Bathescape review - Escape Game in Bath
Posted on: 2016-09-12
Our rating:
The amazing thing about Bathescape is the fact that absolutely ANYTHING could be a clue or a puzzle. The pictures on the walls, the table, any of the books on the shelf, inside storage cupboards and pipes… anything goes.
Reviewing a place like Bathescape can be pretty tricky, as the whole premise revolves around secrets, puzzles, and surprises, but no self-respecting Bath-centred website would be without it – as the incredible experience offered by one of Bath’s top tourist attractions deserves to be shared.
The location of Bathescape just adds to the atmosphere – nestled in a tiny tea shop full of curios in the centre of Bath, we were welcomed by an extremely enthusiastic team who were emphatically accommodating despite us running a little late. We were instructed to put our phones in a box and were handed a walkie-talkie as our only form of communication. After a short introduction we were, quite literally, locked in a cellar.
The amazing thing about Bathescape is the fact that absolutely ANYTHING could be a clue or a puzzle. The pictures on the walls, the table, any of the books on the shelf, inside storage cupboards and pipes… anything goes and everything must be treated as suspicious. Forget virtual reality: this is the ultimate in immersion, and you find yourself working in unusual ways, thinking outside the box, and coming up with all kinds of crazy ideas as you ransack the rooms one after another, trying to break out.
I took along my mum, my sister, and my boyfriend this time around, and I think it really helps to have a varied team. Get some creative thinkers in, some logicians, and maybe someone with a lot of energy to run back and forth – you will need all kinds of ‘clever’ to escape all six rooms.
There are six doors all together that must be unlocked to receive the ultimate reward of tea and biscuits upon your escape. Each one is sealed with a number of three and four combination locks, the codes to which can be found in the most bizarre of places. The architecture of the building lends it an eerie quality with its small cramped rooms and rickety staircase. You will no doubt stumble across some dead ends and frustrating half-finished puzzles, but the ingenious design of the rooms ensure that you won’t paint yourself into a corner – whatever order you do the puzzles in there is always a way to complete it.
We found the best method was the tried and tested Scooby Doo – i.e. split up and look for clues. But teamwork is the key here. I can imagine the escape rooms being a fun alternative to ‘team building days’ at work, stag/hen parties, birthdays… pretty much any occasion.
In the end we did it in 45 minutes, a time which I am pretty proud of considering the amount of time spent aggressively studying things that turned out not to be relevant.
There are other options available including a haunted house themed escape game which is a little easier than the traditional one; and two walking tours which allow you to live out your Sherlock Holmes fantasies all within the historical sites of Bath. If you are looking for something different to do in Bath, look no further. Bathescape is incredibly fun, totally immersive, and can be done seriously to great creepy effect or used as an opportunity to have a laugh as you stumble through the ingenious puzzles laid out before you.
This is without a doubt 5/5, an hour of fun that engages your brain and builds teamwork skills, crafted perfectly with every detail designed to add to the experience. Look out for more news from Bathescape very soon, and check out their website here for prices and bookings.
Article by:
Miri is an English literature student at the University of Bristol who enjoys folk-punk & math-rock music, trailing round art galleries, and playing video games. She is a keen follower of politics and will read any science fiction you throw her way. Having lived near Bath for many years she has developed a keen interest in the music and literature scenes and independent restaurants. Miri is the Assistant Editor of 365Bath.com. Email miri@365bath.com.
