The High Wycombe Escape Rooms are not where you expect them to be! Most escape rooms we have been to are on industrial estates etc, they’ve certainly been in dedicated buildings. This one is in The Works ice cream parlour! We were invited to review the previous escape rooms at The Works in High Wycombe pre-covid, and I really liked it. But you can’t keep the same set-up forever, and it seems that the props didn’t necessarily stand the test of time. They have now partnered with a new escape room company so we were invited to try out one of their latest rooms.
There are currently three escape rooms available at the High Wycombe site; Crazy Cat Lady, The Last Testament and The Big Hangover. There are also other Know Escape sites across the south east, including Bishop Stortford.
Hubby, the kids and I have done a few escape rooms now. We know the deal and we fancy ourselves as being fairly good at them, so I am literally always up for trying out a new one!
Whilst we were gifted our escape room experience at The Works High Wycombe so we could do this review, they had no input into the contents and did not see it prior to publication.
The Last Testament
Of the three rooms I decided that The Last Testament would be the most suitable for our family. It’s suitable for ages 8+. Your estranged Uncle Reg has died, and there’s a fortune at stake, but he has one last message for you. You start off in a dark, dusty sitting room watching a video of dearly departed Uncle Reg, and then you have to try and escape!
The only problem with doing a review of something like the High Wycombe escape rooms is that you can’t really take too many photographs as you don’t want to give the game away! What I can tell you is that this is a multiple room escape room (but you’d probably figured that our from the massive door in the photo!). It’s also packed full of clues, and the obligatory objects that aren’t clues.
All three of the escape rooms here are quite interactive. The other two involve external calls and even actors! There’s an interactive element to this one but I can’t tell you what it is without ruining everything. You’ll find the usual physical locks (always preferable to lots of electic ones TBH) but also a couple of more unusual elements. The TV in the room gives you a running count down (always handy) plus it gives you little pointers along the way. This is in addition to your three (or four!) clues that you can request when you’re stuck.
What age is it suitable for?
The website says that this escape room is suitable for ages 8+. In terms of difficultly that’s absolutely true. There were a few times when Middle Child (10) found a few things a bit too creepy but he was quickly back in the game. And Hubby scared himself and squeeled at one stage (TBF I would have done if I was him too!). Nothing is too bad and there’s nothing gory.
Crazy Cat Lady
We didn’t try this one out, but we did get the chance to have a look around (and find out a few of the secrets!). This one is suitable for slightly younger children (ages 6+) up to adults and again it is a multi-room escape room. I can’t tell you how many rooms!
The Big Hangover
For reasons that will become apparent if you try it for yourself, this is the only one of the High Wycombe Escape Rooms that I cannot show you a photo of! It’s also the most adult of the rooms. Suitable for ages 8+, they can alter it to make it more child friendly, but parental discretion is advised. Personally, I would do this with friends, not the kids.
You can have up to 10 people in this room. Apparently, whilst bigger groups can work well, if you’re not working together then it can end up hindering you. You have been warned.
How hard are the High Wycombe Escape Rooms?
Obviously that depends on which room you choose. We escaped with 11 minutes to spare, and ours was the best time of the week (we visited on a Sunday afternoon). The Big Hangover is a tricky room and the majority of groups don’t make it out in time.
How long does it take?
There is a limit of an hour on each of the escape rooms. After that you have to stay there FOREVER. Nah, just kidding, they send you home in disgrace if you don’t solve it for yourself.
Our High Wycombe Escape Rooms Review
We left the High Wycome Escape Rooms, after consuming a fair amount of The Works ice cream, and Hubby declared this was the best one we have been to review! It was very well thought out, the puzzles were at the right level of difficulty, and the clues were about right too. Some of the surprises were very clever! I love it when you have those “ooh I know that” moments in escape rooms, and we had quite a few of those. We have all decided that we would like to try the Crazy Cat Lady next.
Admission cost
The price depends on the number of people taking part. A family of four is £90, but six people is only £109. You pre-book via their website. All prices are correct at the time this review of the High Wycome Escape Rooms was published/updated. For the latest prices please visit their website.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – Use town centre car parks
Address – The Works, 11 High St, High Wycombe, HP11 2AZ
Toilets
On-site
Food
YES! You’re in an ice-cream parlour. There’s lots and lots of yummy ice-cream and sorbets, and waffles, and crepes. You won’t go hungry.
What else is there to do nearby?
High Wycombe has loads of stuff to do. The Rye is just around the corner, as is Wycombe Museum. You can explore the town centre using one of the Treasure Map Trails (affilate link). Hughenden Park & Playground and Hughenden Manor are nearby as well. There’s also the world famous Hellfire Caves!
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Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
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