The UK’s top ten escape rooms

Escape rooms are all the rage, with hundreds of new immersive experiences opening across the country, including loads on the GWR network. September Withers plays games master in her guide to the best of the bunch.

Despite being a relatively new phenomenon, escape rooms are popping up all over
the UK, with towns and cities now home to multiple immersive game experiences. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, escape rooms are simply a room in which you get locked – often with friends, family or colleagues – and out of which you must escape by solving clues.

Ahead of the curve was the The Crystal Maze Live Experience, which launched in 2016. Now the BBC are bringing us two brand new games based on TV shows Doctor Who and Sherlock, the latter of which has seen significant input from the show’s writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

There’s never been a better time to give these immersive games a go, so gather your closest – and smartest friends – and get cracking!

London

The Crystal Maze Live Experience
Due to a massive demand for tickets, The Crystal Maze Live Experience is moving from Islington to a new venue that allows for 32 new games and challenges. Don your retro bomber jackets and dash through Medieval, Aztec and Futuristic adventure zones against the clock. To the crystal dome you go!
the-crystal-maze.com

Sherlock: The Game is Now
This 90-minute immersive escape game is an all-new Sherlock mystery brought to you by the creators behind the hit TV series. Solve puzzles and clues with help from cast members Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in specially recorded video footage.
thegameisnow.com

Oxford

City Mazes, Professor’s Predicament
The professor has gone missing and you need to find and destroy a number of powerful magical items hidden in his office. ‘Abracadabra’ ain’t going to cut it, so you better get your thinking cap on – the world of wizarding needs your help!
bit.ly/ProfessorsPredicament

Escape Hunt
Will you be a pirate, attempting to escape from Blackbeard’s cabin with his treasure? Are you about to step into the Wild West where a bloodthirsty gang is after your gold? Is ancient Japan calling you to defeat the evil warlord Tanaka Masamune? Choose from three fun adventures at Oxford’s Escape Hunt.
escapehunt.com/uk/oxford

Bristol

Hell in a Cell
You need to be aged 18 and over to take part in this horror-themed escape room challenge. Staged in the underground prison cells of Bristol’s old crown courts, Hell in a Cell is not for the faint-hearted. You’ve been kidnapped by a sadistic serial killer and you’re under immense pressure to figure out how to free yourself. Are you brave enough to win out?
bristolhorrorescape.com

Escape Hunt – Doctor Who
Fans the world over can now experience the ultimate Doctor Who escape room at officially licensed sites across the UK. After a stint in Bristol in December 2018, the Doctor Who Escape Hunt will reach Reading and Oxford in early 2019. The Doctor will see you now!
escapehunt.com

Penzance

Eureka Escape
Each room here is well thought out, with difficulty levels ranging from first timer to the super tricky, GWR-themed Murder on the Night Riviera mission. In this room you’ll meet a flustered train manager who is worried about the goings-on in one of the sleeper cabins, and who needs you to do some serious investigating.
eurekaescape.co.uk

Cardiff

Breakout Cardiff
Dig deep to find puzzles, riddles and items that can be used to escape from six great rooms at the Breakout Cardiff experience. Whether you’re a secret agent proving your mettle or an ordinary Joe trying to break a curse, you’ve got 60 minutes to find the exit.
breakoutcardiff.com

Southampton

Elusion
Are you ready to steal a legendary artifact from the home of an antiquities professor? Or are you trapped in the basement of a serial killer? The choice is yours but either way, you’ll need to act fast.
elusionrooms.com

Exeter

Red House Mysteries
The Shadow Darkens room replicates a 1940s office, perfect for its film noir detective theme. The Heist room is also pretty awesome – can you pull off the steal of the century?
redhousemysteries.co.uk