Treasure Hunts

[TeeDee]

Who here enjoys or has taken part in Treasure Hunts?

I'm asking if anyone can provide examples of Hunt clues or puzzles that were found to be enjoyable.

Looking for ideas and inspiration for some Treasure Hunt type design

Or possibly Geocache related.

Technology has moved on with everyone able of utilising NFC and pinpoint geosat location.


So ideas please? Stories?

 

[chimpy leon]

I did a treasure hunt for my daughters 11th birthday during lockdown last year.

It was basically a zero tech geo cache - Instead of coordinates I used a simple map - a hand drawn sketch of the where the cache was and An “X” marks the spot.
It don’t know the proper name for it but it was a multi-cache thing where you place the next map in current cache.

She was shocked when the maps lead her out the garden; and across the fields, in the river, under bridge, inside rotten trees, even in the middle of a swamp on a fallen tree!

We had a great time and I found It surprising fun to do.
Certainly more fun than hosting girls party.

 

[TeeDee]

I did a treasure hunt for my daughters 11th birthday during lockdown last year.

It was basically a zero tech geo cache - Instead of coordinates I used a simple map - a hand drawn sketch of the where the cache was and An “X” marks the spot.
It don’t know the proper name for it but it was a multi-cache thing where you place the next map in current cache.

She was shocked when the maps lead her out the garden; and across the fields, in the river, under bridge, inside rotten trees, even in the middle of a swamp on a fallen tree!

We had a great time and I found It surprising fun to do.
Certainly more fun than hosting girls party.

That sounds an amazing and awesome gift to engage a young mind!! That would have made one hell of a remarkable memorable memory for her.

Would be great ( which is my thinking ) to develop something similar for slightly older bodies with minds wanting to be young and entertained again.


Nice one chimpy.

 

[TeeDee]

Anymore?

I'm pretty sure there must be some serious puzzle lovers here.

 

[Machiavelli]

When I worked in an office a colleague used to design amazing puzzles.

Every Christmas Eve we would get to the office and there would be a gold envelope with a clue on the notice board. We would then have to solve a series of puzzles and challenges, including solving riddles to locate keys to open a pirates treasure chest. Once we had solved all the riddles (often having to collect mystery items from across 14 different office floors), we opened the box to reveal whisky miniature and chocolates. It used to take all morning to solve!

The best thing about it was she always took the day off. She just did it to keep us entertained on Christmas Eve!

Strangely I’m meeting her next Friday for a catch-up, so will see if she has anything she’s willing to share / signpost to.

 

[TeeDee]

The best thing about it was she always took the day off. She just did it to keep us entertained on Christmas Eve!

Strangely I’m meeting her next Friday for a catch-up, so will see if she has anything she’s willing to share / signpost to.

What a legend!!

 

[Robbi]

Would it be a timed event.?
Or scored on a points basis ?
Would you incorporate map reading / navigation skills.?
Would items need to be collected on the route.?
What age range are you looking at ?

I assume it would be on public roads.?

Ever seen a Tulip diagram for navigation.?

These things can take a huge amount of preparation.

 

[TeeDee]

Would it be a timed event.?
Or scored on a points basis ?
Would you incorporate map reading / navigation skills.?
Would items need to be collected on the route.?
What age range are you looking at ?

I assume it would be on public roads.?

Ever seen a Tulip diagram for navigation.?

These things can take a huge amount of preparation.

Tulip diagram??? Nope not familiar- soz!! Please explain.


I really want to create a larger scale - in terms of geography and time - treasure hunt to take people to all the little places that I think are somewhat 'special' in the Westcountry ( Which as we all know is the best bit ) - get people out and about and enjoying the area more.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

Wife and I did some geocacheing before, quite enjoyed it, although we did look like weirdos loitering for quiet periods then rummaging around an old bridge on a relatively populated woodland walk...

Slight deviation would be escape rooms. I think we've only done one but really enjoyed it/the different thinking around various tasks.

I met some people that were doing something called "Treasure Trove" if memory is correct... basically it takes you all around cities and you have to find clues on various plaques.

If your idea is to do your own sort of tour, I guess there are multiple ways it could be done.. .

App based to give you the clues/map (like geocacheing) and either a physical find (like geo caches) or some sort of "you've arrived" notification on a phone...

If you wanted to avoid tech then I'd guess you'd still need to have some sort of website for basic exposure and basic "rules" or guidance.. maybe combining it with OS maps and giving off various clues... perhaps this could work in conjunction with an app/website, whereby someone has to input maybe a lat and long to get the next clue/destination, or if the location has some sort of specific history to it or specific name... Or just have the whole load of locations and people can go in whatever order they want, return the "answers" to any question and receive a thumbs up emoji haha.. (or a t shirt) or whatever you want...

I seem to recall as a youngster doing so.ething where there was these spiked stamps? You reach a destination and clip your card and each clip has a different pattern (so as to not cheat), I think that was navigation based but can't for the life of me recall it..

 

[TeeDee]

Wife and I did some geocacheing before, quite enjoyed it, although we did look like weirdos loitering for quiet periods then rummaging around an old bridge on a relatively populated woodland walk...

Slight deviation would be escape rooms. I think we've only done one but really enjoyed it/the different thinking around various tasks.

I met some people that were doing something called "Treasure Trove" if memory is correct... basically it takes you all around cities and you have to find clues on various plaques.

If your idea is to do your own sort of tour, I guess there are multiple ways it could be done.. .

App based to give you the clues/map (like geocacheing) and either a physical find (like geo caches) or some sort of "you've arrived" notification on a phone...

If you wanted to avoid tech then I'd guess you'd still need to have some sort of website for basic exposure and basic "rules" or guidance.. maybe combining it with OS maps and giving off various clues... perhaps this could work in conjunction with an app/website, whereby someone has to input maybe a lat and long to get the next clue/destination, or if the location has some sort of specific history to it or specific name... Or just have the whole load of locations and people can go in whatever order they want, return the "answers" to any question and receive a thumbs up emoji haha.. (or a t shirt) or whatever you want...

I seem to recall as a youngster doing so.ething where there was these spiked stamps? You reach a destination and clip your card and each clip has a different pattern (so as to not cheat), I think that was navigation based but can't for the life of me recall it..

I didn't mean so much mean the technology aspect or the how to run it - I guess I was canvasing for what ever direct examples of what ever little tricky / interesting hunt clues and answers , whatever little quirky examples that could be remembered that could be shared and I'd think - that was clever , I like that.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

I didn't mean so much mean the technology aspect or the how to run it - I guess I was canvasing for what ever direct examples of what ever little tricky / interesting hunt clues and answers , whatever little quirky examples that could be remembered that could be shared and I'd think - that was clever , I like that.

Ahhhh I get you now...

No idea then

 

[TeeDee]

Watching Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure
On Netflix- which in itself is an interesting watch.


So bump for this thread.

 

[Falstaff]

Local bike clubs have run a couple quite successfully. 10 or 12 clues, but you only get each letter to a magic word when you solve and arrive at the clues location. Centralised phone-in for more help if lost etc. and, up to a given cut-off time, someone waits at each clue pick-up point to provide a letter to a winning word. Timed staged starts, penalites for ringing in for help or missing a clue and going on to the next (they do not have to be done in order). Google and phones allowed to help ID the location or answer to the clue.
Winner is the team who does it all in the shortest time and has the right Magic Word.

Apparently the Orienteering club run easier events for older folk for the same mental/fun/social reasons., Courses are on paths for wheelchairs and poor walkers, and done at a walking pace.

 

[Falstaff]

Ideas: How about maybe a partial incomplete map reference and a clue to the named feature at that point. Winners have to correctly complete the map reference, or give an accurate bearing from there onto something not on the map - say a prominent tree, and pick up the next clue/location (or ring in get it, quoting the letter or sign written in chalk at the location). Apparently the LD races use chalk markers, then wash them off afterwards.

 

[Falstaff]

Thinking about it, I seem to recall we had to do something like that in the Peak District with our school Gym teacher, as part of our Duke of Edinburgh course (Hmm, over 50 years ago that, been infected with the camping, bushcraft, bivvying bug ever since, no cure it seems.)

 

[TeeDee]

Ideas: How about maybe a partial incomplete map reference and a clue to the named feature at that point. Winners have to correctly complete the map reference, or give an accurate bearing from there onto something not on the map - say a prominent tree, and pick up the next clue/location (or ring in get it, quoting the letter or sign written in chalk at the location). Apparently the LD races use chalk markers, then wash them off afterwards.

I do like the idea of a legacy treasure hunt to be honest , something that can be ongoing and followed for many years , using features that will most likely be around for many decades.

 

[Falstaff]

I do like the idea of a legacy treasure hunt to be honest , something that can be ongoing and followed for many years , using features that will most likely be around for many decades.

The folk who enjoyed it the first year keep coming back but then already know the answers. Nothing wrong with that if they don't mind repeating, or turn it into a race, because that discourages newcomers who don't know the answers. For kids of course, that maybe doesn't apply.

 

[Pattree]

Probably too techy but easy to set up:

One local scout group used W3W treasure hunts as a way of training members how to use it. Each location has the next reference as usual.

I suppose that you could have riddles and clues to a missing word in each reference. It would be self checking as a wrong word could put you in the Atlantic etc.
The “Home” reference was stored in the phone anyway for emergencies and the “Where are you” function could find the hopelessly lost.