. Why not go for an adventure up Cheddar gorge during your visit? Less than a 5 minutes’ drive you can go for long walks to sit at viewpoints and look over the Mendip Hills, you can take part in rock climbing up the gorge and you can also dive deep into the caves and explore the history of the Cheddar Cheese. You can even stop for a bite to eat at the local cafes and restaurants!
More Information about Cheddar Gorge
Each lodge, with its unique interior and name represents local sights and historic moments around Somerset.
We are going to start with our Deer Leap lodge.
Deer leap is most famously now known for it beautiful Viewpoint and scenic walks along the top of the Mendip Hills.
As your eyes pan across the view they rest on a perfectly rounded knoll with a short tower on top. This is Glastonbury Tor. Claimed as the site of the legendary Vale of Avalon and the final resting place of King Arthur, the tor rises up above the flat land surrounding it and is visible for miles around.
However, back in 1896 the name Deer Leap or Deers Leap appears to derive from the Saxon or medieval forest laws and customs. A Deer leap was a low point in the boundary fence of a private estate adjacent to a Royal forest, through which King’s deer could pass into the private land.
In 1934 Dr. Claver Morris, a Wells diarist recorded passing through Deer leap several times and witnessed the legend of a phenomenal leap by a deer, commemorated and marked on the ground by the stones. This story is a well-known to old Mendippers.
Do you feel that this story makes you want to explore Deer Leap? To see the stones the deer leapt. Then our Deer Leap lodge would be the cherry on top of your stay when visiting Deer Leap.
More Information about Deer Leap
We are going all the way back to when we first built the park in 2014 and the story behind our lodge The Sleights.
Named after Draycott Sleights the lodge is perfect for those walkers, photographers, and those with a furry friend.
High on the southern slops of the Mendip Hills, this special place enjoys commanding views towards Exmoor, in the west and, to the north, across the Bristol Channel to South Wales. The views are by no means the only breath-taking views to offer. At ground level, some 200 species of plants have been spotted and recorded, on this steep stretch of grassland. – Perfect for you naturalists. Other residents include Badgers, Foxes, Rabbits, Roe Deer, and the occasional Hare.
Feel the Sleights is the lodge for your stay? Visit our website to check availability today.
More Information about The Sleights
Our Pepper’s lodge has been with us since 2014.
But why have we named the lodge Pepper’s?
Well, how many of you remember the album Sgt. Peppers – Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles?
The album came out May 1967. It spent 27 weeks at the number one on the Record Retailer chart in the United Kingdom.
Strawberryfield Park was bought back in 2006, just after the park had stopped being used as a strawberry farm. In Sgt. Pepper’s – Lonely hearts club band album, the song Strawberry Fields Forever, was released a few months before the rest of the album.
The albums release was a defining moment of the 1960s pop culture. The album typifies the 1960s era of the flower and had mixed reviews with music critics and their fan’s.
So there is the story and inspiration behind our Pepper’s lodge. The Beatles and their iconic music.
If you haven’t heard of the song, please follow the link below, and if you fancy Pepper’s lodge now you know the story behind the name, then please also follow the link below!
