A Brighton Hen Party Treasure Hunt. The Inside Story.

Posted on: 24/11/2022

By Tim Carter (Owner of Black Cat Treasure Hunts)

What can you expect on the day of your hen party treasure hunt? Not only that, but one attended by Black Cat himself from Black Cat Treasure Hunts? This article goes right to the heart of it and gives you the insight you need about this original, hen do idea.
 
2. 10.30-10.45am... Generally breakfast has been completed by now and the group are changing into casual gear for the treasure hunt. Occasionally a fancy dress theme or identifying feature for different teams has been selected too. Black Cat has been advised to arrive no earlier than 10.45am.

3. The Briefing: Black Cat arrives and either texts the hen party organiser (normally the head bridesmaid or sister...which is often the same person) or rings the doorbell to confirm he has arrived on time at the right place.  Depending on the personalities in the group, his arrival is greeted in one of three ways: (I) Normally an excited buzz that their first, organised activity of the weekend is about to get under away..or.. (II) Possibly with a slight delaying tactic of thrusting a coffee into his hand to buy a bit of time for the stragglers...or.. (III) A slightly cheeky cheer, accompanied by a "Aha..our first stripper has arrived!" with the full knowledge that it is of course Black Cat. One day I might have to charge double!
For 15 minutes or so, Black Cat tells the pre-arranged teams what to expect and gives out guidelines, tips, and rules for the two hours of the treasure hunt. This also includes a little reading time of the treasure hunt challenges so that teams can have a quick strategy think.

4. Teams Set Off: Black Cat will set teams off at short intervals (3-4 mins gap) so that there is an initial splitting up. It also gives the opportunity for the team with the `slowest to get ready teammates` the chance to get their act together. Black Cat (ok..I!) will have clipboards, a copy of the hunt and pen for each team taking part. I will wish you all good luck and depart the starting point with the last team. Each team will have been advised they have two hours to get to the end having completed as many of the challenges and answered as many of the questions as possible. I will let you know you that I will be at the end.

5. Two hours after the first team set off: The first team to leave (usually, but certainly not necessarily) will arrive at the agreed finishing point...normally a bar chosen by the group or Black Cat himself. The team will be thrilled that they made it to the end without having to ask locals for directions and are extremely keen to show Black Cat their photos and video clips relating to the challenges. Confidence in overall success is extremely high. I start to view the often very funny photos/videos. Although I only really need to see the team member who took the photos etc, usually the whole team are keen to contribute to their submissions and try and influence the outcome with the offer of a drink.

6. The other team(s) arrive: The other teams may or may not arrive in order and often whilst I am going through photos/video clips with another team. The tension is building, and the jokes are flying as to which team has achieved the most. There is always a delightful atmosphere when all the teams have arrived, and they compare experiences and discuss what they saw on route in a place that may well be new to them.

7. Calm before the storm: The next step will involve marking the written answers to the questions by myself. This is normally a quick process, but if there are a lot of teams then a double check of scores might need to take place. The group will leave me to it as they are busy catching up with each other and getting stuck into their first drink of the afternoon or maybe ordering some food.

8. And the results are in...: This draws the group back together and I give a small presentation as a way of bringing everything neatly to a conclusion. I like to mention a few `highlights` from each team before ranking the teams in reverse order. Each team will get some kind of prize, but to be honest they are not my main selling points! The lower teams will likely get postcards of places they may or should have seen on the way round whilst the winners, if this is a Brighton hen party treasure hunt, are often given sticks of Brighton Rock. I am always pleasantly surprised by how happy they are with the prizes!

That is pretty much it as I will wish you an excellent and enjoyable rest of the weekend and give you any directional help should you need it to get to your next destination.