Our experience was made ever so enjoyable by the our guide Becca.
Abseiling! Climbing! Crawling!
Caving adventure is absolutely fabulous. From crawling through narrow gaps, to abseiling in pitch black caves, to climbing with via ferrata equipment – we loved every second of it! Though you have to have a fair amount of fitness to complete the two hours adventure, no previous caving experience is required. You will feel as if you are going on a real cave adventure.
Cotswolds to Wookey Hole
We drove from London to Cotswolds in around 2 hours. Cotswolds is the home to some of the most historic and famous villages in England. The honey-coloured stone buildings provide a quintessential English charm found no-where else in the world. We visited a few villages on the way to Wookey Hole. If you driving to Wookey Hole directly from London, it will take around 3 hours
Cotsworld Alms
Castle Combe
Castle Combe
Birbury
Wookey Hole
Wookey Hole is actually not near Cotswolds – around 1.5 hours away. But when we saw the descriptions on the Wookey Hole website, we knew that we have to come here.
“Wild Wookey is a three hour ‘adrenaline-fuelled, high-octane, exhilarating Adventure Caving Experience’ in the largest and most spectacular cave complex in the UK. Wookey Hole Caves is a haven for explorers, thrill seekers and anyone wishing to sample a taste of true caving”
Tour Description
What’s included in the tour?
What’s included:
All equipment and clothing.
Three hours of unforgettable, challenging and exhilarating moments guided by qualified caving instructors
Abseiling with utterly beautiful, awe-inspiring, breath-taking views (25m and 75m)
European-style Via Ferrata climbs (The longest underground Via Ferrata route in England!)
Unique access to previously hidden passages
Chances to get up, close and personal with rare geological and archaeological features, unseen by the general public
FREE photographs of your experience
Caving Requirement
Not for the faint-hearted, this physically and psychologically challenging Wild Wookey experience is only suitable for active, capable, adventurous explorers who are at ease with rigorous exercise, enclosed spaces, heights, climbing, abseiling, crawling and who have good leg and upper body strength. Must be at least 14 years or older
Booking and Price
Booking is required. There are sessions per day and the price is 50 pounds per person.
We arrived before the opening time.
Nobody around. Peaceful and Quiet.
Full clothing provided with via ferrata gear. Inside the cave is wet and muddy. Without protection clothing you will look like a mudman.
Headlights are our lifeline. It is complete darkness inside the cave. When we were asked to switch all lights, we literally can’t see our hands in front of our eyes.
Wild Wookey Entrance
In the 2 hours of caving, the most scary moment for me is surprisingly at the entrance. If you look at the images below, the entrance is really narrow and you will have to crawl right through. I have been to many caves before but the “claustrophobic” feeling and the thought that I will be stuck like this for hours is frightening. Fortunately, the fear goes away and after a while I begin to enjoy crawling and scrambling between the narrow gaps in the cave.
This is the narrow entrance.
There should be a maximum size allowed!
I don’t like tight spaces!!
Middle Section
In this section, we abseil down onto River Axe. Then we cross the vividly green water of the River Axe and climb up through a narrow gap to the highest chamber.
Abseiling down 25 m to River Axe. There 2 ropes attached to us. One for backup in case we slip, so it is pretty safe.
This wall section uses a lot of energy. In recent years, they have added a ladder path for easier access.
Climbing to the highest chamber
Final Abseil
From River Axe, we climbed up 75 m to the top chamber. On the way we passed through a really narrow section; feels like crawling through the throat of a huge monster. Finally, from a platform on the top chamber, we abseiled down to complete the thrilling adventure.
Crawling through the throat of a monster
All smiles, thanks to Becca for making us feel safe despite doing this for the first time
The final drop is quite high – around 20+ storey
What an experience !! If you are in England and crave for an adventure, this is a must do activity. In the last few years, the Wookey Hole team has added even more challenge to the adventure; boat trip and zip line towards the end. Well worth the price paid.
Trip date: August, 2018 Checkout our full blog at :
https://www.vrcation.net
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