My daughter and I had very much been looking forward to visiting the museum and getting into the Christmas spirit. The advertising promised that we could; ‘see the Museum prepare for Christmas across the ages. …lots to see, do and hear over the weekend’ We were expecting to see the museum houses buzzing with activity; log fires burning; the twinkle of candle light (real or not, we would not have minded); beautiful swags of foliage with rich red berries foraged from the woods adorning the mantels and doorways. Perhaps the strong scents of cinnamon and mulled wine drifting through the air, along with the sweet sound of carol singers. Women in the homesteads preparing seasonal delicacies; a Christmas tree adorned with twinkling lights and an old gentleman dressed in breeches and a battered top hat reading from the pages of a Dickens novel by the warm light of a candle in the tin tabernacle. The ugly hoarding around the central building perhaps dressed with a huge bow to resemble a gift and all around the spirit of Christmas past. But no, what did we get? Well in my opinion not a lot! The only saving grace for us was poor old ‘Martin the minstrel’ who did his very best to bring a little festive cheer to what was otherwise a dull, unlit, un-festive event. No music, no lights, no warmth, no sights or smells, no festive cheer. Just a fee to come in and then the expectation to spend more money on over-priced tea and coffee; a remarkably 21st century lady with no samples left of her bread sauce concoction - alas we are gluten intolerant anyway; a bunch of children squinting in the half light trying to make a paper angel and a mile long queue for overpriced food and largely overpriced and in some cases poor quality gifts. The bus service and the parking arrangements however were exemplary and the staff were very welcoming. There are many towns in the surrounding area who will have festive markets. The Christmas lights will twinkle, the smell of chestnuts pervade the air. A choir will sing and I will be able to buy quality gifts from local people without spending £14 for the pleasure of walking around a dingy, muddy site which although rather lovely, I have visited many times before.

A pretty boring experience. There was nothing ‘live’ going on except for one building had a fire going and the smoke made it impossible to spend more than 2 seconds in there. Many paths were not suitable for pushchairs and you couldn’t access a lot of the buildings because they had steps. Basically spent a couple of hours walking aimlessly around a load of empty buildings

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit in the freezing weather! Though sadly most of the fireplaces in the buildings were unlit. The blacksmith did get his coals glowing though… The guides we met, were all engaging and interested to help and inform. In fact, we were so impressed, we upgraded our membership from Daily Senior £30 to Granparent Senior by paying the extra £62 (doable on the day) We now have free access for the year and can take up to 3 grandchildren. Environmentally, I was disappointed to see disposable plastic water cups, and worse the brown and red sauces came in large disposable solid plastic egg shaped monstrosities! Refillable canisters on the tables may take a little extra effort, but at least the plastics won’t make their way to the oceans of the world. And weirdly the water fountain dispensed tepid water!!?

Interning hour or so walking around the buildings and chatting to the blacksmiths and other volunteers. Sure in the warmer weather you could spend alot longer. Shame you can't go into the Repair Shop but nice to see the building. It's lovely to see history being brought to life. We ate in the cafe the food was very good. It's quite expensive £27 for 2 Oaps but understand it costs lots to upkeep

WOW What an amazing experience Venturing around the 40 Acre site of the recreated & re built houses through the Ages.. There was no stupid Lego Dinosaurs/Ice cream kiosks on every corner it was a proper old fashioned experience that I hope stays like this over the coming years cos I believe having the restaurant at the beginning you can stock up on refreshments & take eat/drink on way around the exhibits or do what I did & had an amazingly cooked breakfast before starting out.. Thank you again I felt like I was on a School trip from my childhood some 30 years ago..

Lovely museum, great place, just let down by the terrible cafe menu. The cafe itself is a lovely big modern space but the menu is like something out of the 70s, jacket potatoes and toasted sandwiches, couldn’t be more basic. The only vegan option actually specified on the menu was ‘plain jacket potato’, how insulting that a vegan (or anyone!) would be happy being served a jacket potato with nothing on it?! It’s frustrating when a menu says, ‘vegan options available’ without saying what they are, it means you have to be made to feel like you’re being awkward, asking what there is. They said they could do me vegan sausages with chips, so that’s what I had (basically a child’s meal with no seasoning, garnish salad or anything). When I asked if I could pay extra to have sweet potato fries instead (they were on the menu elsewhere), they said no, “it comes with chips and that can’t be changed as an option on the til”, so I wasn’t even allowed to make such a basic swap! If I was reviewing just the cafe menu and customer service alone, it certainly wouldn’t have even made the “average” I’ve given it. No excuse for a menu that old fashioned these days.

I visited end of March 23, which certainly wasn’t a good time . However, the paths at any time of the year are very uneven especially for the elderly..areas near the houses were very muddy and certainly not accessible for the elderly. Steps into the various houses do not have handrails. I found the site quite untidy & would advise visitors to wear sturdy, boots or shoes..There is a distinct lack of signage although maps are available. I was told by a volunteer the public are rarely given the opportunity to visit The Repair Shop and the restorers are only there when the programme is being filmed & much of the restoration is done off site.. However, I accept if I visited during spring/summer I may have had a totally different perspective. On the plus side History through the ages was clearly described & interesting..

You need to book this online and get a booking slot, or otherwise you might be disappointed. (Admission is £17:50 for adults) Parking is free There are around 50 buildings to look around in total. You will need a good few hours to look around

Easter Saturday 2023 We visited Easter Saturday ( 2 adults and mother in law 83 years) We all love The Repair Shop so wanted to see where they film this programme. So we parked at the bottom of the hill in the general car park, first thing we noticed were no toilets, closet we at least a good 7mins walk up hill. Don't arrive before opening time as you cant enter until 1030am as per website, even though its a good 10mins walk to the first attraction. The paths are bumpy and uneven, we saw a few pushchairs, wheel chairs and mobility scooters there but i would really think twice on visiting if above needed. Once in, the place is lovely, we spent 4 hours walking around seeing everything following the map, the volunteers are very knowledgeable. Cafe was busy as Easter but comfy and clean, not too badly priced either. The Repair Shop barn was closed off and no filming obvs being Easter, its a shame the sign on the barn door was cover up as couldn't get a great photo ( there is a sign in the shop where you can have photos but not the same really) would have been nice to stand outside the barn where they film as i feel this is why a lot of people visit. All in all a lovely few hours spent here, worth the visit. Best to read the website for all the info regarding my above review as i know the TP reply will counter the above and say its all on website and they do advise about access, The Repair Shop,Seasonal carpark etc.

Lovely welcome by the lady on the ticket desk. Free map and clear indication of an accessible route. This route isn't really that accessible, my hubby has a mobility scooter and some of the rocks on the pathways were quite large, I thought he'd topple out as the pathways were really uneven, he used the grass to get about as did other mobility scooter users. Some of the houses were accessible but most not. But we got discounted entry, otherwise it'd be a waste of money. The people who own this museum need to look at ramps into buildings and creating easier to use pathways. The man who was "security" at The Repair Shop barn was quite dismissive when people asked him about the filming. We saw Dominic Chinea who is one of the experts. The Repair Shop barn is all cordoned off as they film the series there. It would have been nice if the security guard right outside the barn didn't stand right in front of the sign, yes their is a replica in the gift shop but it'd be nice to get s photo of the actual sign. We had lunch in the cafe, it was reasonably priced and the staff were friendly. We don't live locally and are on holiday in the area, hence our visit. I'm not sure I'd go again. Oh and the website needs to be clearer about the disabled access please. Thanks for a lovely day