Wookey Hole

Wookey Hole has nothing to do with Chewbacca's bottom (that would be wookiee). It is in fact a rather charming system of caves and pot holes near Bath in Somerset. When Daddy was a little lad it was distinguished by some hair raising tales of old women or witches haunting the caves which rendered what was essentially a geological field trip rather more enjoyable.

Following a takeover by Madame Tussuad's and then Gerry Cottle, a Circus proprietor, things have changed rather a lot. The preponderance of "Comic Sans" font all over their web site is a good clue as to how classy a location it now is. An even better clue is the 60ft Gorilla standing outside the exit.

Then of course there is the dinosaur park.

The native Indian wood carving.

Of course no cave system would be complete without some vintage cars...

Or an elephant ride.

Then there was cuisine of the highest standard. Look - that's carrots!

Really, what cave system could be considered complete without a Merry-go-Round?

So as Lucy sits in her space ship pondering the matter, I think we can agree that Wookey Hole has lost some of the purity that it had 35 years ago. And to some extent your heart sinks when you see sentences like this from Wikipedia: "In February 2009 Cottle turned the Victorian bowling green next to the caves into a crazy golf course without first obtaining planning permission.". But the funny thing is, Lucy and Daddy were there on their own, since Mummy and Aunty Lorna were having a well deserved pampering Spa day in Bath, and cheesy and incoherent as Wookey now is Lucy had a fantastic time and loved every minute. So even though it has changed beyond recognition over the past quarter decade, I would have to recommend it for a day out. Just don't get too sentimental.