We had caught the escape room bug last week and after completing Cluedini's Hex and Anubis room we were looking for out next challenge and along came Lily of Lumley in Durham. Set inside the 600 year old Lumley Castle, this ghost themed escape room set a very eerie and creepy tone upon our arrival. This also may have been because of the time we had booked but the late booking certainly added an air of mystery to our time. We arrived super early and whilst looking for the nearest toilet we had to pass by the escape room which had literally just opened its doors to release its previous guests. We therefore accidentally bumped into our host and gave her a fright thinking she had got the timings wrong. Helena, our host, was amazing. She showed so much passion and enthusiasm for not only the castle and escape rooms but in everything we talked about. She told us to go chill and relax with a drink in one of the bars (Which we did and the gin was scrumptious) and return in a bit.
Our time arrived and yet again we managed to make Helena jump when we arrived but she was still as bubbly as ever. She led us straight into the room and did the usual health and safety talk and then explained the story of Lumley Castle as well as explaining who Lily was. No, i'm not going to explain who she is as trust me when I say its best to go in blind to really immerse yourself in the story of the room. It will add just a little bit extra to your experience not knowing. We then got locked in and our game begun.
The room is linear and each puzzle will help you further the story and as it develops the room becomes bigger and there are more things to explore. I'm going to try to be as spoiler free as humanly possible but be warned the following could contain spoilers, you have been warned. The puzzles in the first room were the warm up. They were simple yet tricky. It made us work for what we needed to do. There wasn't any red herrings thankfully. As the room opened up and the lights went out the more engrossed into the room I become. The story of the room made sense and each puzzle felt connected to the castle and the history. The last room that opens is eerily beautiful with some really unique puzzles and it just felt like the perfect way to finish.
If you are ever in Durham (or passing near it) than I cannot recommend Lily of Lumley enough. The staff throughout the castle are just so lovely and Helena, our games master, was amazing. The room was beautiful and had a great mix of puzzles. This room has gone straight into my top 5 as I just loved it.
More information about all the rooms Escape Rooms Durham do can be found on their website along with prices and tickets.
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