Driving Treasure Hunts Add Spice To Your Life.

Posted on: 24/03/2019

"Variety is the very spice of life.." is part of a line in a poem by William Cowper in 1785. Don`t worry..I haven`t heard of him either despite the quote being well known. He was referring to fashion in that period apparently, but you could just as well apply it to driving treasure hunts produced by Black Cat Treasure Hunts today.
Of course, Black Cat creates personalised and bespoke treasure hunts for occasions such as hen party`s, teambuilding, anniversary`s and birthdays, but it was the recent requests for a couple of driving treasure hunts that caught my eye recently. Both were for birthdays (a 50th and an 80th!/Mothers Day celebrations), and despite them not being set too far apart they were both very different.
The 50th was for a group of friends coming down from London to stay near Rye, which is right on the Eastern border of East Sussex.Info was provided about the person whose birthday it was for and it was quickly apparent to me that they would be looking for something quite challenging. This was lucky because the area they were looking for the hunt to cover went from (but not into) Rye  to Appledore (just in Kent), back down to Winchelsea Beach, Pett, Fairlight, Guestling and along to Icklesham to finish. I knew the names of these places but I did not know them well. It meant I concentrated a lot on ensuring I picked up on as many unusual things as I could before driving too far.For example there was a German bi-plane stuck in a field...a galloping pony who wanted his photo taken and the interesting tale of a shipwrecked warship. These things you just can`t make up and are perfect to give the variety required.
I normally suggest cars of 4 people (5 maybe if you have a bigger car) and from 2-4 cars taking part against each. This range of 8 to 16-20 people makes it idea for a fun and memorable birthday. The ending point is typically a pub or restaurant to complete a more traditional ending to the birthday and to announce the winners.
What about the 80th birthday? This one is to start in Bexhill (the hunt is next Sunday!)and will finish in Golden Cross, just on from the small village of Ripe. Check it on Google maps if you are not from Sussex. The brief on this one allowed me more control of the route so long as it was using great countryside and views and there was a stop on route for a Mothers day cup of tea! Sussex countryside and winding tree lined roads made this a perfect and potentially testing route.The cafe I chose to stop this at 2/3 of the way through is called Saltmarsh Farm and is perfectly placed in Friston Forest next to the stunning meanders of the Cuckmere River.
The finishing point is original, but is neither a pub or restaurant, but is a surprise for the birthday boy. It is appropriate both to his interests and and the fact it comes at the end of a driving treasure hunt. I will let you know on Facebook soon..just in case he is reading this! I will let you into a quick secret too..I actually got lost a little bit looking for the end point as the roads were not exactly major ones or signposted that well! It means I have to put full directions within the text of the treasure hunt. Competitors can use Google maps on route if they like, but should beware that they are not distracted from the questions or challenges. The challenges require photos and video clips being taken of the team completing fun tasks on route. Another example of variety and differences between the two birthday driving hunts. A Black Cat driving treasure hunt is not just a challenge..it`s about exploration,discovering  and above all it`s an experience which you will be talking about for many birthdays to come!
I could go on and tell you more about the second hunt, such as about The Long Man of Wilmington or the smallest church in Great Britain, hidden behind trees, but I think now I have your interest I will wait for you to contact me on info@blackcattreasurehunts.co.uk to book your own personalised driving treasure hunt.
Alternatively, you could try out one of our driving hunts that you can download from the website. It is Black Cat`s favourite...In Search of Mad Jack`s Mysterious Tower...now that is variety...

https://www.blackcattreasurehunts.co.uk/hunt-265