Fancy going on an underground trail to find elephants, crocodiles and deer? Young visitors to the Margate Caves can embark on an entertaining quest this summer and learn about conservation and the environment as they explore.
The trail is part of range of activities the Margate Caves is running throughout the summer holidays, including creative arts and crafts for little learners in the Margate Caves Community Rooms.
The range of arts and crafts available will include constructing ‘seed bombs’, rock-painting, making prints with items of nature and rustling up bird feeders. The crafts will run from 11am to 4pm on Mondays and Thursdays from August 2 -26 and will cost £1 per child, payable at the door, or available to book online. The quest is free for those who already have a ticket to access the Caves.
“We are really looking forward to celebrating the natural world with our visitors this summer,” said centre manager Kayleigh McMahon. “Youngsters will be able to discover the extraordinary secrets hidden within the Caves, as well as have fun learning about how we look after the world around us and about the importance of what humans leave behind.”
Concealed beneath an ordinary road in Cliftonville and accessed via a twisty 15m tunnel, the Margate Caves open up to reveal a magical subterranean cavern, filled with colourful cave paintings and murals dating back to Georgian times. Enthusiastic volunteers are on hand to highlight the fascinating stories and geological quirks of this enchanting site, which over the years has been used as a gentleman’s den, air raid shelter and Victorian tourist attraction.
Above the ground there is a café and sunny garden with a range of sweet and savoury treats available, a goody-packed gift shop and an exhibition displaying the extraordinary history of the Caves, showing how it is entwined with Margate’s rich social and cultural past and weaving stories of drunken gentlemen, ancient Kings, shameless smugglers and enterprising vicars.
Prior booking is encouraged. For more information and to book your visit go to https://www.margatecaves.co.uk