About the game

Bristol’s historic city is steeped in seafaring history and architecture and this game is going to show you the best of it!

Starting in Castle Park, once home to one of the largest Norman castle’s in England, you’ll explore the charming Old City and it’s lanes full of historic buildings. Later you’ll take a wander out to the waterside which was once a busy dock where sailors and merchants would trade and plan their voyages!

By searching for clues across the city, you’ll discover hidden treasure you never knew existed!

What you’ll do

You’ll be led around the city by Captain Bess, a snarky pirate who’s testing out new recruits to join her ship!

Bess will send a series of maps, clues and directions. You follow the map and solve the clue by searching your surroundings. When you get the right answer, you’ll move on to the next place.

Don’t worry, if you get stuck you can ask for a hint and Bess’ll get you on your way!

What you’ll see

Along the way you’ll see lots of sights and Bess will tell you some fun facts about some of them. It’s a perfect way of discovering things you might want to come back to.

• Castle Park - home to the remains of a great medieval castle and the ruins of St Peter’s Church.
• The Corn Exchange - built in 1741 and previously used as a corn and general trade exchange.
• St Nicholas Market - the oldest and much loved historic market serving delicious food and full of independent shops!
• King Street - a 17th-century street in the historic city centre, steeped in pirate history!
• Bristol Cathedral - a magnificent and beautiful building and one of England’s great medieval churches originating as an Augustinian Abbey around 1140.
• Millennium Square - part of the recent developments of the Harbourside and home to We The Curious, an exciting interactive science centre.
• The Harbourside - Bristol’s bustling Harbourside is a vibrant part of the city. Explore Brunel’s SS Great Britain and take a stroll around the water’s edge.
• Queen Square - a magnificent and leafy Georgian square in the heart of Bristol.
• The Old Vic - the oldest continually operated theatre in the English speaking world!

What else you should know

• Take your time—it’s more enjoyable to see everything at your own pace. There's a scheduled break around half-way, but you can take your own breaks if you prefer.
• Aim to finish before sunset—it's near impossible to find clues in the dark! Check the sunset time
• You can play in 2 parts—if it suits your plans, you can pause the game and come back after lunch or even the next day.
• Bess will be scoring you! Your score is the number of clues you got right first time, without a hint. The score is only for your satisfaction, so don’t struggle needlessly!

How the game works

The game works a bit like a WhatsApp group, but on a web page instead. You don’t need to download anything and it doesn’t need any permissions.

Before you’re due to start, we’ll send you a link to the game. Open the link to join the game and share it with your team so they can join too.

Once you’re ready, Captain Bess will tell you what to do next.

What to bring

• Smartphones with mobile data and full batteries. (It’s OK to share, but it works better if everyone has their own phone.)
• Shoes for walking 2½ miles.
• Waterproofs in case of bad weather.
• Wit, cunning and an adventurous spirit!

Accessibility

We've designed the game to be step-free around the whole route. The recommended pubs at half-way and at the end of the game have step-free front access and an accessible toilet.

We are currently looking for wheelchair users to play-test the game before we call it "wheelchair friendly".

If you'd like to test the game, please get in touch!