The gorge is 3 km long with a 1:6 gradient in its descent from the Mendips. The cliffs are of limestone, gaunt and grey where the fissured walls and pinnacles rise vertically to 107-122 m. From near the foot of the gorge, Jacob's Ladder a staircase of 274 steps (rest benches), leads up to a panoramic view of the Mendips, Somerset Levels and the Quantocks.