Warwickshire &amp; West Midlands

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown">THE LOWDOWN</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1954.jpg" alt="Escape Live" class="wp-image-54221" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1954.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1954-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1954-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1954-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Head to the heart of Brum&#8217;s Jewellery Quarter and you&#8217;ll find <a href="https://www.escapelive.co.uk">Escape Live</a> &#8211; one of several branches on our patch including ones in FarGo Village in Cov and Stratford-upon-Avon. There&#8217;s rooms with themes like horror, Sherlock Holmes, a contagious lab outbreak (like that would ever happen!) and there&#8217;s the official Peaky Blinders escape room in the city where the hit series was filmed. Unfortunately Tommy Shelby wasn&#8217;t there when I visited, but I&#8217;m sure he&#8217;ll put an appearance in next time. Here&#8217;s hoping.



Rooms are for between 2 and 6 players, and me and my 5-strong gang (my bestie, our mums and my sister) tackled Peaky Blinders room The Raid, and new outdoor experience Sherlock: The Hunt For Watson. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE EXPERIENCE</h2>



Head up the original oak staircase in the Victorian red-brick building and you&#8217;re transported back in time to the 20s in this gorgeous, historic building. Fitting then that there&#8217;s a roomy Speakeasy bar where groups meet before and after games. We lounged in the squishy leather Chesterfield chairs enjoying a cold glass of fizz while waiting for our &#8216;games master&#8217; to come and tell us the ins and out of our first room &#8211; Peaky Blinders-themed, <a href="https://www.escapelive.co.uk/escape-room/peaky-blinders/?type=onsite&amp;loc=birmingham">The Raid</a>. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1952.jpg" alt="Peaky Blinders Escape Live" class="wp-image-54219" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1952.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1952-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1952-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1952-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



It turns out this 60-minute room isn&#8217;t about escaping &#8211; though the door is locked so you can&#8217;t (unless you need the loo or a shot of Tequila Rose). It&#8217;s about becoming a member of the Peakys&#8217; and helping find and destroy evidence in their betting shop before Major Campbell raids the office. The room was really well put together, and we only needed a couple of hints from our games master, who asked before we started whether we wanted the PG version or the potty mouth experience &#8211; obviously you know which we went for (we were Peaky Blinders now!), and it was hilarious. There were hidden clues and puzzles dotted all around and serious comedy value from the games master. We completed it with 11-minutes to spare, which after our last escape room disaster (which involved trying to attach a screwdriver onto a Dalek&#8217;s hand &#8211; don&#8217;t ask!) we were pretty proud of. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1949.jpg" alt="Speakeasy bar Birmingham Escape Live" class="wp-image-54218" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1949.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1949-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1949-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1949-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



There was a short break before our next adventure so we kicked back in the bar with a glass of something cold and the super-friendly staff helped us find somewhere to order food from. If you book in advance there are cold catering options available &#8211; small buffets with wraps and finger food, and breakfast pastry and roll options if you&#8217;re an early bird. Pizza demolished, onto the next task&#8230;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1953.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54220" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1953.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1953-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1953-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/07/Untitled-design-1953-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



In the spirit of summer we took on the new outdoor escape room, <a href="https://www.escapelive.co.uk/escape-room/the-hunt-for-watson/?type=outdoor&amp;loc=birmingham">Sherlock: The Hunt for Watson</a>, which sees the detective look for a new assistant. The challenge saw us trek across the city with Sherlock&#8217;s satchel and an iPad in hand (yes, we got some strange looks &#8211; but it made for some great selfies!) You stop at various locations after following a map on the tablet, and at each place answer a riddle or solve a puzzle. Some of them are pretty tricky but the games master was on hand at all times with a quick message. If you&#8217;re looking for a way to see the city then this is a great, fun way to do it. We walked pretty much around the whole centre taking in all the hotspots like Colmore Row, Brindley Place and venues like the Utilita Arena, Symphony Hall and The Rep &#8211; and spotted some great bars we&#8217;re already planning to go and try (of course I&#8217;ll let you know if they&#8217;re any good). If you&#8217;re not too active though you might want to jump on one of the city&#8217;s bikes or electric scooters to get between locations &#8211; we were pretty tired by the end of it! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">OUT AND ABOUT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840.jpg" alt="Symphony Hall Birmingham" class="wp-image-53907" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1840-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



You’re in the centre of Brum and spoilt for choice. If you fancy drinks then there’s&nbsp;<a href="https://thealchemist.uk.com/venues/birmingham-colmore-row/">The Alchemist</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://the-lostandfound.co.uk/restaurant/birmingham">The Lost &amp; Found</a>&nbsp;or head to Digbeth for award-winning cocktails at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.passingfanciesbar.co.uk/">Passing Fancies</a>, where the menu changes weekly with what fruits are on offer at Brum market. For food there&#8217;s <a href="https://warks.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/review-orelle-birmingham/">Orelle</a>, <a href="https://www.cafesoya.co.uk">Cafe Soya</a> for top Chinese food and veggie options, <a href="https://www.boneheaduk.com">Bonehead</a> for burgers or nearby <a href="http://hockleysocialclub.com">Hockley Social Club</a> is just five minutes from the venue and has a host of different street foods on offer. <a href="https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/">The Hippodrome</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/">Alexandra</a>&nbsp;theatre have great performances on if you’re heading to see a show later on or there’s plenty of classical musicians on at&nbsp;<a href="https://bmusic.co.uk/whats-on">The Symphony Hall</a>. For indie cinema check out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.electricbirmingham.com/">The Electric</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841.jpg" alt="Ikon gallery Birmingham" class="wp-image-53908" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/06/Untitled-design-1841-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



For arty types visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ikon-gallery.org/">Ikon</a>, a contemporary gallery inside a former Victorian school. Or for shopping stroll up Gas Street along the towpath to the&nbsp;<a href="https://mailboxlife.com/">Mailbox</a>&nbsp;which has a bit more of an air of Peaky Blinders about it. For all the high street you need check out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bullring.co.uk/">The Bullring and Grand Central</a>, including a huge Selfridges.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



Good for: Friends, families, couples, work events &#8211; it&#8217;s a great interactive way to work together as a team, have a laugh and plenty to talk about when (and if!) you get out. 



Not for: I&#8217;m struggling to find anyone who wouldn&#8217;t enjoy this! It&#8217;s great for all ages. If you&#8217;re not in to long walks or you&#8217;d rather be inside than out maybe choose one of the other rooms than the Sherlock Holmes outdoor escape. 



The damage: Rooms start at around £50 for two players, going up to £115 for 6 &#8211; not bad if you split the cost.



<a href="https://www.escapelive.co.uk">Escape Live</a>, 18-24 Constitution Hill, Birmingham, B19 3LY, 0121 572 3131

Review: Escape Live, Birmingham

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