My friend and I were very much looking forward to touring Dunmore Caves. We walked in and paid (FYI â no cards accepted, bring cash) and were told that a tour had just begun and to catch up with that group. We hurried after them as to not miss a lot of information. The group were mostly teenagers from another country (Spain perhaps?) and 2 or 3 of their adult chaperones. The students were probably all between the ages of 12-16. The first thing we heard when we descended the stairs was the guide, Elizabeth, yelling âHush, hush, hushâ several times. From there it continued in a horrible way. This guide Iâm sure had a lot of great information to share but alas, I was so taken aback by the way she acted with these students I was hardly able to concentrate. Any word out of the mouths of these students was met with threats of kicking them out, âHush itâ comments, and rude comments. I mean, letâs face it⊠these were school students, likely on a class trip. They were mostly listening, though a few side conversations are bound to happen. Elizabeth appeared to be living by the motto âChildren should be seen, not heardâ and treated the kids in exactly that manner. My friend, myself, and one other couple that arrived after us were all appalled by the way she continued to badger and berate the students who we felt were not disruptive in the least. Several times she told them that she would be sending them back to the entrance if they couldnât stay completely quiet. At one point she asked a question âDo any of you want to guess how long it takes for these formations to grow together?â and several students tried to take guesses, which she RUDELY interrupted saying âI wasnât asking you to actually answer, stop talking.â There was one student who asked a question, which she answered, but immediately after told him that he should not ask any questions until the tour is over. A little while later this student asked another question and she said âThe tour isnât over yet and I told you I donât want to hear any questions until the end.â I am by no means a teacher or tour guide, but I would think I would feel lucky if students would pay enough attention to actually want to ask questions. She did end up kicking three students and their chaperone out of the tour because she said that they werenât listening anyway and didnât care to hear the information. This was simply not true, the students were not especially disruptive or loud, they talked to each other every great once in a while, which apparently she took great offense to. At the end of the tour another guide (Jane?) rushed in to get everyone out saying âThe tour is over, you need to leave NOW.â My friend, who had already gone back to the entrance overheard her saying that she needed to go help the tour guide (Elizabeth) because âshe was called to assist the other guide as there were kids completely out of controlâ. My friend and I were discussing this and another male person who obviously worked there said something along the lines of âOh, did you get to see the wrath of Jane?â. I told him that we were more appalled by Elizabethâs behavior explaining what had happened and he said that she taught secondary school kids for 30+ years. I told him that I didnât care, that her behavior was inappropriate and unacceptable. He told me that when you tell kids to be quiet, they need to learn to shut up.
Donât get me wrong, the caves are a beautiful place with a great story. That said, these staff members, especially the tour guide Elizabeth left THE WORST taste in our mouths. She obviously was so impatient, uncaring, and very much appeared to have lost all desire to be around teenagers, that I would never have believed that she has ever even been around children if the male guide hadnât told me. Maybe it was just a bad day but the way she talked to the students was completely uncalled for.
Giving this 3 stars because of the caves themselves. The tour guides...
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