Who’s the celebrity fan you ask? We couldn’t possibly… okay it’s Jeremy Vine. The presenter rocked up unexpectedly just a few weeks after Excape opened six years ago. He loved it so much, he told his listeners about it and, to this day, they still have bookings from people saying they heard about Excape on Radio 2.

So what’s the appeal? It has a dream team as owners for starters: Helen is a qualified psychologist and Dan’s a handyman/decorator. They’ve completed 100 escape room games all around the UK and abroad, so know their stuff. The puzzles are devilishly good, and the room sets are immersive and well-built. There’s even an underground bank vault with a working lift which Dan built himself.

There are three games each with a different theme to play, (basically you have 6o minutes to find clues in order to – yep, you’ve guessed it – escape from a locked room). The Game’s Afoot gives you a Sherlock Holmes’ case to crack in his 221B Baker Street living room. This one’s great one for beginners, and you get to a wear deerstalker! The Vault is their award-winning game (from Escape the Review – the review body for escape room devotees globally). It’s a bank heist where you have to break in to the bank and steal as much as you can, including a fabulous diamond and a lot of gold. It’s so immersive it’s been described as the ‘quickest hour of your life’. In E+MC Scared, you play schoolchildren who’ve been captured by a mad scientist and you have to escape from the science lab. This one really appeals to families, as it’s a mix of physical, tactile, mental and sensory puzzles. So something for everyone.

For those who need more than just food for the brain, there’s a new immersive dining night rolling out in local eateries (Exmouth’s Land & Sea/13 Feb 2025) and they can also host corporate events for up to 100 people. In summer, you can enjoy Excape al fresco thanks to an outdoor game you can do on your phone around Exmouth.

So, boring and rainy days sorted! Book in for one hour of brain-boosting fun and get hours of enjoyable post-game analysis for free, and all for just £22p per adult, £14 per child and a blue light discount.