Simon Stabler goes underground to explore a popular Somerset cave system.
I’ve wanted to visit Wookey Hole Caves ever since Christmas Day 1986, when I received Doctor Who: Revenge of the Cybermen on video. Starring Tom Baker as the Doctor, the story was part-filmed in the famous show caves, which stood in for Voga – “the legendary planet of gold”. And while “gold” that littered the caves in the story was nothing more than the product of the BBC’s design department, plenty of real-life treasures have been discovered in Wookey Hole Caves over the years.
Formed over millions of years, as rainwater percolated through the sedimentary rocks, the Wookey Hole Caves, and the area surrounding it, has been home to humans and animals for the past 50,000 years. Discoveries made here have included prehistoric remains, stone age tools, iron age artefacts, roman coins and pottery, and a 1000-year-old skeleton.
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Although the remains, which were discovered by Herbert E Balch who led excavations there in the first half of the 20th century, belong to a man aged 25-35, they are often claimed to be the bones of the legendary Witch of Wookey Hole who is said to have lived in the caves at the same time.
Blamed for everything that went wrong in the area, from crops failing to cattle dying, locals were keen for the witch to move on and sought the assistance of a local monk, Father Barnard. Legend has it that Barnard followed the witch into the caves, stopping to collect some water from the River Axe – which rises from the ground there – which he then blessed. Sprinkling his holy water around the chamber, Barnard is said to have showered the witch who let out a bloodcurdling scream and was turned into stone.
While the bones are sensitively displayed, alongside other discoveries, in The Balch Room of Wells & Mendip Museum, these “petrified” remains – in reality an almost human-shaped stalagmite – can be seen in the Witch’s Kitchen, the first of the eight chambers open to visitors. The chamber is also home to another named stalagmite, the Giant, which at 10ft tall is the largest in Wookey Hole Caves.
First opened to the public in 1927, the Witch of Wookey Hole has long been used as a promotional tool for the caves. In 2018, the search for a new resident witch was the subject of an episode of The Big Audition, an ITV show that went behind the scenes of the casting world. Seen around the Wookey Hole site on school holidays and other special occasions, the ideal witch, the programme explained, needed “to be able to tell a story… to set the stage for [the visitors’] day… and most importantly they need to be able to cackle.”
With much of the cave system underwater, Wookey Hole Caves is a popular destination for divers. Not only are the caves the site of one of the deepest ever cave dives, they are also the site of Britain’s first successful cave dive.
The construction of a small canal in 1857, dug to power the paper mill which once operated here, flooded access to the fourth chamber. In 1935, divers Graham Balcombe and Penelope “Mossy” Powell walked along the riverbed from chamber 3 to chamber 4, dressed in heavy deep sea diving equipment and carrying breathing hoses connected to the hand-operated air pump back on dry land. Later that year, Balcombe reached chamber 7 and, in 1948, he used oxygen equipment to reach chamber 9 – now the base for most of the diving that takes place in the caves. To date, divers have got as far as chamber 25.
In the mid-1970s, former coal miners dug a tunnel connecting chamber 3 to chambers 7, 8 and 9, and in 2015, three tonnes of explosives were used to blast through the rock to provide access into chamber 20. For the brave hearted, there is the Wild Wookey, a bookable caving experience, where participants crawl, climb and abseil through places visitors do not normally get to go.
Of course, if you prefer a gentler way of getting round, you can take one of the 35-minute guided tours that take place throughout the day outside of Somerset school holidays. Although it’s a safe route, taking you through tunnels and walkways to experience the wonders of Wookey, I couldn’t help feeling a little claustrophobic. And if I could happen to me, I hate to think how 6ft 3ins Tom Baker, not to mention the actors in Cybermen costumes, felt when doing battle here back in the 70s.
Wookey Hole Caves, The Mill, Wookey Hole BA5 1BA (01749 672243, wookey.co.uk/caves)
As well admission to the caves, your ticket includes access to the adventure golf course, 4D cinema, soft play area, circus show (at weekends and during the Somerset school holidays), vintage penny arcade and hall of mirrors. The Wookey Hole Museum celebrates the different phases of Wookey Hole’s history and features a cave diving exhibition, papermaking demonstrations and various archaeological discoveries.
Wookey Hole offers accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, just a short walk from the entrance. The Wookey Hole Hotel (01749 672243, wookeyhotel.co.uk) has 58 guest bedrooms which range from standard double rooms to luxury family rooms (accessible rooms are available). All rooms include en suite bathrooms and flat-screen LCD TVs. Its bar and restaurant are open daily serving food for breakfast and dinner and is open to guests and non-residents alike. Just behind the hotel are the luxurious Mendip View Hot Tub Lodges (mendipviewlodges.co.uk).
Bucklegrove Holiday Park (01749 870261, bucklegrove.co.uk), which is three miles awat at Rodney Stoke, offers comfortable lodges with hot tubs, seasonal holiday homes, woodland cabins, touring, and camping pitches. Park facilities include a heated, indoor swimming pool and toddler pool, games room, outdoor play area and The Lodge – Bar, Grill & Restaurant.
