Hellfire Cave and other Half Term Shenanigans

We had lots of friends over during the half term and lots of sleepovers. Here we have best friends tying leaves together to let them go down the river together. Ah, How sweet! BFFs Forever!  

One of the days during half term, I took all the girls to High Wycombe to the Hellfire Caves. They were having a "CarnEvil" that day too for Halloween with little booths set up for face and pottery painting. 

All through the caves there were spooky scenes for Halloween.

Sammy and Abby's friend were freaked out by a few of the Halloween scenes. I love the fear and horror on their faces. The caves were actually kind of scary because in parts it was quite dark. I was trying to carry the baby and had Sammy and Alex clinging on to me for dear life in certain parts, as well as a bag hanging from me. It wasn't exactly easy to navigate. Then Sadie got brave and started walking off into the dark. That was fun too. They have a special night Halloween tour that I definitely don't think the girls could have handled. The caves are made up of long, narrow passages that go about a mile and a half into the ground. There is a large room called the Banqueting room and other smaller rooms with chambers of statues of the various Hellfire club members from the past. The final destination is the inner Temple which you reach by crossing the River Styx. The cave dates back to the 1740s when they used to mine for chalk. The Knights of St Francis of Wycombe or the Hell-Fire Club as it was later called was a natural progression from earlier clubs founded by Sir Francis Dashwood in the mid 18th century. Sir Francis formally re-opened the Caves in 1951 at a charge of one shilling and with candles provided free. A wave of publicity ensued and visitors started to roll in, especially when the local vicar, Father Allen, told the Daily Mirror that 'my tummy wobbles like a jelly every time I pass the entrance.' He followed this with a sermon denouncing the evil influence which emanated from the Caves. The main purpose of the Club was "a set of worthy, jolly fellows, happy disciples of Venus and Bacchus, got occasionally together to celebrate woman in wine and to give more zest to the festive meeting, they plucked every luxurious idea from the ancients and enriched their own modern pleasures with the tradition of classic luxury." You can read all about the fascinating history of the caves and the hellfire club here. Apparently, Benjamin Franklin was one of the most famous visitors to the club.  

After exploring the caves, we went on top of the caves to a huge mound where the church of St. Lawrence and the mausoleum are. The girls had a great time rolling down the hill and looking out at the gorgeous autumn leaves.

Sadie even got in on the haunting!

Here are some of the girls siting on the wall of the mausoleum

Anyway, all in all it was a perfect day out for the week of Halloween....