Ian Waller and his family try out a new virtual treasure hunt around the historic streets of Bath
We were desperately in need of a new family activity that would take us away from our well trodden walks and trails that had become so familiar since the lockdown locked us down. So when we heard about Treasure Hunt Bath, it sounded like a perfect opportunity to get out and about, have some fun and maybe even learn something new along the way.
The idea is simple – sign up through the Treasure Hunt Bath website, pick the day you want to take part and then make sure that you have plenty of battery on your smartphone. Then off your go, following a trail around central Bath, answering the clues that are sent to you. With each correct answer comes a new direction and a new puzzle to solve.
The two mile trail starts bang in front of Bath Abbey and sets you off past many of the city’s main tourist attractions, making it ideal for tourists as well as local residents. The whole thing took us about two hours, including stop offs along the way for ice creams and drinks, although you can take as long as you want.
With the hunt having a pirate theme, we chose our team name accordingly – The Cutthroat Crew – waited for the first clue to come through from Captain Bess and were off. Our salty sea dogs included mum and dad and two young ‘uns aged nine and 12 years, who took it in turns to read out the directions and the clues. The clues are perfectly written for school age pirates to understand and solve – it’s far more about having an exploring eye than an academic knowledge of Bath.
As each clue was solved, we sent the answers back and waited to hear whether we’d got it right. A couple of times we were told to try again, with hints available from Captain Bess if required. Once you get the right answer, Captain Bess will also send over a little light reading in the form of a ‘did you know’ style useful fact about your latest discovery.
The good thing about this quest is that even as Bath residents, we were learning new facts and discovering parts of the city that we’d never seen before. No, we can’t really pass on what we learned without giving away the answers – you’ll have work them out for yourselves… What we can say is that we never seem to stop learning more and more about this amazing city!
How many golden doubloons is the pirate party going to cost, you may ask… It’s £11.99 per adult, with under 12s taking part for free.
The result is a great way for a family to spend a couple of hours exploring the city together and learning a few things along the way.
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