You might remember that I met Tracey Harding of Visit Ely at a Gourmet Brownie event earlier this year. Tracey invited me to get a team of Ely bloggers together to try out the Ely Escape Room. She was keen to find out what we all thought about the challenge.
Escape Rooms are a bit of a thing at the moment, aren’t they? I doubt many are as atmospheric as the one in Ely. It’s set in a genuine Tithe Room. In the 17th century oak-panelled room, Oliver Cromwell would have sat and worked on all things tax related. I wonder what he’d have made of its use now! Wasn’t he a paid-up member of the fun police? Or was that a myth…
It was with a little trepidation that our team met at Oliver Cromwell’s House – a tourist destination in itself and home to Visit Ely – to see what fate awaited us. Only one of us had been in an Escape Room before, and she admitted to being “SO BAD AT THESE”. What in the world could go wrong?! 😉
I thought I’d hand over the reins to one of the team – my lovely friend Jennie – to tell you about it from her point of view. I think she sums up the experience perfectly.
In Jennie’s words
“If you’re looking for a bit of intrigue and a mini adventure, the Escape Room at Oliver Cromwell’s House in Ely could be just the thing.
Escape rooms are increasingly popular as a way to have fun with friends or as an alternative to more corporate team-building exercises. But what would happen when a group of Escape Room newbies, several of whom had never met before, came together to try and solve this particular challenge?
Would we escape successfully and scupper a sinister plot, or fail and wind up feeling complicit in a heinous crime?
Without wanting to spoil the adventure for any budding escape roomies out there, what I can say is the scene was set in a back room at Oliver Cromwell’s House. We were given just enough information to know what we needed to find out, but had no idea how we were going to do it, and with that the countdown clock began.
With 60 minutes ticking away we set about scouring the room for any possible hints, and quickly overcame any nerves of not having a clue what we were doing. At the first discovery of pertinent information we were spurred on, sharing anything we found with each other and working together to figure out what was a lead and what was a red herring.
We made good progress and with only a couple of extra prompts appearing under the door we managed to foist the plot with a respectable 8m22s left on the clock.
We came out with a sense of achievement and camaraderie, with the added bonus of getting to look round the Oliver Cromwell’s House afterwards. This may have been my first Escape Room, but without a doubt it won’t be my last!”
hooked?
It won’t be my last, either, and when the Ely Escape Room changes its theme again, I’ll be going back. You get such a buzz at the end, in fact, each time you crack another clue. I can see how it can become addictive and I’m keen to try one elsewhere. Although, I don’t think I’m ready to challenge the current world record of 22 Escape Rooms in 24 hours…
Have you taken an Escape Room challenge? Please share your story.
Bye for now!
Disclosure: Our Escape Room and subsequent tour of Oliver Cromwell’s House were complimentary. All words are our own.
#100DaysNoTV 
I am fascinated by the escape room phenomenon. I think our family would love to participate in one some time. I think this one would be exciting!
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If your family like puzzles, they would definitely love an escape room! I hope you give it a go 🙂
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How fun to have stumbled upon your post! My team at work is scheduled to go to an escape room as an outing later this month. It’s a mystery mansion that was abandoned decades ago by the family. I’m nervous and excited all at the same time! xx
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You’ll love it! We all had a few nerves at the start; you’re never quite sure what you’re walking into. But remember, it will always be safe, so unlock that problem-solving part of your brain and have a blast! 🙂 xx
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It sounds like you had a great time. I’ve never tried an escape room but it is definitely on my list of things to do!
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We really did! 🙂 It’s amazing to see how everyone interprets the same clues so differently. Definitely great for a bit of team fun! xx
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I’ve done a few different escape room scenarios now but I must admit, this one does look impressively atmospheric. I love it when you can tell they’ve put real effort into decorating each room.
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That was what I particularly loved about it. It was so authentic. I’m worried that if I do another one, it won’t quite match up to this! 😉
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I have never done an escape room before. This one looks like fun and not scary like how imagine them to be.
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Yes, it was definitely less scary than I imagined Escape Rooms might be. I think it helped that there were windows, and it wasn’t enclosed!
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Good luck getting out with that much time to spare. I always find I either get out of them with loads of time left, or literally like 2 mins x
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How many have you done, Rhian? I’d love to try another x
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I’ve seen a few people head to escape rooms but I love the sound of this one. A slightly more educational twist to it meaning that you’re learning through play
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We are lucky that our local escape room is in a historical setting. The clues were linked to local places too, so it really resonated with us all 🙂
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Never tried to do this kinds of activity before but that sounds fun and you look like you guys had a blast! Escape rooms are in rage nowadays especially since I keep seeing and hearing from a lot of people their amazing experiences.
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If you like puzzles, you’d definitely enjoy an escape room. Yes, they’re very popular at the moment – so much fun. I’m hoping to go to another one soon 🙂
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Sounds like such an exciting Escape Room experience and I would love to give this a go as I am a big fan of Oliver Cromwell
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Do you live close enough to visit? As a fan of Oliver Cromwell it’d be particularly appealing as it’s in his former home 🙂
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This sounds like so much fun and a great idea for getting together with friends for a laugh! I am desperate to try an escape room for my birthday so will definitely check this one out. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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You won’t regret it. It is a lot of fun. Gets your adrenalin going and the teamwork element is fantastic. Go for it! 🙂
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Sounds like you had a lot of fun. We stayed in a house once that was Oliver Cromwells barracks – love a bit of history
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Oh cool! Where was that?
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I really like the sound of escape rooms, and definitely think they can be an activity enjoyed by friends and family alike. I’m not local to this one, but it sounds like such a great place. Will have to look out for some local escape rooms and get myself and family booked on one.
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You’re right, and I know they have a lot of businesses doing this for team building, too. I hope you manage to find a good one local to you 🙂
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We’ve always found the idea of escape rooms intriguing and this one sounds fun! Love the unique setting too!
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It’s unique, for sure, and a lot of fun. I hope you get to try an escape room.
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Oh my goodness I want to do this so much!!! This is my idea of heaven!
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There’s nothing stopping you! 🙂
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