When we went to Somerset for the weekend and stayed at Bucklegrove Holiday Park, we were kindly invited to visit Wookey Hole Caves and Attractions. It’s been many years since we went to Wookey Hole caves and I knew that Chamber 20 is the newest discovery which opened to visitors in 2018, so we were all excited to visit.
Throughout the year Wookey Hole also hosts some great seasonal events including at Easter and Christmas.
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Getting To Wookey Hole Caves and Attractions
Wookey Hole is in the heart of the Mendip Hills near Wells in Somerset. Parking at Wookey Hole is free in a large car park near the entrance to the caves. The address for your Satnav is The Mill, High Street, Wookey Hole, Wells, BA5 1BB.
Parking is well signposted and organised. We visited on quite a busy day but the attendants were great at directing people to empty spaces in the free car park.
We made the mistake of walking back around the road and almost bypassed the ticket entrance, so a top tip when you park is to head for the toilets and you will arrive at the gift shop and queue to purchase or collect your tickets. You will need the tickets given to you to go into the caves.
Wookey Hole Caves is also part of the Blue Peter badge attractions scheme offering FREE child entry with a paying adult when showing a Blue Peter badge.
Wookey Hole Caves
The Wookey Hole caves are the largest show caves in England, and quite possibly a big reason people visit Wookey Hole.
We began our day by queueing for the cave tour, a guided tour which begins every ten minutes or so in large groups. Our guide, Jan was very informative and a great story teller.
As you make your way into the caves, you enter the story of the famous Wookey Hole witch. She is believed to have lived in the caves during the dark ages. The legend has it that bad things began to happen nears the caves and the villagers blamed the woman living in the cave, believing her to be a witch.
As a monk was sent to exorcise the witch, he followed her deep into the caves and threw holy water onto the witch. It turned her to stone and she can be seen inside the cave known as the witch’s kitchen. The caves are believed to be over 50,000 year old.
If you would like to meet the Witch of Wookey, you can often find her as you are queueing at the entrance. She’s also around after the circus shows and there is an opportunity to have your photo taken with her.
Our cave journey led us through The Great Hall, which is one of the tallest chambers in Wookey Hole and the Witch’s Parlour which is over 200 feet below ground. You may find the temperature to be quite cool in the caves, which is kept to a constant 11 degrees celcius.
As our journey reached it’s end, we were able to go into chamber 20. This is the newest chamber which has been blasted through after an amazing discovery by two divers.
The whole cave tour lasted us around 45 minutes and was very informative. There were places where we had to stoop down quite low to avoid the ceiling, and places where the ground was very uneven. But there are plenty of hand rails available for assistance.
Before we reached Chamber 20, our route took us over an open bridge looking down into the caves. It’s very safe and stable and has sides, but if you’re not a lover of heights, you may want to avoid looking down. You can also take the other exit through the corridor full of cheese as it ages.
Additional Attractions at Wookey Hole
There is a lot more at Wookey Hole than just the caves included in your entrance ticket price. As we exited the caves, we noticed the park was set up nicely to allow visitors to walk around in one direction towards the exit.
We walked past the fairy garden and the animatronic dinosaurs that were very realistic. You also can’t miss the full size King Kong who stands at over 30ft high.
The majority of the other attractions are indoors which was great for us as it decided to drizzle with rain for most of the day. We stopped off at the 4D cinema which was a fun experience showing Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
Inside we spent loads of time checking out the cave museum and the mirror maze. The hand made paper mill showcases live demonstrations of how paper is made.
We missed the showing as we went to watch the live circus show which is a show not to be missed, but had we times our day a little better we could have seen both.
The live circus show was truly amazing. The show is performed by the young performers who train at the Gerry Cottle school of circus three times a week.
We saw juggling, magic tricks, unicycles, ribbon acrobatics, amazing talents from the young people performing. We really were in awe.
For the younger guests, there is a large soft play near the Witch’s Kitchen, a nice area to find lunch and drinks. If you would like more choice then I recommend you head down to Captain Jack’s restaurant which is near the exit next to the Adventure Golf.
Not to be missed was the old penny arcade. We had great fun here swapping our money for old style pennies to play the arcade games. Imagine games such as the old style fortune tellers, and slot machines, it’s a great addition to the park.
At the end of your visit, don’t forget to have a game of Crazy Golf, which is included in your entrance ticket. We had great fun playing the nine holes, especially when Hubby thought he was being clever and took almost 20 goes to pot his ball.
How Much Does Wookey Hole Cost?
The Wookey Hole entrance fee for an adult is £25, child ticket £20, Senior Citizen ticket £22 and under 3’s are free.
We were staying at Bucklegrove Holiday park ten minutes up the road which is also owned by the Wookey Resort. Guests of the holiday park can enjoy 25% off prices as well.
Our Experience At Wookey Hole
I really enjoyed visiting Wookey Hole again, and a big thank you to them for providing our tickets for us to visit. Despite it being many years, I remembered snippets of my previous visit when my eldest daughter was very small and in a push chair.
Don’t forget to pick up some Wookey Hole cheese on the way out!
Our tour group didn’t have any small children in pushchairs, but I thought it was great that if you needed to hire a lightweight pushchair for the caves you could.
We spent quite a few hours exploring and enjoying the attractions on offer. Somehow we also managed to avoid the worst of the rain which was great.
Despite it being a busy day we managed to find seating at peak time for lunch. I just wish I had thought to go to Captain Jack’s restaurant rather than stop in the Witch’s Kitchen. We didn’t realise there were main meals available as we hadn’t read the map properly.
If you’re in the Somerset area and want a great day out, I can highly recommend Wookey Hole Caves.
How long do you need at Wookey Hole?
I would suggest putting at least half a day aside to see everything there is to see.
Is Wookey Hole suitable for disabled?
Wookey Hole offers a 50% Concessionary Rate For People With Disabilities. A concessionary rate is available for registered disabled persons (50% reduction on standard admission rates) and their registered carer. The caves are unsuitable for wheelchairs hence the discount offered.
Where To Stay Near Wookey Hole
If you’re thinking on turning your visit into a short break, here are some hotels near Wookey Hole.
The Wookey Hole Hotel
The Mill, Wookey Hole, Wells BA5 1BA
A 3 star hotel with free parking, free wifi and a bar and restaurant on site. The Wookey Hole hotel is just a 2 minute walk from the caves.
Check availability and prices here
The Crown at Wells
Market Place, Wells, BA5 2RP
A 15th Century coaching inn located 1.4 miles away from the caves. Family rooms available, free wifi and free parking.
Check availability and prices here
The Wookey-hole cave tours are super informative aren’t they, I love how they light it up inside with all the different coloured lights too. My kids love the mirror maze that they have there, and all the vintage arcade games too!