As a family we spend a lot of time in Reigate and the surrounding area as it just has so much to offer.
A stunning park, a mass of fabulous shops and eating establishments, beautiful walks with breathtaking views and as I’m finding out it is also steeped in history.
For a long time I have wanted to visit the caves that are housed in Tunnel Road in the centre of town.
They are only open to the public five times a year and I always miss out. Luckily I was looking for the opening dates and got lucky as this weekend it was being opened by Wealden Cave And Mine Society.
We arrived and were greeted by our extremely friendly tour guide. I was a little worried as the tour was just under an hour and as we only had the two little ones I was not sure if they would last that long!
To my surprise they were very well behaved and were quite taken back by the sight once we were inside.
The talk was very informative and it was fascinating to find that the caves were in fact old sand quarries that were mined over several centuries and were also used as air raid shelters during World War II.
At points it was like a massive underground sandpit that the boys enjoyed playing with whist we listened to the wonderful stories that were being told.
It was a great trip for all ages but I do think that older children would get more out of the experience. It would be a perfect trip for children that are studying World War II. I also think it would make a fab Santas Grotto!!
Our next visit will be to the caves the Baron’s Cave in the castle grounds where we will take the others as they were a bit put out that we had been exploring without then today!