Cheddar Gorge (Upper)

Cheddar Gorge is the most spectacular inland scene in the region — 400-foot limestone cliffs walling a serpentine ravine through the Mendips — but it is also the trickiest to fly legally, so this is a caution pick for confident pilots only. The cliffs on the north side are National Trust and the south side belongs to the Longleat estate, both of which prohibit take-off and landing from their land. The workable approach is to TOAL from a layby or verge on the public highway, the B3135, in the quieter upper gorge and to overfly at height, which is not itself prohibited. The hazards are real: a live road with cars, coaches and cyclists, rock climbers on the faces, feral goats, and squadrons of jackdaws that will mob a drone in spring. Come early on a weekday when the lower-gorge tourist traffic is thin. Keep well away from people and vehicles and never launch on Trust or Longleat ground. The surface is tarmac layby and grass verge. The nearest FRZ is Bristol Airport roughly 20km north — comfortably outside its zone. Early morning, low sun sliding down the cliffs, midweek and out of season, is the moment to catch it.