The
Mendip Way starts at the village of
Uphill on the southern outskirt of
Weston-super-Mare. The route skirts
Uphill Cliff, upon which the remains of a windmill and a Norman church are located, then crossing over the
Bristol to Exeter line, proceeds along the northern edge of Bleadon Level. After crossing the
A370 the route skirts the village of
Bleadon and starts to ascend Bleadon Hill, where it follows a minor road for a short distance. Turning south, there is a long descent to the village of
Loxton where the
M5 motorway is crossed. A steep ascent then follows, nearly reaching the summit of Crook Peak ( elevation), but passing just to the north of it. Following the ridge from west to east, with the village of
Compton Bishop nestled in a valley to the south, the peak of Wavering Down is reached, at an elevation of . The route here follows the northern boundary of the
Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill SSSI. After descending through woodland, the route crosses the
Samaritans Way South West long-distance footpath which passes underneath in a tunnel of the former
'Strawberry Line' railway. After crossing the
A38, the path ascends again, heading now into the heart of the Mendips. After skirting to the south of
Shipham, the path passes through the plantations on Rowberrow Warren, then joins a minor road for a short distance. Just to the south is
GB Cave discovered by Francis Goddard and Charles Barker in 1939. It is one of the many
caves in the Mendips. There are also several
round barrows in this area. Descending into a valley, the route swings to the southwest to Black Rock at the top of
Cheddar Gorge. It continues in this direction, first climbing then descending the hill to the east of the gorge, before swinging back eastwards just short of reaching the village of
Cheddar. The path now climbs the southern escarpment of the Mendips, before descending by way of Batcombe Hollow to
Draycott. After a short section along the
A371, the route heads back up into the hills, passing close by
Draycott Sleights SSSI and the airfield of the Mendip Gliding Club. At the top of the hill is the earthworks of an ancient settlement, and several more roundbarrows are passed on the way to
Priddy. Priddy village green has been the site of a sheep fair since 1348, and the New Inn appeared there in 1373. Heading south from Priddy, the route passes through
Ebbor Gorge National Nature Reserve, and on to
Wookey Hole, famous for its cave and witch legend. The
Monarch's Way long-distance footpath joins here, and shares some, but not all, of the same route on the way to
Wells. Image:Draycott Sleights.jpg| Draycott Sleights. Image:Mendip copse.jpg | A copse in fields on the Mendips near Priddy. Image:Above Ebbor Gorge.jpg | Looking down into Ebbor Gorge. Image:Lime Kiln near Wells.jpg | This old lime kiln near Wells is one of several to be seen along the route. The route leaves Wells by way of the path around the
Bishop's Palace moat, then enters the woods at Tor Hill, a
National Trust property, and passes by the top of a disused quarry. It then joins a track which was formerly used by horse-drawn transport to avoid paying tolls on the main road. This track passes by
King's Castle wood, a reserve of the
Somerset Wildlife Trust and the site of an
Iron Age settlement. It takes the route on to the high ground of Lyatt and Furzy Sleight. Passing high above the village of
Croscombe, the path then goes through Ham Woods and turns southeast to descend towards
Shepton Mallet. Approaching town, the route roughly follows the line of the now derelict
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The two large viaducts that carried the railway around the town are Grade II listed buildings. Image:Ham Woods Viaduct.jpg|Ham Woods Viaduct Image:Alley ways Shepton Mallet.jpg|The Mendip Way passes the outskirts of Shepton Mallet via a number of alley ways. Image:Charlton Viaduct.jpg|
Charlton Viaduct Leaving the town behind, the path goes over Ingsdons Hill to the hamlet of Chelynch. At
Waterlip the route passes by a flooded quarry, then climbs to , the highest point on the Mendip Way. This is the site of
Cranmore Tower, a tall 19th century
folly, now a grade II listed building.
Asham Wood is a
biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and the largest and most diverse of the ancient semi-natural woods in the Mendips. Further on, the hamlet of
Chantry is one of the
Thankful Villages which suffered no casualties in the
First World War. The path then goes alongside
Whatley Quarry which has been the subject of environmental criticism. At Forbury Bottom, the Macmillan Way shares the route for a short way until
Great Elm. The path then leads into Frome where the Mendip Way terminates. ==Rail Access==