This weekend we spent a fun afternoon trying out our local Treasure Trail. Treasure Trails are self-guided adventure trails, and are located all across the UK. They take you on a fun adventure, using local landmarks, signs, statues, monuments and all sorts of other eye-catching features to solve clues.
It is currently recommended to only complete a Treasure Trail which is local to you, so we chose the trail in our nearest small town - Littlehampton. You need to make sure that you respect the current social distancing rules, and follow the latest guidelines if you are meeting up with people from a different household.
We go to Littlehampton quite often to walk along the promenade, and so we thought that we were fairly familiar with the town. However once we had left the seafront we were taken to some other really pretty areas of the town that we had never visited before, including some lovely gardens, and we saw lots of historical features that we had no idea existed!
The Littlehampton Trail is a Spy Themed Treasure Trail. We had an answer grid to enter the solution to each clue, and then cross off a letter or two from a grid with each one. When we had completed the trail, the remaining letters and numbers were the secret code left behind by a secret agent. Our trail had 21 clues, which were found along a circular route starting from a cafe on the seafront.
When you purchase the trail you can choose to receive a link to download a copy, or you can have a printed copy posted to you. The Treasure Trail booklet contains an introduction to the challenge, along with full instructions and the list of clues that you need to solve.
The clues vary in style and complexity. Sometimes it's a case of writing down a word from a sign, other times you need to count objects and work out some sums. There was some Morse code to interpret and photographs of things that we needed to find. It was definitely a family effort, the children were brilliant at spotting things that we missed. And it was fun to visit an area that we thought we knew well and find things that we'd never noticed before, like pictures on the floor made out of the bricks! It's a really fun way to find out more about the history of an area.
The clues are interspersed with little snippets and facts about the area that you are exploring, and the directions that you need to take you to the next clue. The directions are quite clear as to where you need to go next. Many of the clues were quite easy, but some were more challenging and a couple did make us stop and think.
If you are really stuck with a clue you can text a special number and have the answer texted back to you, although this can only be used three times. Once we had answered all the clues we entered the solution code onto the website. Luckily we answered everything correctly and solved the case! Then you can download a certificate, and all correct answers are entered into a monthly prize draw to win £100.
If you are looking for a fun family activity then I'd really recommend having a go at a Treasure Trail. It would be fun to try one if you are visiting somewhere new, but they are equally good in a place that you know well in order to learn a bit more about the history of your local area. They'd make a great gift too!
such a great idea.
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