natural wonder
Cheddar Gorge
Britain's largest gorge with 450-foot limestone cliffs, ancient caves containing the oldest complete human skeleton found in Britain.
17 km · about 20 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Burnham-on-Sea
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Burnham-on-Sea
Burnham-on-Sea works well as a base: 5 minutes from Huntspill, 17km from Cheddar Gorge.
Burnham-on-Sea is in England, United Kingdom, with about 23,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Huntspill, about 4 km away.
Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort.
Burnham-on-Sea forms part of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and HighbridgeRead more
and shares a town council with the neighbouring small market town of Highbridge, with which it has become a contiguous built-up area. At the 2021 census, the population of Burnham-on-Sea (which the Office for National Statistics defines as that part of the built-up area west of Pepperall Road and Newtown Lake) was 16,320.
Burnham-on-Sea is famous for its low lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1832 and is a grade II listed building with a red and white striped facade.
The position of the town on the edge of the Somerset Levels and moors where they meet the Bristol Channel, has resulted in a history dominated by land reclamation and sea defences since Roman times. Burnham was seriously affected by the Bristol Channel floods of 1607, with the present curved concrete wall being completed in 1988. There have been many shipwrecks on the Gore Sands, which lie just offshore and can be exposed at low tides. Lighthouses are hence prominent landmarks in the town, with the original lighthouse known as the Round Tower built to replace the light on the top of the 14th-century tower of St Andrew's Church. The 110-foot (34-metre) pillar or High Lighthouse and the low wooden pile lighthouse or lighthouse on legs on the beach were built to replace it. The town's first lifeboat was provided in 1836 by the Corporation of Bridgwater.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Burnham-on-Sea?
Within an hour or so of Burnham-on-Sea: Cheddar Gorge (17 km), Cheddar Gorge Viewpoint (17 km), Cheddar Gorge Road (B3135) (17 km), Cheddar Gorge and Gough's Cave (17 km).
Are there any good drives near Burnham-on-Sea?
The nearest famous roads are Cheddar Gorge Road (B3135), Porlock Hill and A466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth).
Where is Burnham-on-Sea?
Burnham-on-Sea is in England, United Kingdom, about 4 km from Huntspill.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 23,325
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 51.2386, -2.9978
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Burnham-on-Sea
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
scenic viewpoint
Cheddar Gorge Viewpoint
England's largest gorge with 450-foot limestone cliffs, offering jaw-dropping views from several pull-off points along the winding road.
17 km · about 20 min drive
famous road
Cheddar Gorge Road (B3135)
The B3135 threads the floor of England's largest gorge beneath 137m limestone cliffs, tight and dramatic but often busy with visitors and goats.
17 km · about 20 min drive
natural wonder
Cheddar Gorge and Gough's Cave
Britain's largest gorge, 137m deep, with show caves that yielded Cheddar Man, Britain's oldest complete skeleton.
17 km · about 20 min drive
natural wonder
Ebbor Gorge
A quiet wooded limestone gorge and national nature reserve on the Mendip scarp above Wookey, with views across the Somerset Levels.
22 km · about 25 min drive
ancient ruins
Glastonbury Abbey
The ruins of one of England's wealthiest monasteries, linked by legend to Joseph of Arimathea and the graves of Arthur and Guinevere.
22 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Glastonbury Tor
Mystical terraced hill crowned by St Michael's Tower, steeped in Arthurian and early Christian legends with panoramic Somerset views.
23 km · about 25 min drive
natural wonder
Wookey Hole Caves
A series of chambers carved by the River Axe through the Mendips, occupied in the Iron Age and famous for the Witch of Wookey.
23 km · about 25 min drive
Driving roads near Burnham-on-Sea
- 17 kmCheddar Gorge ViewpointEngland's largest gorge with 450-foot limestone cliffs, offering jaw-dropping views from several pull-off points along the winding road.
- 17 kmCheddar Gorge Road (B3135)The B3135 threads the floor of England's largest gorge beneath 137m limestone cliffs, tight and dramatic but often busy with visitors and goats.
- 35 kmClifton Suspension BridgeIsambard Kingdom Brunel's iconic 1864 suspension bridge soaring 75m above the Avon Gorge at Bristol, still carrying traffic and glowing with lights after dark.
- 42 kmDunkery BeaconThe highest point on Exmoor and in Somerset at 519 m, with views to the Brecon Beacons and Dartmoor on clear days.
- 43 kmPorlock HillBritain's steepest A-road, where the A39 climbs out of Porlock onto Exmoor at gradients up to 1-in-4 with two severe hairpins. A scenic Victorian toll road offers a gentler coastal alternative.
- 43 kmPorlock Hill (A39)One of England's steepest A-roads at 1-in-4 with hairpins out of Porlock onto Exmoor; a toll road offers a gentler alternative.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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