Escape Down the Rabbit Hole is a magical new attraction in Barnstaple. It certainly had me spellbound when we tried to escape from one of their challenging escape rooms.

Why it’s on my list

Barnstaple’s very own escape room has been up and running for a little while and I’ve been dying to try it out ever since it opened in January 2018. A group of us were looking for something fun to do on a rainy day and it just so happened that there was availability at Escape Down the Rabbit Hole’s escape rooms. I was very excited to see if we would be able to solve all the puzzles and escape… I had my doubts!

Attraction Information

Website: www.escapedowntherabbithole.com

Location: Market Street, Barnstaple

Age range: fun for all ages! Children under the age of 15 need to be accompanied by an adult.

Price: varies according to number of people, but it’s roughly around £15 per person if at least four people take part

To book: book online here or call 01271 374944. Minimum two people, maximum seven people per room.

Overall verdict

I had an amazing time escaping from the Fix the Reactor room. We completed our escape in 40 minutes, which we were really proud of. Some might say we escaped like a boss!

We all agreed it was great fun, a fantastic day out come rain or shine.

The activity

Obviously I can’t give too much away here, but there are some things I can tell you about.

Escape Down the Rabbit Hole offers both indoor and outdoor escape experiences. We booked the Fix the Reactor room, which involved a dramatic storyline that carried on through the experience. We needed to get to a reactor that was reaching critical levels and contain it before it exploded.

To successfully complete our mission we needed to solve a variety of puzzles, decipher cryptic clues and think outside the box. This room was rated 5/5 for difficulty.  And that’s all I can say about that.

In a bit of a briefing beforehand, the staff (lovely guy called Luke) explained to us that they have carefully constructed the environment to encourage people not to panic. In an enclosed space, there is the possibility that some may find it claustrophobic, but the team here have tried various things and tweaked the rooms to make sure that everyone can enjoy the experience. For instance, they don’t physically lock you in the room, which to some will be very reassuring.

The best

We successfully completed our mission, which was an amazing feeling. We made it out in 40 minutes and Luke gave us some interesting feedback about our attempt. It was possible we could have beaten the top time of 34 minutes if we had not hit a hurdle in our puzzle solving, alas.

It was great fun working together on all the little challenges, and it felt like a fantastic group achievement when we got out. This would be a great team-building exercise.

Not the best

As with any escape room, once you’ve done the room you’ve kinda done it forever. But it sounds like Escape Down the Rabbit Hole have plans to keep things fresh. And there are the outdoor ‘rooms’ to try as well, which look very cool!

Top tip

Stay for some food too. A lot of their menu is inspired by books, films and TV shows. Fancy some Stranger Things inspired waffles that Eleven would be proud of? Or crispy fried shrimp a la Forrest Gump? They’ve got you covered. Take a look at it here. We didn’t get to try it this time, but I know I will be soon.