No bar crawl, no problem
How a treasure hunt made this hen do one to remember
This group played in Bath — but we run the same kind of game here in Bristol. It's tailored to its city: different route, different clues, same kind of fun!
No bar crawl. No big plan. Just ten people, one bride — and a surprise that turned out to be the highlight of the weekend.
Emily — the bride’s sister and maid of honour — knew the usual hen do stuff wasn’t going to cut it. Her sister doesn’t drink, and she wanted something everyone could enjoy — relaxed, a bit different, and ideally a way to show off Bath, where they both went to uni.
She started Googling: escape rooms in Bath. That’s their kind of thing — puzzles, teamwork, a bit of thinking. But nothing quite fit.
Then she found a treasure hunt.
She clicks. Scrolls. Smiles. This could actually work.
Surprise, you’re solving clues now
Fast forward to Sunday morning. They’re all at brunch at Bill’s. The bride still doesn’t know what’s planned — the whole weekend’s a surprise.
Once the coffee’s in, the maid of honour makes the announcement:
“We’re going on a treasure hunt.”
Cue some raised eyebrows and cautious excitement.
Phones come out. They split into two teams of five. The bride ends up on her sister’s team — probably an unfair advantage, since they both know the city.
But it’s game on.
The colourful moment
They’re about halfway through the hunt when they hit the Royal Crescent. The sun’s out. An ice cream van’s up ahead. The team are deep in the next challenge — reading, scanning, figuring things out.
Then someone spots something odd.
A flash of colour — hidden in the calm, honey-coloured sweep of Bath stone.
“Has that always been there?”
Emily lived in Bath for three years, and even she had never noticed it. She pulls out her phone mid-hunt, suddenly curious to know the story behind it.
It turns out to be the answer — the thing they were looking for all along.
But it’s also one of those quietly brilliant moments where the city surprises you. Where something small feels like a little secret, just for you.
From awkward intros to proper bonding
By the end of the hunt, both teams are laughing, sharing photos, and swapping in-jokes about who got stuck on what.
On one team: the bride’s mum and four of her friends — none of whom had met before. But now they’re joking around, chatting like they’ve known each other for years.
Emily had worried it might be over too quickly. Instead, it ended exactly when it should, just as the group hit their stride.
After the final clue, they grabbed coffees and soaked it all in.
So — would she recommend it?
“Absolutely. It’s just such a good way to bring people together.”
Now she’s keeping an eye out for treasure hunts in other cities — for hen dos, birthdays, weekends away, anything that needs a bit of spark.
Fancy something similar for your hen do?
We run hen do treasure hunts all over the UK — including right here in Bristol. Zero stress, loads of laughs, and no one’s stuck making awkward small talk over fizz.
In Bristol, your group might be solving something by the harbourside, spotting odd details at St Nick’s Market, or pretending not to be lost (again) while someone takes a group shot by the water. Every route’s different, but they all work the same magic: big smiles, a bit of chaos, and stories you’ll still be talking about at the wedding.