I was in and out of Bristol most of the time I was living in Somerset because it was the nearest convenient large town and just up the A38. I was at boarding school there in the early eighties. My old stomping ground was the Mendip Hills where it meets the Somerset Levels, ie the Cheddar Valley. My grandad was the last signalman at Cheddar. I have many photographs of the area including Cheddar Gorge and even a few of the rare Cheddar Pink that grows there and nowhere else.
There is an incredible view from the top of the southern edge of the Mendips. It's rather like the top of the Campsies; you can see into the far distance. From Draycott Sleight you can see Salisbury Plain, North Dorset, Exmoor and the Bristol Channel and also South Wales. The Mendip Hills are an area of outstanding natural beauty. The City of Wells lies at the other end of the Cheddar Valley and the west front of its cathedral is a classic view. I recommend the West Mendip Way for a good walk. Take your camera and go in late April to early June.