Wookey Hole Caves

barbara
barbara
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
2
Reviews
4
Photos
Editor Pick

Great Caves but the Rest Is Filler

  • October 31, 2009
  • Rated 3 of 5 by ns1209 from Southend, United Kingdom
This review is about Wookey Hole which I recently visited on holiday. The caves at Wookey are really interesting to visit. You are given a guided tour around the caves. You learn about some of the legends about the caves and some of the history of them. For example you learn that the first and the deepest cave dives have been at Wookey but not from the same dive.

The caves themselves are really interesting to look around. The caves are very beautiful in parts especially the bit where you go over a small bridge and below there is some water and above and around you parts of the cave with all sorts of rocks, minerals e.t.c I think the tour of the caves lasted about an hour and was definitely by far the best part of the visit. You also see some of the cave matured cheese they have at Wookey Hole which you can buy in the shop! It was very expensive though and about £15 per kilo! You also found out about some of the scenes filmed there. In the cave there were so low sections and most people will have to duck at parts so it may not be suitable for everyone.

There are other things apart from the caves at Wookey Hole but nothing is that great and will hold your attention for a long time.

There is a mirror maze there as well which is good and clever but is very short. It will probably last most people about 3 minutes to finish! However it was good fun still.

There is also a traditional paper mill where they are one of the places to make paper in the old fashioned way. Children also get a chance to make a sheet of paper but for some reason can`t keep it which is a shame.

The Museum is attached to the Paper mill and has a section about the Neanderthals which was quite interesting but again this was very small. There was also some information about King Arthur and Glastonbury Tor and the legends of King Arthur. This was all quite interesting but again quite short.

At Wookey Hole there were various cafes, restaurants and an ice cream place. The food and drink was quite nice but also expensive. I am always amazed how much you can get ripped off for a few drinks and a cake or something!

There was also a little playarea for children which looked quite good but I don't really know how nice it was as I did not try it myself!

After leaving the caves you arrive at dinosaur valley where there is some model dinosaurs which are a bit naff to be honest but children may lie it and there is some information about the dinosaurs which may mean children learn something about dinosaurs.

There was a room where you get to watch some videos. There was one video about cave diving which showed you how dangerous it could be and some of the equipment they use. I have to say I would not like to have a go though as it looks quite scary! The other video I watched was about making paper the old fashioned way. It showed you all the different processes and what each person had to do to make it work.

Also there was a section about the circus with some displays from old circuses. One thing was something that was meant to be the Abominable Snowman but looked like a human in a white gorilla suit!
There were also some of the caravans from circuses which were quite interesting.

I also saw a mini-golf section but you had to pay extra to have a go but it did look quite fun.

There was also a shops area which sold the usual sort of things. You could also buy paper from their paper mill and cheese from the caves! As you would expect they were expensive as they are quite high quality products!

Overall I enjoyed visiting Wookey Hole caves but feel there is not that much to do there. The caves themselves were great and beautiful in parts. However the other little parts were not so great and don`t last very long. I would recommend a visit though but think I would not pay with cash to go there so I think you should take advantage of the clubcard vouchers!

Price The entrance fee is quite expensive for what is there and cost £45 for a family ticket and is £15 per adult and £10 per child. I think that £30 would be a fair price for what is there but we did pay with Clubcard Vouchers which made the price not so bad!

This review may appear elsewhere under the names mariofan123 and ns1209.

Information
The Wookey Hole address is:
Wookey Hole Ltd.
Wookey Hole,
Wells,
Somerset BA5 1BB, England

Opening Times
Wookey Hole is open 7 days a week:
Summertime: (Apr-Oct Inc): 10am (first tour) - 5pm (Last Cave Tour)
Wintertime: (Nov-Mar Inc): 10am (first tour) - 4pm (Last Cave Tour)
Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Open weekends and school holidays during December and January
Editor Pick

Wookey Hole Caves

  • March 10, 2007
  • Rated 3 of 5 by barbara from Atlanta, Georgia
Wookey Hole Caves

Wookey Hole is a family attraction near Bath that calls out to young families. With underground caves full of stalactites, stalagmites, a legend of an old witch, and a small mirror maze, our son couldn't wait to visit. So, off we went.

How much did this attraction cost? We had two boys with two adults, so we opted for the family ticket at 34 pounds. Otherwise, adults are almost 11 each plus each kid at right under nine.

Was the attraction worth the money? Well, that's a really subjective question, but I do think this was a little pricey for what we got. The caves were cool... certainly pretty. But the cave tour is short and less informative than the self-guided, wand tour at Cheddar Gorge. Of course, if I had young kids in tow, this wouldn't have been a problem. After all, a five-year-old only wants to hear so much. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First, the caves are the main thing to see. They've been inhabited by either critters or people for hundreds of years. Explored by divers in the 1930s, a river runs through the rocks and limestone. It's said that these caves - and the caves at Cheddar Gorge - served as some inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien when he conceived of his different kingdoms for dwarfs. I loved walking over a narrow bridge to cross the river, the lights hitting the green water below. But... this doesn't take long to see. Again, if you're here with younger kids, PERFECT. If you're really interested in geology.... uh.... The tour's a little short on substance.

After the caves, Wookey guests are able to walk through a "dinosaur park." This is definitely an attraction for younger kids.

Then, you're able to go into a paper mill where paper is still made from cotton. I enjoyed this more than children might. I loved the film that explained why cotton-made paper lasts longer than wood-pulp-made paper and how the process works. Of course, the boys ran past this little bit of education. They were more interested in the penny arcade. And, I have to admit, I liked this bit as much as they did.

The Penny Arcade: Here are all the old mechanical arcade machines that were so popular before video games. You buy old pennies from the vendor and then go to town pulling the handle on one-armed penny slot machines (for more tokens/pennies) and other various games. We had a blast here. Unique and fun, this arcade reminded me of the Cliff House in San Francisco.

Then we got ice cream.

Bottom Line? There are some neat things at Wookey Hole. Young kids will really like some of the play equipment that is obviously geared towards them. My only real complaint is the cost. It's steep for a couple of hours of amusement.... If you get a half-off ticket, GO. If not, you might want to think about it.... At least if you've got kids older than 10.

www.wookey.co.uk

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