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Hidden deep in the heart of the Mendip Hills, the world-famous caves of Wookey Hole are the UK’s largest show caves system, and home to the legendary Witch of Wookey Hole!
After exploring the unique sights of Wookey Hole Caves, pop into one of our friendly Somerset restaurants for a classic British pub meal made with locally-sourced produce. Plus, you can top it all off with a pint of proper Butcombe beer, from our impressive selection behind the bar.
Lower Langford, Somerset, BS40 5BL
Bower Lane, East Bower, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 4TY
The Square, Axbridge, Somerset, BS26 2AP
10 South Parade, Chew Magna, Somerset, BS40 8SL
91 West Town Road, Backwell, BS48 3BH
Compton Martin, Somerset, BS40 6JE
Rowberrow, Winscombe, Somerset, BS25 1QL
Offering delicious, locally-sourced meals and award-winning Butcombe beers and ales on tap, our range of restaurants near Wookey Hole Caves are the ideal places for a bite to eat after a busy day exploring this picturesque part of Somerset.
We’re passionate about great food and drink at The Rising Sun – expect delicious seasonal dishes and hearty pub classics, with a focus on fresh ingredients and produce carefully sourced from our local suppliers. Behind the bar you’ll find a selection of award-winning beer from our own Butcombe Brewery, and you’ll notice that our menus and daily specials also feature our own ales where possible – like our Butcombe Gold beer-battered fish and chips. The Rising Sun offers a huge beer garden with children’s play area, and large carpark – the perfect place to stop after a day exploring Wookey Hole Caves.
A haven for walkers, cyclists and locals alike, The Swan Inn is all about delicious, locally-sourced food – pub classics, flatbread pizza, and tasty bar snacks – with a cosy, welcoming vibe and an impressive selection of award-winning Butcombe beer on the taps. Stop by after exploring Wookey Hole Caves, while walking your dog, or after visiting other popular Somerset attractions like Glastonbury Tor or England’s smallest city – Wells.
With beer-battered fish and chips, our delicious ‘Bower burger’ and our famous Sunday roast, you’ll find something you love at The Bower Inn. Enjoy your locally-sourced meal in the refurbished, historical 18th-century cottage and beautiful gardens, and pair your dish with an award-winning pint of craft beer from behind the bar – the perfect end to the day after enjoying the sights of Wookey Hole Caves.
Not far from the wonderful Wookey Hole Caves, you’ll find The Lamb Inn – a charming, cosy, 15th century converted coaching inn, complete with traditional beams, open fireplaces, a beautiful beer garden for alfresco dining. For a characterful and historic place to enjoy a delicious, home-made, locally-sourced classic pub meal, paired with an award-winning pint of Butcombe beer, you can’t do much better than The Lamb Inn.
For a true taste of the West Country, you can’t do any better than The Langford Inn pub-restaurant. On the menu, you’ll find a mix of seasonal dishes with hearty pub classics, all made with local Somerset produce in a field-to-fork approach to sustainable dining. Bring your pup along after your day out taking in the sights of Wookey Hole Caves – The Langford Inn is dog-friendly, so your pooch will feel right at home!
In the heart of Chew Magna, not far from the unique attraction of Wookey Hole Caves, you’ll find The Pelican gastropub, with an intimate bar, cosy dining area, crackling log fire, and pleasant terraced beer garden for alfresco dining and drinking. Choose from the delicious seasonal menu of classic pub dishes, a range of local Butcombe beers, spirits and cocktails behind the bar, and sample a tasty, wood-fired pizza straight from the oven.
The Ring o’ Bells is a local legend in Compton Martin and throughout Somerset, boasting secret live music gigs from renowned pop artists like Kylie Minogue, Paul Weller and Coldplay, while retaining its traditional country gastropub vibe. It boasts a beautiful beer garden, kids’ play area, live sport, locally-sourced pub grub and cracking selection of award-winning Butcombe beers and real ales behind the bar. Book a table while you’re exploring Wookey Hole Caves and stop by after to enjoy modern twists on hearty pub classics, unlike anything you’ve had before.
The Witch of Wookey Hole wasn’t the first person to inhabit the caves.
Archaeologists’ findings indicate that man has lived in and around the caves for 50,000 years, with bones of tropical and Ice Age animals such as rhinoceros, bear, mammoth and lion, and flint tools all recovered from the site.
Various other ancient civilizations used the caves as well, including the Celtic people of the Iron Age, who explored deep into the caverns by burning animal fat in simple lamps, reaching the fourth chamber, which they used as a burial site.
A gnarled stalagmite that resides in the first chamber has come to be known as the Witch of Wookey Hole.
Legend has it that during the Dark Ages, there was a witch residing within the caves that cast spells and caused misfortunes for the local villagers. Eventually, the people sought the help of the Abbot at nearby Glastonbury Abbey, who delved into the caves and came across an underground river, which he blessed and splashed at the witch, immediately turning her into stone, forming the stalagmite seen today.
In 1912, an archaeologist named Herbert Balch excavated the 1000 year bones of a woman from the cave, which have been linked to the apparent witch!
The Wookey Hole Caves tour includes access to five additional chambers:
Thanks to their high humidity and constant year-round temperature, caves have historically been used as the perfect place to mature cheeses.
The cheese-makers at Ford Farms have revived this age-old tradition in the caves of Wookey Hole, carrying their cheddars two hundred feet underground by hand where they are left to take on the distinctive earthy and nutty flavours from the atmosphere.
The resulting Wookey Hole Cave Aged Cheddar has won many awards – most recently a Gold Medal at the British Cheese Awards, and is available to sample and buy in the Wookey Hole Cave gift shop!
As well as the chance to explore the incredible caves, your ticket provides entrance to a number of other attractions including a game of Pirate Adventure Golf, a knee-knocking wander through Valley of the Dinosaurs amongst more than 30 life-size animatronic beasts, a 30 ft tall model of King Kong, and a Mystic Fairy Garden.
You can also access a range of museums, including the Handmade Paper Mill, where you can have a go at making paper the Victorian way, as well as the Vintage Penny Arcade, where you can try your luck on the biggest collection of original machines in the country!
View the full list of attractions here.
To remind our customers how much we appreciate them, we created the Butcombe Loyalty Club.
Turn points into pounds, enjoy 25% off food every Butcombe Wednesday, and receive extra rewards throughout the year.
To sign up, check your balance and more, head to our Loyalty Members area.
