clearwell caves

These self guided caves start off with a small exhibition about mining, freeminers and mining at Clearwell. There was information jotted around the caves about children miners and about the vafious tools used.We enjoyed our visit, found this cave a little unusual that it was self guided - the first of this kind we have been too. We feel there could have been more information in the caves themselves provided by either by boards or a tour guide. All in all this was a good rainy morning activity, and would recommend it. The attached cafe had some tasty cakes and provided good coffee. The lunch menu also looked good.

After visiting Beere caves last summer I was dubious about taking my 2 boys again however clearwell is so different . It's very interesting and as you can walk around at your own pace it's much better . My 8 year old could read all the information out and because alot of it was to do with child labour he was really shocked by what they used to do ! With sound effects too in places it was easy to transport back in time and walk in a miners shoes for a while ! Staff were very helpful and told us our tickets entitled us to go into the secret garden opposite for free , although not fully open the walk was lovely ! I do think the shop could do with updating and maybe have more saleable items

Really nice place to visit, in fact we had the place to ourselves! Went with the girlfriend, interesting and beautiful (and the caves weren't bad either!) Would go again but I think next time I would book and do the guided tour to the lower levels.

went on a trip to the caves with a group last Friday and even though I was not sure it I wonted to go down the caves me and my friend joined the others and went down and so glad we did, our tour guide made it all the better and it was very interesting, and well worth the trip, going to come back and bring my husband, the café was very nice as well. Well worth a visit if your down that way

Clearwell Caves and the history of Iron mining in the area was an interesting few hours, it took maybe an hour to walk round and it was spectacular, make sure to wear sturdy shoes, boots or wellies as the floor is wet and rocky there are sufficient hand rails and being careful while walking there should be no problems at all. The Caves are filled with old mining equipment and information on those who worked there, some of the geology and water pools are amazing and for parts of the journey you just need to stop and marvel at the beauty of the place. The day certainly put into perspective the definition of "hard work" and I think I'll be thinking twice before moaning in future certainly wouldn't want to be carrying all that iron ore around a fantastic example of Britain's industrial past.

Went mid week with my husband. Signage is clear, plenty of parking available. Cafe is great with selection of drinks and eats. Staff are helpful and friendly. When we entered, we were right behind a school group. Staff moved us ahead and allowed us to come back to the start at the end so we didn't get stuck with them. Thus is a self guided tour. It takes about 45 mins to go around. Paths are clearly marked. These are lovely caves and full of old equipment. Less commercial than the likes of cheddar - and somewhat nicer for that. Would recommend this to others.

We took our daughter and our granddaughter to Clearwell Caves this week and we all thought it was well worth the visit. You need to wear solid shoes as the cave floor is rocky (as it would be in a cave!) and you need to keep your eyes open to make sure you stay on the designated path and don't trip over. There are rails for you to hold onto at various points along the way.The route through the nine caves takes about an hour and there are interesting artefacts and snippets of history along the way. Our granddaughter couldn't imagine that in those days, at her age she would be working a ten-hour day if she was a boy.The cafe is small but pleasant and serves various snacks. There is a picnic site outside for when the weather is fine.

Visited with wife and son 9 years old. We found it an interesting little place to visit although it's a job to keep our son amused at this kind of place. Worth a look.

This is a "proper" attraction based on the old iron ore mines. You will need to be well shod and prepared to walk up and down slopes. Underfoot while uneven is not dangerous, there are plenty of hand holds and rails. The old mine workings are well laid out and lit and the displays thoughtfully laid out. It can be a little damp but my two girls thought it was great and enjoyed themselves, as did I. Different, certainly, but good different.

Clearwell Caves are natural caves which were mined for iron ore and a variety of pigments. The mine dates back well over 4,000 years, when early miners dug for ochre pigments to make paints. Iron ore miners later created a warren of underground passageways by connecting the huge caverns we see today.This is a very worthwhile visit at other times of the year but over the Christmas period is was manic. We arrived fairly early for a 10.00am opening and just managed to park the car. The place is popular much more so during school holidays and Bank Holiday periods so ideally is worth visiting if possible outside these times. The caves are normally open from Mid February until October time but best to ring in for current opening times (01594 832535).Normally a good family visit with a pleasant café and gift shop selling a variety of the usual artifax and including an array of crystals and minerals on sale. Access in the caves is steep in places but there is disabled access but you are advised to ring in for details.These caves today are a working mining museum where visitors can see the impressive caverns with geological and mining displays. Iron ore from the caves has been used over many centuries to make tools, weapons and machinery. Some ores are still mined there today and the mine is in private ownership of a Forest of Dean family. I have underscored this visit because of the mania we experienced over the Christmas period. At all other times this place is a very worthwhile visit.

This place opened at 10, we got there for 10 and couldn't get into either car park, the main or the overflow field, it was a case of one in and one out waiting on the main road to be directed by marshals. When we did park after a few minutes waiting we walked to the caves and were greeted by a huge queue, it was cold and raining and we had two small children with us, we waited in this long line for about 15 minutes, it didn't move, then my husband decided to go to the ticket desk and ask how long the wait would be, whilst he was gone I could see family's coming out that had already seen Santa and visited the caves, this was only now about 30 minutes after opening so I started to wonder if the wait would be worth it for all of 30 minutes of caves and Santa. My husband came back and told me the wait was 2 hours, so we turned around and left. An absolute disgrace. Why no pre booked ticket system? My boys were very disappointed, cold and wet after being stood on a muddy slope for half an hour. We salvaged the day by visiting the butterfly zoo down then road. I would not bother visiting here at Christmas again. Stick to pre booking the Christmas train at the station near by or visit the caves when there isn't an event on. Awful awful awful. Tickets next year please and save the same happening to other families.

We visited the caves when the Christmas tableaux were displayed. Well worth a visit. Even for us oldies the story of the Tuppence Family, all made out of fabric, was an absolute joy. The ladies who spend 2 years making the figures and then decorating hundreds of Christmas trees deserve a medal.

An interesting experience,very well laid out and authentic.Extremely good coffee shop attached,well worth calling in for a drink and snack.

We came here on the 30 December whilst on holiday in FOD. We were expecting the usually damp cave experience but what we found was a magical wonderland that was way beyond our expectations. The decorations are amazing and it was great value for money. Well done to all involved in transforming the cave. We will try and come back next year!

An excellent visit. We were lucky enough to visit during the Christmas period and therefore experienced the festive display. The caves were impressive and informative.